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| Greek cheek |
The Greek people have launched a national campaign to rid their roadsides of enormous advertising billboards, many depicting scantily clad ladies, which are thought to be causing the worst accident figures in Europe.
More than 2,000 people die on Greek roads annually and campaigners put as many as 10 percent of these accidents down to drivers being distracted by huge advertising hoardings at junctions and next to traffic lights. |
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| Driving in sin |
The Vatican recently took a break from strictly theological matters to issue its own rules of the road.
A 36-page document called 'Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road' contains 10 commandments covering everything from road rage, respecting pedestrians and avoiding rude gestures. It appealed to what it called the 'noble tendencies' of the human spirit, urging responsibility and self-control to prevent the 'psychological regression' often associated with driving. Apart from decreeing that drivers should obey the speed limits and not drive under the influence of alcohol, the document also prescribes that 'cars shall not be an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin'. Praying while driving was encouraged. |
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| Kicking up a stink |
Continental Airlines has apologised to passengers who complained that they had to put up with sewage flowing through the aisles on a two-day flight from Amsterdam to Newark, New York this month.
Despite the odour and mess, attendants continued to serve meals to the 168 passengers on board flight 71 after the Boeing 767's six toilets became blocked. |
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| Wwwacky website |
| Weights and measures converters are useful when you're cooking from an American recipe book, but sometimes it makes more sense to express things in terms of other things. That's where www.weirdconverter.com comes in. Have you ever wondered how many spider monkeys equal one African elephant? 859 and a (painful) third, actually. How many Tom Cruises in an Airbus 380? Nearly 3,052, but 5547 Jennifer Anistons. Spend a happy few moments expressing the Great Wall of China in terms of cockroaches, small intestines or kegs of beer. |
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Volume 12.07
July 2007 |
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Hello Welcome to the July issue of Fleettorque, brought to you by Fleetcare!
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Winning streak |
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 A 21st-century version of the iconic Australian FJ Holden has been presented with the 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year Award.
Organised by the South East Automotive Media Organization (SEAMO), the sixth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards recognises those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry.
The EFIJY is Holden's wild hot rod concept, created by Holden's Melbourne design team was first shown in North America in January. Finished in stunning Soprana purple, the pillarless coupe is a radical custom coupe shape boasting V8 Supercar power under the bonnet, a Chevrolet Corvette underbody and state-of-the-art automotive technology, reinterpreting the classic design style of the iconic 1953 FJ Holden. Its designers insist that this is a car designed purely for automotive entertainment.
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Call me on my Porsche |
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 Does the sleek design of this cool aluminium mobile phone ring any bells? Well, the designers at Porsche have clearly turned their attention from the road to the airwaves with this precision Porsche P9521 phone, which is milled from a solid aluminium block and has a double hinge so the screen can be rotated through 180 degrees.
Beauty is much more than just skin deep though as the Porsche phone is fitted with an incredible high-tech finger scanner - just assign a particular function or speed-dial number to each of your fingers, then swipe one over the phone to activate the command.There's also a 3.2-megapixel video and still camera with auto-focus lens, an up-to-the-minute OLED screen for vibrant colours and low power use, plus three speakers. The Porsche phone is only available in a few countries at the moment, where it is priced at about £800. |
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Tandersport Update |
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 It's half way through 2007 and things are on-track for Leanne & Garth Tander.
Garth has had a sensational start to the year with both competitors and fans agreeing that Garth is the one to watch in 2007, having set the pace in most sessions this year. Although currently second in the championship, he sits only 39 points behind leader, 2006 Champion, Rick Kelly. Garths next race is at Queensland Raceway, a circuit he did very well in 2006.
Leannes assault on the Australian Formula 3 Championship is also on target after 3 rounds, despite some early set-backs. Two third places at Oran Park in round two and a historic win at Phillip Island in May (Leanne became the first female to win a race of the Australian Formula 3 Championship) has elevated Leanne to 3rd in the Championship standings, only 11 points behind the current leader. With 5 rounds to go, Leanne is confident of more podiums and race wins and believes she is in with a realistic chance of winning the championship.
Click here to read more.
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Fry and fly |
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 At last, there could be some justification for eating greasy takeaway food. KFC is just one of the fast-food outlets in California that is supplying its second-hand frying grease to a local biodiesel company to be turned into an alternative fuel.
The restaurant-grease biodiesel produced by Energy Alternative Solutions is to be sold at fueling stations in Central and Northern California. The blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 regular diesel known as B20 significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and smog, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. |
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Safe seats |
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 Many parents are confused about how to keep their kids safe when travelling in the family car, according to a report published recently in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Although most Australian drivers wanted their children to be safe in the car, just 44 per cent of those surveyed knew that under-ones should be strapped into a properly fitted Australian Standards-approved child restraint. It also emerged that some parents allow children as young as three years old to move into adult seatbelts, putting them at risk of serious head injuries.
Recent changes proposed by the National Transport Commission to bring Australia's car safety laws into line with those of other countries would require children under the age of four to use a restraint with an in-built harness, and then a booster seat until the age of seven. If adopted, the laws could be introduced by December.
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