The car of the future - uncrashable and cleans up after itself

New cutting edge developments in automotive technology by Volvo, Honda and Mercedes-Benz where unveiled in February that could lead to uncrashable cars in the future.

Thatcham, the research centre funded by insurance companies, presented three new technologies developed by the three manufacturers at the Transport Research Laboratory that could prevent the 125,000 injuries a year suffered as a result of traffic accidents.

75 per cent of all motor accidents are actually low speed shunts which cause billions of pounds worth of damage each year. Thatcham has presented the three technologies which it believes can best reduce this number and the number of injuries as a result.

The Mercedes Distronic Plus uses two radar systems and can bring a car to complete halt if necessary.

Volvo's new City Safe system will make its debut on the manufacturer's new XC60 SUV model. It works in slow traffic to prevent the common collisions that occur when a driver takes their eyes off the vehicle in front.

After testing the new developments, Matthew Avery, research manager a Thatcham said: "All three systems offered enhanced protection - the Volvo in particular impressed because of its autonomous operation and the fact that it intervened at the last second and can completely avoid a crash."

Meanwhile, a team at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA have developed the world's first car capable of filtering out harmful carbon emissions from its fuel.

The fuel system separates the hydrogen from the carbon elements that make up petrol and diesel and only the hydrogen is used to power the engine. This means that the only by-product that escapes through the exhaust is water, giving the car a zero emissions rating.

The rest of the fuel's carbon is stored in liquid form which can be recycled back into fuel.

Professor Andrei Fedorov, leader of the team that developed the system said: "We have an unstable carbon-based economy which is limited by the supply of fossil fuels, high cost and carbon dioxide pollution. We wanted to create a practical and sustainable energy strategy for cars that could solve these limitations"

Staged accidents costing the UK motorist

As many as 20 organised gangs of criminals could be involved in staged car accident scams in the UK according to fraud investigators, cashing in on millions of pounds every year.

And alarmingly, according to Royal & SunAlliance, 41 per cent of UK motorists are unaware that the crime exists.

In the last nine years, investigators have uncovered in excess of 25,000 staged accidents and ever since a 'cheats' hotline was set up last year to report inflated insurance claims and staged accidents, calls have gone up by 175 per cent. There are fears that criminals are claiming in excess of £200 million a year.

"It is a big problem," concedes John Beadle, chairman of the Insurance Fraud Bureau. "We couldn't possible deal with all the suspected bogus claims. We'd need an army to investigate every incident."

Made in the 80s

The clothes are back, the hair styles are back and the music is back. As the UK goes mad for all things 80s, it seems cars built in the decade are making a come back too.

Used car dealers and auctioneers across the UK are seeing an increase in demand for 80s models, with nostalgia TV shows and brand new series set during 1980's such as the BBC's Ashes to Ashes, adding to their popularity.

Models such as the Audi Quatro, Golf GTI, Rover SD1, Ford Cortina and BMWs or Mercedes from the period are the new classic cars of choice. However, second hand car sales experts are warning those in the market for a slice of nostalgia to beware.

Roger Powel, general manager of mycarcheck.com and textcheck.com, vehicle history verification services, explains: "Acquiring a car that is 20 years old does have its problems and safety experts have warned potential buyers to watch out for unscrupulous dealers trying to cash in on the resurgent popularity of some models.

"The older a car is, the more likely it is to have something to hide. Just because it looks good doesn't mean a vehicle is safe or legal so conducting a vehicle history check can give buyers peace of mind."

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