Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Mini Countryman

There has been no more contentious a car launched this year than the Mini Countryman. It's been labeled by some as sacrilegious to the very essence of the Mini brand, of 'selling out' and, yes, of being ugly. But does the concept of a four-meter Mini translate to use in the real world?

Children more distracting than cell phones, study finds

Parents of small children will not be surprised by findings released recently by Australian researchers stating children pose a greater distraction to drivers than talking on cell phones -- a 12 percent greater distraction, to be exact. With all the screaming and crying infants bring to the commute and the fighting and other factors older siblings contribute, we wonder why nobody has pointed a finger at our precious angels sooner. Perhaps because there is little we can do to control when or where our kids decide to dissolve into fits of rage or sorrow.

Drink Drive Message Failing As One In 15 Fail Breath-Tests

ROAD safety charity Brake has issued an appeal to the public to not drink and drive this summer and all year-round, as figures from the Association of Chief Police Officer's (ACPO) summer drink drive enforcement campaign, show one in 15 of those breath-tested were over the limit. During the national campaign, which ran from 1 June to 30 June, 63,688 breath tests were administered, of which 4,108 (6.5%, or one in 15) were failed or refused. This is 1.3% more than during the 2013 campaign.