Beck/arnley Control Arm 101-5843 on 2040-parts.com

Weather creates travel misery

BRITAIN’S bleak midwinter continued today with strong winds, floods and fallen trees causing chaos to travellers trying to get away for Christmas. On the roads, many major routes were flooded or blocked by fallen trees, with Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Cornwall among the affected counties. In Dorset fire crews had to rescue 25 people trapped in their cars by flood water, while as many as 100,000 homes across the country were left without power.

CDN – Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition deadline extended

The deadline for the 2012 Car Design News – Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition has been extended until midnight (00:00 GMT) Friday 11 May. Mark Adams, Vice President Opel/Vauxhall Design, announced the news in a video message to all entrants, in which he reiterated the brief – to design the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera of the year 2020. All students must submit both an exterior and interior design to be eligible to win paid internships within GM Europe, Opel/Vauxhall's parent company.

Four in 10 'can't read maps'

ALMOST four in 10 drivers don't know how to read a traditional map, according to new research by sat-nav manufacturer Garmin. A study of 2,000 Brits revealed that 39% admit to not knowing what they're doing with old-fashioned navigation, but the true figure could well be higher than that when taking into account those who believe they can read a map but have either never tried or never proved it. A worrying 16% say that they are 'heavily reliant' on sat-nav in their cars in order to get anywhere – even to places they regularly visit.