Wagner Bc128638 Brake Cable-parking Brake Cable on 2040-parts.com

Shocking stats reveal mobile use while driving

AS MANY as 13% of drivers are still using hand-held mobile phones while at the wheel, according to a survey. And 4% have admitted to regularly sending or reading text messages while driving, the poll by road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line showed. The number of people owning up to using hand-held mobiles at the wheel has fallen from 36% in 2006 to the current figure of 13%.

One Lap of the Web: New Transformers, home-built cars and two Mercury Marauders

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Michael Bay has been releasing the cars of “Transformers 4” for the past couple of months, and the latest one to be revealed is the Pagani Huayra (“why-ra”).

Mercedes-Benz A-class patent renderings leaked

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a three-door concept version of its 2012 A-class at the New York and Shanghai auto shows in April, and images of a possible production model leaked this week via the European Patent Office. The renderings show a five-door hatchback version of the A-class concept with less aggressive styling. Its world premiere is said to be scheduled for the Frankfurt motor show in September.