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Posts Tagged ‘women’

The Cost of Britain’s Car Insurance is Set to Rise steeply

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

The last couple of years have seen the price of pretty much everything rocket. But with cars having always been a generally expensive commodity anyway, the economic downturn has really seen drivers suffer. Not only have we seen a drastic increase in the price of fuel, paying an average of 15.8p per litre more than we were only a year ago, but car insurance has rocketed over the last year, having risen at an ever-increasing rate of 40 pence per day. But why?

It’s likely that you will by now have heard about the European Court of Justice’s new ruling that sex discrimination is no longer a valid means of calculating the cost of insurance, which is going to have a massive impact on insurance industry practice and our premiums across the board - especially, though, when it comes to car insurance.

With men seeing an average 10% decrease on their insurance and women set to pay an average of 25% more than they do now, it’s very important to make sure you find the most competitive insurance company in business.

When it comes to companies like car insurance comparison website moneysupermarket.com, they insist that you stay abreast of any price hikes in the industry by using their car insurance comparison tool - the beauty of it being that you just have to enter your details once and moneysupermarket.com does all the searching and hard work for you (they, in particular, obtain quotes from over 50 car insurance companies), relieving you of that arduous task of obtaining quotes from lots of different companies. When the time comes for you to renew your policy, then, there’s absolutely no excuse for just remaining with your current insurer and paying the hefty price.

Peter Harrison, an insurance expert for the comparison site, believes that we’re an apathetic nation when shopping around for car insurance: “Insurers count on customer apathy to reap the profits, so it is alarming so many motorists are prepared to waste their hard-earned cash by not looking for a better deal”. MoneySuperMarket estimates the UK’s 6.3 million drivers lose around 1.7bn per year collectively because consumers don’t shop around for their car insurance.

The problem of uninsured driver accidents is also a large contributory factor to the increasing cost of car insurance. The BIBA (British Insurance Brokers’ Association), since 2004 has been lobbying for a regulatory system, and estimates that it costs every policyholder an average of 30 per year, and that 160 are killed and 22,000 injured every year, all at the hands of uninsured drivers.

Additionally, the UK has one of the worst records in Europe for uninsured driving, according to the MID. An estimated 1 in 20 cars on the road is driven either completely without or incorrect (and therefore invalid) insurance, costing the nation’s drivers an incredible 500m per year.

Fortunately, though, a new Act aiming to deal with the problem is due to come into effect in April 2011. The Continuous Insurance Enforcement Act will mean that cars may no longer be owned without either registering their vehicles with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) or insuring them. This means that even those owners whose vehicle remains physically off the road on the drive or in the garage (even if it’s jacked up on bricks and without vital components), will be breaking the law if they haven’t either insured it or applied for a SORN.

However, while the Act has been welcomed by many, concerns that it doesn’t go far enough have been voiced by some. For example Direct Line’s Andy Goldby, director of motor underwriting, has commented: “We welcome this initiative, but with uninsured drivers costing British society around 500m each year, the severity of penalties must act as a deterrent to those considering driving without insurance.”

After all, what’s the point of imposing a 300 fine to someone who would otherwise have had to pay over 2,000 for their insurance in the first place? It remains to be seen, then, whether or not this act will have a positive effect on the cost of our car insurance.

Another big cost incurred by car insurance policyholders is that generated by accident claims and the growing personal injury lawyer business.

Insurers claim they are having to pay out more than they are taking in, and a survey carried out by actuarial consultancy and industry experts EMB revealing that in 2009, the retail motor industry paid out 1.20 in costs and claims for every 1 received in premiums, making 2009 one of the industry’s least profitable years on record.

Another report from EMB, presented to the Commons Transport Select Committee in 2010, said: “Over 40 per cent of personal injury lawyers pay referral fees to receive work from insurers or claims management firms. Fees range from 200 to 1,000 per referral.”

The report also stated: “In our view, the biggest single factor driving price increases is the burgeoning cost of bodily injury claims… We estimate that twenty years ago bodily injury claims accounted for around 20 per cent of UK motor insurance claims costs. In 2010 we now estimate that proportion to be 50 per cent.”

Statistics show that 341,592 people were killed or injured in 1989, compared with 222,146 people were killed or injured on Britain’s roads in 2009, highlighting that the increase in costs just doesn’t add up.

Along very similar lines, the Jackson Report, published in January 2011, found that insurance premiums increased by 40 per cent in 2010, are set to see a further increase of 20 per cent in the year ahead, and that personal injury claims now account for an astonishing 50 per cent of the cost of our car insurance premiums.

So now, more than ever, it’s essential that you make sure your insurance provider is giving you the best value on the market.

For additional info about young drivers insurance at moneysupermarket.com, head over to their website now!

Are women safer drivers than men?

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Europe’s car insurance industry has been left spinning by the recent big ban by the European Court of Justice of the use of gender to assess risk and calculate premiums. As the full impact of the ruling is debated by the nation, motor insurance companies will be under close scrutiny as they try and attempt to deal fairly with the choas.

Car insurance for women at moneysupermarket.com have benefited from cheaper insurance premiums than men for a long time now. In calculations for health insurance, life insurance, car insurance and annuities, the fact that women are seen statistically as a lower-risk group than men has meant women benefit from lower costs.

“In all studies, without exception, men have been shown to have a higher rate of crashes than women. This gender difference is most marked in the population under the age of 25 years, but is also evident in older drivers.”

The statistical data is so conclusive in showing women to be safer drivers that companies like Sheila’s Wheels were set up to cater especially for women’s car insurance, offering preferential lower rates that were unavailable to some men.

A statement from the insurance group said: “It is completely disadvantageous to the very people it was intended to protect and prevents insurers from using a legitimate rating factor.”

The price of an insurance premium for a woman under the age of 24 is expected to rise by an average of 24 per cent, with the youngest female drivers facing a 60 per cent price hike.

Annuity

Upon reaching retirement, people will often buy an annuity with their pension fund to guarantee them a fixed income for the rest of their life. Because women statistically live longer than men, a woman will more often than not be offered lower payouts than those offered to men with an identical pension fund.

But now, the ECJ ruling means women and men will be treated equally when they buy annuities, meaning men’s annuities will now be as much as eight per cent lower, according to the Association of British Insurers, while women’s could rise by as much as six per cent.

Car insurance is perhaps likely to be the industry most affected by the ruling. Companies like Sheila’s Wheels were established with the sole purpose of serving female customers’ insurance needs, based on the fact that they could assure them of a better deal.

“Either way, the consumer loses out on both choice and value. Annuity rates are already low, and this could be the excuse providers need to pull them even lower.”

He added: “It is particularly alarming given that the head of the Association of Police Officers in the UK in 2005 noted that the biggest killer of young women in Britain is their boyfriend’s and male friends’ driving.”

The cost of life insurance premiums is also going to be overhauled as a result of the ECJ’s ruling. The Association of British Insurers predicts a 20 per cent rise in the cost of life insurance for women, while men will benefit from an average eight per cent reduction as life insurance calculations are evened out between the sexes.

Maggie Burns, Director General of the Association of British Car Insurers, insisted it would be up to insurers to interpret the ruling in a way that does not alienate their customers.

George Ladds, head of pensions at Fair Investment Company, claimed that both men and women would lose out on annuity rates in the long run.

She said: “Not all the customers will be equally affected as the use of gender could vary significantly between products and different companies. Each company will have to respond to the ban in a way they feel is in their customers’ interests.”

So perhaps we could see certain insurers bringing the cost of men’s cover more down, rather than simply using the ELJ’s ruling as an excuse to send the cost of premiums for women soaring until they reach the levels that men pay more of.

More top car insurance tips including a list of the top womens car insurance can be found at moneysupermarket.com

The End of Sex Discrimination in Insurance: What Happens Now?

Friday, April 15th, 2011

With the historic ban on gender discrimination by the ECJ in the insurance industry, it now reveals the monumental task for the UK’s insurance industry to completely change the way it works. But what does it mean for men and women across Britain?

Brought by the Belgium Consumers Association, the case challenges the EU Gender Directive’s Article 5, which allows insurers to charge men and women differently based on their sex if it is a “determining factor” in risk assessment, and where it is also based on “relevant and accurate actuarial and statistical data”.

This change has been given a lot of media attention as this evening-out of the playing field means that the cost of car insurance policies will significantly increase for women and decrease for men. But what about the rest of Britain’s insurance industry?

With substantial evidence having shown definite results over the years that women are safer drivers than men, the ruling has been met with a great deal of apprehension.

Insurers will no longer be allowed to evaluate risk based on a person’s gender at the end of 2012, and as a result, premiums for women are expected to rise noticeably, while premiums for men are set to decrease.

It’s not all good news when it comes to insurance for men however. The ruling applies not only to car insurance but across the whole insurance industry, so the ruling will carry some negative implications for them as well.

Annuities

An annuity is usually bought with a pension fund when a person approaches retirement, and with this they are guaranteed an income for life.

Statistics determine the annual income they can buy with their retirement pot, estimating how long they are likely to live. Age, gender and health are all factored into the equation.

According to the statistics, men don’t usually live as long as women, and have always generally been offered higher annuity payouts than a woman with exactly the same pension fund.

However, the new ruling has changed all this, and will inevitably see women paying less. The ABI (Association of British Insurers) estimates that men approaching retirement will see an 8% fall in annuity rates, while women will benefit from a growth of about 6%.

Additionally, joint annuities, usually purchased by men, are also set to see a price hike, so that women who rely on their husband’s pension fund will also suffer a decreased retirement income.

Fair Investment Company’s head of pensions, George Ladds, has warned that if annuities are to remain attractive, the industry will have to rethink how it prices annuities: “Either rates for men and women will be brought in line to create ‘unisex’ annuity rate, which will probably see men’s rates go down more than women’s go up - or annuity providers will have to start looking at each case individually, which is more expensive, and that cost will be passed onto the consumer.” He added: “Either way, the consumer loses out on both choice and value. Annuity rates are already low, and this could be the excuse providers need to pull them even lower.”

Life insurance

Women are likely to live longer than men according to data, paying less in premiums than men for their life insurance.

The ABI estimates that women will see their premiums increase by as much as a 20 per cent, while men are will see an estimated 10 per cent decrease on the cost of their cover.

ABI’s acting director general, Maggie Craig, warned women not to reconsider buying cover that they need. “Not all customers will be equally affected as the use of gender can vary significantly between products and different companies. Each company will have to respond to the ban in the way they feel is in their customers’ interests.”

Health insurance

Health insurances such as payment protection policies and critical illness cover, unlike life insurance, cost men less, because statistics say that they’re less likely to suffer illness and claim. This will not be the case, as of December 2012.

Car insurance

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association and the AA both advise that this will see women paying around a 1/4 more than they currently do for their car insurance, while younger female drivers will see an even bigger increase.

Describing the ruling as “flying in the face of common sense”, insurance group RSA argued: “It is completely disadvantageous to the very people it was intended to protect and prevents insurers from using a legitimate rating factor.”

Looking for great deals on car insurance? Then temp car insurance at Money Supermarket could be what you are after!

What To Do When You Are Involved In A Vehicular Accident

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Minor accidents and mishaps are common with any car or vehicle. Even with an insurance agreement governing you, this occurrence stands to create some negligible stress and anxiety in us.

However all said and done you will be left fretting in times of an accident not knowing what to do next. It is always better to know what process is required to be followed in such cases.

If the mishap is minor in nature more like a bumper-to-bumper hit, you may drive over to the side of the road and part. The traffic needs to move on and you can avoid blocking the road.

It is always better to move both vehicles over to the size and clear the road to avoid other vehicles from running into you and adding to the damage. Turn on the hazard lights of both vehicles for other vehicles to see and slow down.

The next thing would be to call the police and report the accident. Incase of a minor accident the police may not arrive or respond immediately. But still you will need to report it for insurance purposes.

After reporting to the police, wait there and note down all details of the driver of the other vehicle and note down the car number, registration, color and other details besides getting the driver’s details including name, address, license number, insurance details etc.

Do not jump in to make any conclusions or accept fault of driving on your side. It is not your job and leave it to the police to decide.

You would need to inform the insurance agency about the accident and they will take over from there and deal with things. If possible make sure you photograph both vehicles in detail and provide it to the insurance agency.

Get more works penned by this same writer dealing with topics such as stretch carpet and price of carpet per square foot.

Finding A Cost-Efficient Automobile Insurance Coverage

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Due to the economic crises, folks generally spend more time bargain shopping then they used to. Consumption has taken on a whole new meaning.

This can also be especially accurate with the situation of discovering a great vehicle insurance plan. You will find several products that you simply need to research, for example your monetary standing, automobile and also the kind of protection of safety you wish to have.

The larger query is - can you nevertheless get all of the advantages with an inexpensive vehicle insurance plan organization? To understand the solution to this query, you might begin searching for a temporary vehicle insurance plan which will not be considered a large burden for you.

Buying an insurance coverage plan can be a costly endeavor. But there some actions that you just can take in order to obtain a cost-efficient insurance coverage.

Savvy shoppers will compare many different companies before making a decision. There is no need to go to the firm in person, as most companies have this function online now. You can compare the rates of countless companies without ever leaving your house. That’s a fantastic start, as you’ll save money on gas!

You might commence by creating exploration on several businesses and see how their items differ from each other. Don’t be blinded by providers of inexpensive premiums that don’t deliver when you need them to.

You ought to concentrate on the variety of advantages every package provides. Then you might persist by analyzing your specific requirements and attempt to match these requirements using the info you’ve gathered.

If you haven’t yet purchased your new car, you may want to consider the cost of insurance. The type of car you drive can greatly impact the cost of insurance.

Many owners of luxury cars find themselves paying hefty insurance coverage premiums. Owners of rarely-used autos that are little in size and slightly used are likely to pay far less in insurance premiums.

See various other educational articles penned by this writer about things including ethernet cords and the custom built computer.

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Car Insurance for Women Can Help You Get the Best Deals

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

Car insurance for women is well known to provide some great deals, but are women really better drivers than men? The truth is that they aren’t, but statistics show that women make fewer, less expensive claims than men do. Women also generally drive less miles, which is known to drive down insurance prices. In short, as long as the care insurance companies feel they are less likely to pay out for female drivers, they will over lower premiums.

Understanding Cheap Car Insurance for Women

Like any car insurance deal, policies aimed specifically at women will have major differences. For example, some may be fully comprehensive, whereas others may offer third party only, or third party with theft and fire. Choosing more comprehensive policies will increase your overall premium, though you may find that female friendly policies are only included by some insurers at the comprehensive level - it all depends on which insurer you choose.

Another more common trend in the car insurance world is for add-on deals aimed specifically at women. For example, many car insurance companies are now offering coverage for purses and their contents should they be stolen from the car.

It’s also important to remember that simply being female doesn’t guarantee any low prices or extras. Your history and circumstances will always be taken into account, as with any standard car insurance policy. And, like all insurance policies, younger women (just like younger men) may find it more difficult to get cheap car insurance for women due to a lack of experience.

Men Can Even Benefit From Cheap Female Insurance Deals

It may seem contradictory to even suggest it, but there are ways in which men can also benefit from cheap car insurance for women. If you share a car with a female relative or partner, it’s well worth comparing the cost of being added as a named driver to the cost of taking out your own insurance policy. Men can also help to bring their costs down by adding a female as an additional driver to their own policy. There are no hard and fast rules, so it pays to do your research and compare options.

Whether you are female or a male who wants to get a great deal, car insurance for women can be a fantastic way of keeping your costs down. You’ll just have to spend a little time researching and comparing to find the best deals.

Do you want to save yourself the time of searching for cheap car insurance for women? Comparison is the key when it comes to getting the best deal, so head on over to Car Insurance for Women and find out just how much money you could save.

Trucks Assisting Women In Asserting A Positive Image

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Car buffs in the USA have continually been dedicated to trucks and have been entertained by the umpteen benefits they deliver to purchasers. Commended for their power to take and tug spare parcels and drive bumpy areas, trucks were chiefly acquired by men who reveled in excursions and a manly attitude. Lately on the other hand, vehicle fabricators have watched a fresh expanding direction in truck sales.

An increasing percentage of women are getting trucks and are controlling a substantial piece of truck sales in the USA. Truck fabricators are incorporating characteristics to make these automobiles truly engaging for women and in spite of the fact that this proposal has agreeably escalated sales, there are quite a few further ingredients for this modern event. These are extensively social in essence and refer to the transforming fashion in which women reflect and desire the public to consider them.

The effort to find impartiality with family and on the job has acquired countless shapes and getting strong trucks is one method to declare that part of the struggle has been victorious. Aside from the enjoyable feature of trucks, like sports utility vehicles, they have furthermore been looked at as representations of ability and assurance. The skill to accurately maneuver distinguished untamed energy improves the individual’s appearance and represents an elevated amount of assurance versus a character cruising an ordinary coupe.

Like men, women take pleasure in their short trips and are associated with invigorating pastimes that were in the past to a great extent supported men. Many escapades incorporate lengthy journeys to backwoods regions not entirely reachable or possible for normal coupes. The usefulness of moving equipment and boats utilizing trucks make them a perfect pick for men and women who take joy in avoiding city burdens.

In professional life, women have observed their reflection enormously appreciated by attaining and traveling in a truck. Ethical elevation have been a chief trouble for women, in some ways because of a error that women feel it is impossible to cope with stress in professional life. A truck benefits in breaking that perception and affirms an extent of nonacceptance and the capacity to deal with every complication. The lifted seating location in addition emits an impression of care other than the tremendously appealing chance of enjoying a truck.

In spite of an advancing component of truck sales being acquired from women, truck producers have not so far amplified the quantity of advertisements pointed towards them. Nevertheless, this appears to be altering as comprehensive lessening sales pressure car businesses to be extra careful and helpful concerning separate clients.

Several kinds of trucks for sale can be obtained for a large range of auto enthusiasts.

Snow Tires , Chains or Studded Tyres

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Wintertime driving can be more than challenging and even downright dangerous. Now before the cold winter descends on us from Canada preparation for the driving conditions that await us in the snow and ice are in order. Prepare your vehicle - be it auto, car, truck or SUV now. It pays to work ahead. Why wait for spring or in this case winter-time cold weather driving .

Some people and authorities will hold that all season year round radial tires are “just fine”. Others will say not and that you need a distinct set of tires for the winter-time season , these are referred to as “Snow Tires”. To the greatest extent it depends on what geographic areas that you live in and traverse, your climate and your driving habits and trips. You may have roadside assistance offered as part of a package from your new or used car dealer that you purchased your auto , tires or battery from , but why take the chance of inconvenience and delay ?

One point to note and remember - winter tires , can be noisy on dry pavement - never mind the clicking sound emanating from studded tires at high traffic speeds. On the other side of the road so to speak - the nosier the tread design or designs the overall better performance on the roadway by your wintertime tires in the snow. Compromise to reduce noise also reduces tire and vehicle pulling power in loose snow and mud driving conditions. All in all it can be said by auto service and vehicle safety experts , that full-circle , welded-lug chains provide several times more pulling power than even the most highly rated , and expensive snow tires , but are of course a lot less convenient and even unsightly for automobile owners and motorists.

In terms of tire” studs” as mentioned earlier that due to their destructive affect on highways and roads many locales do not allow the use of studs or “studded wintertime tires” on their roadways. Note though that if allowed in your driving areas - that on both packed snow and ice these devices work very well at reducing stopping distances.

If its a simple matter of occasional tire chains for a one time trip for a skiing vacation to Calgary or for relatively light non demanding snow and icy road conditions then you might well consider the easier to set up , though offering less traction and gripping power , easier to set up and install tire chain varieties. For occasional use around the city, or one time use per through the Christmas and ice rut seasons of dead cold January , motorists and vehicle owners might well consider the advice of their trusted local garage mechanic and consider the early and prudent purchase of two or three strap-or-buckle on chains rather than full-circle type of tyre chains. Be prepared - do not wait to look around in the deep recesses of the trunk of your car - for chains when you are stuck in the snow.

Wintertime Dodge Ram Truck Winter Tires Studs ChainsNorthern Alberta and Wpg Used Auto Info

Go Direct To The Source For Auto Insurance

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

You may be wondering if direct auto insurance right for you. Perhaps you’re trying to cut costs these days and are evaluating your expenses for areas where you can trim your outgo and maximize your income. If that’s the case, then shopping for better auto insurance deals is a wise move.

Would you trade lower rates for dealing with a website rather than a human being? If you are considering direct auto insurance, that’s the question you have to ask yourself. Two factors have combined to create direct auto insurance: no-fault insurance and the Internet. With direct insurance, you deal directly with the insurer rather than through an independent agent. Cutting out the middleman allows direct insurers to offer lower rate. Some provide offices; some are strictly available over the phone or across the Internet.

Direct auto insurance firms know that lower rates are the greatest appeal and it is the reason they operate primarily in jurisdictions with mandatory no-fault car insurance. Claims settlement and administration is much faster and simpler under no-fault bylaws. This allows direct insurance companies to eliminate the middleman, the insurance agent, and lower rates for the end user. Insurance companies under no-fault legislation, always pay their own clients damages (at least in theory). Civil cases are also limited.

In fault-allocation localities, who pays the cost for damages and losses incurred in a traffic accident is determined by a finding of fault. It is a fact that payouts are delayed and civil court cases are many in fault-finding jurisdictions. In these jurisdictions, the job description of the insurance agent includes hand holding and claims expedition. But under no-fault rules, the payout is made simply based on damages incurred. This means an insurance appraiser, rather than an agent, is the key player.

The no-fault states, which include the three states with highest populations (New York, California, Florida) enacted no fault legislation in part to simplify and speed payments to accident victims, and in part to reduce the number of time consuming cases in our bulging civil court system. Claims appraising becomes the only bottleneck and no-fault states ease that by instituting approved collision centers. In some jurisdictions the claim centers are government-run.

But for consumers, the real weakness in the direct insurance business model is the position it puts the consumer in when at his/her most vulnerable. The human body is not a machine and evaluations of what it will take to recover from injury are not always reliable, primarily because full recovery, while always the goal, is not always possible. These types of claims are where a good agent is worth their weight in gold. The agent stays up to speed on your condition and navigates you through the claims process.

Caution and thinking things out thoroughly must be advised when making the decision to forego the insurance agent in favor of the discounts direct auto insurance companies offer. But if you’re willing to handle some of your own paperwork, then dealing with a direct insurer may be the way to go. Keep in mind that as the industry evolves, the more consumer friendly companies will be the ones to outlast even the best insurance agency in the neighborhood.

Buying car insurance direct isn’t going to be as cheap as getting it at a thanksgiving sale but you should be able to get a good price. If you go searching for a way to spend the money you save you should wait for the Cyber Monday Sales

Most Vehicle Drivers Take Their Vehicles Auto Coolant System For Granted

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

When most drivers think of their autos cooling system all that comes to mind is their radiator ” the humble rad. The cooling system of your car keeps your autos engine within normal ranges and provides you both comfortable maintenance free driving and heat from their interior car heater during the cold winter time or to defrost their windshield.

Yet your car or trucks rad or cooling system is not 100 % maintenance free. Forget about it and you may well have engine overheating damage, substantial auto engine repairs or worse, and no heat from your heater.

How can anyone be taught how to check the coolant level. Simply open up the engine hood when your car has been sitting for a couple of hours. Look for a coolant canister . Its the overflow bottle container and looks simply like a plastic jug. If you do not know how to open your hood - often bonnets today can be a puzzle to open - then consult the auto manual that came with the car , online , or at the worst call your factory dealer or local garage. Just have your auto make , model and year available handy. To judge fluid levels simply look on the side of the coolant overflow container. There will be a marking “cold” or “cold fluid level”. Simply compare the two marks - that of the level of the fluid in the coolant container and the mark on the side of the bottle. Do you have an adequate amount ?

Taking good care of fluid levels under the hood can spare you auto repair bills at your local garage and may well keep you away from car and truck dealers for extra years to come. Its well worth the effort all in all and only requires simple and ongoing attention to detail. After all its your car or truck and your vehicle repair or new car replacement costs out of your own pocketbook.

Its not only a matter of long term truck or car car and long life. Its not only about keeping your vehicle in good running order and a proper ongoing maintenance schedule. it is also about safety. If your vehicle breaks down prematurely or your rad overheats due to low coolant levels you may be stranded in less than desirable circumstances. In a cold winter time period - say in northern Alberta Canada or Manitoba without a properly working heat defrost mechanism you are a menace on the road to other drivers and vehicles on roads and highways.