I drive a car. A car from a European manufacturer that builds lots of cars. Lately, my car has taken on certain stereotypical characteristics akin to its place of birth. It’s defiant (absolutely no need for all of the electrics to work properly), it’s passionate (about guzzling tyre tread at an alarming rate) and it’s suave; given a clean it looks pretty good and gives the impression, albeit falsely in this case, of a real mover.

I was told when I was little that your face should be seen as a statement piece. Now I don’t want to expose the little birdy that told me this, so I’ll end this here but I can’t help and believe that this affects many people even subconsciously as this is becoming more and more reflective of how we operate in society.

The school run isn’t always the calmest of experiences but having your kids properly secured in the back will take at least one stress off your mind. This week’s tips give advice on driving with children, from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards Richard Gladman.

A recent enquiry about headlight dazzle got me thinking about how lights have developed since the days of my old BMC Mini. The at best flickering yellow glow the front end of my old friend was made even worse by a wiring malady which, despite the best efforts of a number of ‘auto sparks’ and talented workers (in their own eyes), was never cured.

Mobile communications and GPS systems used as sat-navs are becoming very common in cars. Whether you are connecting your Bluetooth to blast tunes or looking for the nearest Waitrose, these have become a fundamental part of the daily drive for many of us.