It’s a time of substantial change for our cars and how they work. The push towards automation has been making a difference, with small steps towards full automation giving instructions to keep cars far enough apart in queues, to keep them in lane, to assist emergency braking on one way or another and so on.

As IAM RoadSmart’s Head of Retraining, I’m in the thick of it when it comes to the commercial side of the business. However, learning about the charity side of the organisation is something I’ve been keen on knowing more about. So when I was invited to my local group’s recent event, I used this opportunity to mingle with members and find out more about what they do.

Last week, two teenage would-be car thieves in Nashville, Tennessee, were thwarted by a manual gearbox. Having stolen a shopper’s keys, they were confronted with a mysterious third pedal and a stick in the floor. With no idea how to make the car move, they ran away in confusion and were later arrested.

During July, I visited Lake Bled in Slovenia for a week where I hired a car for the majority of the time. My nerves had already kicked in a week before my trip at the thought of travelling on the “wrong” side of the road.

Have you ever wondered why cars are the way they are? There are of course lots of different types of cars, with various engine types and seating configurations, front- or rear-wheel drive, 4-wheel drive and a huge range of optional equipment. Ignore all that stuff for the moment; I’m talking about the fundamentals of car design.