My car finally had enough. It had a successful three year stint until various problems started to arise, suggesting it may be time for me to start searching for something else. My little Night Fury (the name I gave my car due to the resemblance of the dragon’s eyes in the film ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and the headlights on my car) was ready to be passed on to someone who could put him on the operating table and fix him – something I couldn’t afford to do.

Have you ever thought about how your outfit can impact the way you drive? For most people, they get ready for the day, get into their car and drive to their destination without thinking about what they’re wearing. Richard Gladman, head of driving and riding standards, provides some useful tips to making sure you’re wearing the right gear when driving.

At the end of January I had the first taste of being in front of a camera in my role as IAM RoadSmart’s young driver ambassador. I was invited by Boston Advanced Motorists to join them at Listers Mini dealership in Boston. The group had organised an ‘assessed drive’ video to be created; the idea was to create a short video that demonstrates what an assessed drive involves, focussing on the stress-free element of these sessions.

Buying a new car is an exciting experience, but there are a few things to bear in mind as you drive your pride and joy away from the showroom. This week’s tips give advice on driving a new car, from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards Richard Gladman.

There are several changes coming to the MOT test, starting on 20 May (apart from in Northern Ireland, where they have a separate MOT system). The most obvious will be a new, more elaborate way of classifying defects. Currently, each item is simply marked as Fail or Pass. In future, defects leading to the car failing the test will be categorised as Dangerous or Major.