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.

To align with our ‘Thumbs Up For Great Driving and Riding’ month, our head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman, has put together six tips on how to share the road with other road users.

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.

With summer here and more people taking to caravanning than ever before, IAM RoadSmart has partnered up with the Caravan and Motorhome Club to offer some advice for a successful holiday trip.

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.