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Passport…check, tickets…check, sun cream…check , £1 for the driver……..

Jul 2nd, 2010
by Laura.
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Will you be doing a good deed this summer and leaving or picking up friends at the airport? Then make sure you have some loose change with you, as from Wednesday 7th July motorists dropping off or picking up passengers at the Belfast International Airport will face a £1 charge.

Any vehicle entering the drop off / pick up zone will be charged a £1.00 fee and will only be allowed a maximum of 10 minutes in the area. If you are intending to be any longer than 10 minutes you will have to use the car parking facilities. To allow for this Belfast International Airport has doubled the time limit allowed for parking at the lowest rate in the short staycar park.

The new drop off zone means that the airport will now come into line with Government guidelines introduced after the Glasgow airport bombing. Currently the distances between the airport terminal and vehicle zones are not big enough and must be increased. But should passengers have to pay for this?

It should also see an improvement in traffic flow and reduce congestion around the airport terminal.  However what about the roads leading up to the airport? Currently there are cars and buses parked and waiting along the roadside for miles leading up to the airport so when the new £1.00 charge comes in, is this situation just going to get worse?

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it is fair to ask vehicles to pay to drop off or pick up passengers?

Brought to you by AXA Car Insurance Northern Ireland

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Posted in: Motoring.
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What do you call a Lada on the road?

Jun 10th, 2010
by Laura.
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Remember all those Lada jokes:

 What do you call a Lada with a sunroof? ….A skip.

What do you call a Lada that starts first time? ……. A novelty.

Well what do you call a Lada on the road?……… A Comeback!!

Yes it’s true, after years of being the target of many jokes and criticism the Lada is set to make a comeback to the UK market. Avtovaz who produce the Lada have teamed up with Renault to create a modern redesigned version of the Lada much different to the one we are all used to. But the big question is would you buy one? Is the Lada perception of being unreliable too strong to overcome? With Renault being involved in the re-launch it can only be assumed that the Lada’s design and reliability will be well improved and with a price tag of £5000 it may be too good a bargain to say no to. The Skoda which was also the target of many jokes has had excellent success after being taken over by Volkswagen and now is a car that drivers are proud to be seen in. So can Renault do the same for Lada? We will just have to wait and see. The new models are expected to be in the UK market within the next couple of years.

But you don’t have to wait that long to get a great deal on car insurance. Give AXA Direct a call on 0800 282820, visit one of our local Northern Ireland branches or get a Northern Ireland car insurance quote online to see what AXA can do for you.

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Posted in: Motoring.
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Congested Belfast

May 7th, 2010
by Laura.
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Belfast, a city growing in culture, tourism, shops and now traffic!!! According to a recent survey Belfast is the 7th most congested city in Europe. It does have its fair share of rush hour but in comparison to other UK and Irish cities it is hard to believe that Belfast features in the top ten alongside the likes of London and Dublin. Have we become too reliant on cars and not using public transport enough or is it a case of an unreliable public service? Whatever the reason may be it seems that Belfast is now on a par with London and Dublin and more congested than Paris which is 9th.

 For those of you who have ever visited Paris you will be well aware of how busy the streets are and how much traffic flows through the city.  Even the Mayor thinks it is too much and is planning to permanently close the left bank expressway to all traffic. Currently every Sunday the banks of the Seine are a traffic free zone decreasing congestion levels and allowing pedestrians to enjoy the beauty of the river banks smog free. It may work well on a quiet Sunday but will the permanent closure encourage more people to use public transport or will the congestion just transfer to other areas of the city during a busy working day?

I can’t see Belfast following Paris’ example just yet so for now we just have to accept the fact that we will encounter congestion at some point of our journeys.

But while you are sitting in your car stressed out in the traffic jams at least you can relax about your car insurance….AXA Direct offer great car insurance deals from £249 and if you become too stressed why not leave the traffic behind and escape on an AXA Leisure break, just one of the great benefits of AXA car insurance. Find out more about all our benefits and get a stress free Northern Ireland car insurance quote online. Visit one of our many branches across Northern Ireland or give us a call on 0800 282820

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Posted in: Motoring.
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All eyes on the road!!

May 7th, 2010
by Laura.
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We are all aware of how dangerous it is to take your eyes off the road for a split second but imagine you were steering your car with your eye movement!!

Scientists in Germany have recently revealed and tested a new technology prototype that uses the driver’s vision to steer the car. The technology tracks the driver’s eye movement, then uses this information to turn the steering wheel and steer the car in the direction the driver is looking.

New technology is constantly being introduced to make our lives easier but just how safe would this concept be? What happens if you are distracted and sharply turn your head in one direction…..does the car automatically follow?

Keeping your eyes on the road is vital when driving, even if your not steering your car with your eyes. You should always be aware of the legal eyesight requirements and if you need glasses to meet these requirements, you must wear these everytime you drive.

AXA understands how important looking after your eyesight is that’s why we offer a variety of eye products and services at discounted rates through our AXA Plus Scheme. Have a look at our range of AXA Plus discounts online here. Give us a call on 0800 282820 or visit us an any of our branches across Northern Ireland as AXA also offer great car insurance deals from £249.

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Driving skills put to the test…….

Apr 20th, 2010
by Laura.
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Three point turns, reversing round corners, emergency stops, mirror, signal, manoeuvre….just a few tips our driving instructors embed into us for our driving lives but this is certainly one skill not to remember……..flipping your car!!
Yes you heard correctly, a learner driver managed to flip the Fiat 500 she was driving onto its roof after hitting a gatepost whilst crossing a junction. Both the instructor and driver managed to crawl from the car and were treated for minor cuts while the Fiat suffered smashed windows and windscreen.

No matter how an experienced driver you are accidents do happen and that’s why AXA Direct offer great car insurance deals with many added benefits to cover all situations. Our comprehensive insurance covers windscreen and glass breakage and with our AXA plus scheme you may even be able to reward yourself with an AXA leisure break.
Give us a call on 0800 282820, visit us at any of our Northern Ireland branches or get a quote at AXA online for Northern Ireland car insurance.

As for the learner driver she has already booked her next lesson and is determined to keep all four wheels firmly on the road!!

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AXA Direct opens 11th Branch

Apr 19th, 2010
by Laura.
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On Monday 19th April 2010 AXA Direct open their 11th branch in Enniskillen town centre.

Call in and meet the local AXA Enniskillen team at 23 East Bridge Street where you will be assured of a friendly welcome and a personal service. Your insurance can be quickly arranged and if you have any questions the team will only be too glad to assist.

With great deals on car insurance from £249 you will be glad you dropped in. The team can also advise on the many benefits and options AXA can offer including the AXA plus scheme and the Open Driving option.
Visit the branch between the following times:
Monday to Friday 9-5pm
Saturday 9-2pm

Or call 0800 282820 Monday to Friday 8-8pm, Saturday 8-4pm.

To view all the benefits which are available and some other great deals you can also visit our Northern Ireland car and home insurance website

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A Fine Excuse!!

Apr 16th, 2010
by Laura.
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For the one and only person in London who spotted the recent UFO sighting it was just unfortunate that he was so shocked by this sight he accidentally drove into a bus lane resulting in a fine. It’s even more unfortunate that the rest of the London population didn’t spot the UFO to back up his claim!

And the excuses keep coming!! ‘I was simply sleeping, not parked’ along with colour blindness, bad weather and injured pets which have all been used to avoid driving fines. Where will they stop?

A local council has stated that: “The imagination of some of these drivers is quite impressive, but UFOs and colour blindness unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket.
And there is certainly no excuse for not saving money on your car insurance. AXA Direct offer great deals from £249 and you can get in touch with us in a number of ways. So give us a call on 0800 282820, visit us at any of our Northern Ireland branches  or get a  Northern Ireland car insurance quote online.

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Posted in: Motoring, car insurance.
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Money sometimes does grow on trees!

Apr 2nd, 2010
by Kieran.
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We thought this was an April Fools prank at first, but this week the guys at the Mad For Ads website really did put a tree covered in crisp, new £5 notes up in the middle of Cornmarket, one of Belfast’s busiest shopping areas. To find out what happened next, you can watch the video here.

Money Tree in Belfast

For those of you who missed the chance to grab some free cash, there is always the opportunity to save money on your insurance with AXA Direct. With car insurance from £249 and great deals on home,  van and taxi cover it will be worth your while to give us a call on 0800 282820, visit us at any of our branches across Northern Ireland or get a quote online here.

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The most stressful car horns – mind your beeps in queues!!

Apr 1st, 2010
by Kieran.
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 I thought it was just me that got frustrated by drivers honking their horns. But apparently not,  research conducted for AXA UK of 2,000 adults has found that 41% of drivers feel stressed when others use their horn. Over half (54%) think people use their car horns inappropriately, and those surveyed felt the following were the main reasons for this: Other drivers are too impatient (59%) Lack of respect (48%) 43% of drivers say they have been a victim of road rage – the most common of these being a honk of the horn or hand gesture. While half of drivers admitted to using their car horn in an aggressive manner while driving.

The Fiat Punto’s car horn has the beep that causes most stress to motorists, according to findings from AXA UK survey. The least stressful car horn was the Vauxhall Zafira. To find out more click here.

TV adventurer, travel writer, actor and experienced driver, Charley Boorman has been brought on board on this campaign in the UK. Charley comments: ‘I’ve driven on roads all over the world and have seen some of the best and worst driving you can imagine [...]one thing that drives me mad is inconsiderate motorists using their horn whenever they feel like it.; the horn is there for one reason – safety – not to make people’s commute more stressful than they need to be. So, if you haven’t read the rules of the road in a while, then it is worth noting that you should never sound your horn between 11.30pm and 7am, except in an emergency and never use the horn if you are close to animals.

Sponsored by AXA Car Insurance Northern Ireland

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Posted in: Motoring.
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Under Pressure?

Apr 1st, 2010
by Kieran.
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The tyres are one of most critical components of your car and tyre pressure can influence the performance, safety and fuel economy of your car in a way that most of us don’t fully appreciate.

Here are some tips from AXA on what you should do and why, to make sure you are getting the most from your tyres.

 Most car tires deflate at a steady rate as oxygen and water vapour leak through the tyre structure – several pounds of air are lost each month

 This is why Formula one cars and military vehicles use nitrogen gas in their tyres. It’s dry and therefore there is much less water vapour in the tyre to leak out. For the rest of us it’s unavoidable so your tyres must be checked and refilled regularly.

 You should check your tyre pressures every month. The gauges that you get on some battery powered pumps such as this one can be out by as much as 10%.

So get a reliable tyre pressure guage as well. You should check your tyre pressure when the tyres are cold. They will be if the car has  not been driven for more than 2 miles at low speed or is parked for at  least two hours.

It is impossible to know if your tyre pressure is ok just by looking at them. Tyres can be under or over-inflated by up to 20% yet still look OK.

The correct pressure for cold tyres and will be in your vehicle handbook and may be on a sticker inside the fuel flap, on the drivers (or passengers) door or even inside the glove box.

Having your tyres at the right pressure means that the footprint of the tyre against the road is at it’s maximum, see here for how it should look.

The benefits are

1. Better fuel economy, which means  less expensive motoring and less CO2 is released which is kinder to the environment,

2. Better stopping distances and car handling which,  means safer driving

3. Less wear and tear on your tyres, meaning they last longer.

All AXA car insurance customers can take advantage of the special deals that we have in place through the AXA plus scheme. This offers 10% off all new tyres and repairs through our partners at Modern Tyres services who have depots across Northern Ireland.

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Posted in: Motoring, safe Driving.
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