Michael McAleer answers your queries
From Kevin Cooper, Enfield, Co Meath:
Maybe you could help me, I have been scouring the Golden Pages looking for an insurance company willing to quote me for third-party insurance on a quad but as yet I have had no success.
I have seen quads used on the road but have been advised that they are covered by limited mileage farm policies. I intend to use the quad for pleasure purposes as a replacement for my off-road motorbike.
I have been in touch with the Irish Insurance Federation but have had no result so far.
Your options are pretty limited, particularly if you are not including it in some type of farm utility insurance.
According to the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF), there have been several queries regarding quad bikes, particularly from parents seeking to insure their kids to drive around housing estates. This is a definite no-go area.
In your case, before you even go to insure it, if you are using it on the public road you will have to register it and then follow it up with road tax.
Even then we suspect you may have problems. The best advice is to approach your car insurer to see if they will cover you. If you have been a long-term customer with a good record you may have a strong case.
Otherwise try the likes of Carole Nash, which specialises in motorcycle insurance. If all else fails, get a trailer and tow the quad to the fields.
From Nigel Burgess. Dublin 16:
Can we assume that the minimum tread depth of 4 mm as stated in motors (October 6th) is a mistake and should indeed be 1.6 mm?
Yes, unfortunately a line about moves to push the limit up to 4 mm was omitted in the final article, but the figure remained. The current legal tread depth is 1.6 mm, but there have been calls to increase it to between 3 mm and 4 mm, something that would greatly increase the number of tyres disposed of here.
Of course the so-called "independent" research comes from the tyre manufacturers, but it does bear some consideration. According to the last figures we saw, the stopping distance of a car travelling at 50 mph with tyres with just 1.6 mm of tread increased by 37 per cent when compared with new tyres with a tread depth of 6.7 mm. The increase represents a distance of 8.8 metres, or twice the length of the average car.
As we enter the winter, with wet and greasy road surfaces, it's worth considering the number of times we've had to stop suddenly to avoid shunting into the car in front. In incidences like these, every centimetre of stopping distance matters and a milimetre of rubber could make all the difference.
That's before estimates that put the number of cars running on tyres below the 1.6 mm limit at more than 200,000. They may think they're saving money, but could end up with far more costly bills if they fail to stop in time in traffic. Worse still, the savings could be fatal to their lives and others.
From James Murphy, Mallow, Co Cork:
I suffer a nasty electric shock when I touch anything after getting out of my car. It seems to be much worse when I wear rubber or synthetic soles on my shoes. I nearly knocked out a girl in the office last week when I handed her the keys as I left the car.
What is the cause of this, why does it affect some people more than others and what is the cure for for it?
There are various causes of this static charge. Firstly, the weather plays its part. Static is most common during times of low humidity. So it's more prevalent at this time of year, when humidity is normally lower and heating the car further dries the air.
The charge itself is created by the friction between the car seat and your clothes. When you sit on a plastic car seat in dry weather, the contact between your clothes and the seat's surface causes the electrical friction charges.
Nothing happens while you remain seated. But when you open the car door and step outside, you take just one polarity of charge with you, while the car seat has the opposite polarity. You reach out to close the car door and then snap, you're hit with the charge of the opposite polarities leaping through the air.
So what can you do? Well, try using hand moisturisers. Static charges do not run as easily when the surface is moist.
Perhaps the best bet is to develop the habit of holding the metal part of your car keys as you leave the car, then grip the keys firmly and touch the metal car door with the tip of the key. The charge will still jump, but it will not be painful, since it leaves the tip of the key instead of in your finger.
If you forget to do it - and before touching your colleagues - first touch another earthed metal object with the metal car key. Alternatively simply grasp the car door firmly as you climb out, and this will drain off the charge-imbalance faster than it can build up on your body.