Overdrive

I saw an old community announcement film the other day from about 1947 which was a piece about road safety.

The message was being delivered by a man in a mortar board hat and academic gown writing things on a black board. It was the style that dominated road safety education for many years and still does now in some cases - the formal lecture to students who just had to sit and listen as to what they were doing wrong.

We have seen some significant changes in education in general and in road safety in particular. Should we move away from the fear based formal lecture and if so to what. Traffic and transport started very much in the realm of engineering.

A recent conference in Brisbane was titled International Conference on Traffic and Transport Psychology. Is this just academic dreaming or is this the right direction and does it have practical applications.

Dr Barry Watson gave the key note address at the conference. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), which is hosted by the Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland.

Originally aired on 6 August 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Quirky News: Census night - how often census data is used in transport planning; Forza Horizon 3: Iconic Holdens join other Aussie classics in latest car announcements; Bentley creates world's most expensive fishing set ($140k - plus the car - and probably most expensive picnic set at $55k); 'Be a thinker, use your blinker': Traffic messages from Darwin children spray-painted onto bus stops; Worker unfairly sacked for looking at women in bikinis.

Originally aired on 6 August 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

When Jaguar Showed their S Type, a new largish sedan in 1998 Birmingham motor show in 1998 it was a design throw back to their glory years of the early 60s. People saw it an immediately thought Jaguar, but that didn't mean that they wanted to get one.

Overdrive raced a diesel S Type in the Dutton Rally. It was fun but it did look traditional rather than modern.

The S Type was replaced by the XF in 2007 a much more modern car in its looks. The second generation has now come out.

Its price from around $90,000 and upwards. In the large sedans over 70,000 it competes with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class; BMW 5 Series; Audi A6.

Originally aired on 8 August 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Overdrive: Business buyers help drive new-vehicle market to record highs in 2016, Tesla Autopilot crash: transport expert defends autonomous driving tech, Good to talk: Finally, agreement on single comms standard for self-driving vehicles, Motorcycle deaths increase 23% after repeal of helmet law, 9 in 10 Auckland kids want to walk to school, Kids under seven banned from riding without seatbelts in West Australian float parades

We road test the Kia Optima - a good looking medium size sedan - but is it something more than just skin deep.

Panel discussion with Errol Smith: Top Pentagon official in trouble over theft of nanny’s number plates

Originally aired on 9 July 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Quirky News: Top Pentagon official in trouble over theft of nanny’s number plates/Company sells fake driveway spikes/Angry garage owner uses forklift to shift illegal parkers/ Feud in Xian renders expensive cars paperweights; Tashkent bans old Soviet era cars from road during international summit; Man stopped in DUI was wearing a chastity belt; Company makes adult sized pram;

Originally aired on 9 July 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Road test of the Kia Optima in Australia. David Brown speaks with Errol Smith. For quite a while I have liked the look of the Kia Optima, a medium sized sedan. Haven't driven one for a while. We have driven the Ford Mondeo and it has come a long way and the Toyota Camry has got a bit better looking - a bit. Subaru's latest Liberty is a pretty good car.

So how is the Optima holding up. They released a new model late last year. There are only two versions the SI $34,490 plus on road costs. The GT comes in at $43,990. That's a price hike of $3,000 on the previous model. But it is still not expensive. Not sure you can call it a GT but a good family car nonetheless.

Originally aired on 9 July 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Overdrive: Green still a dream, petrol tipped to drive Australian car market in 2030; Holden reviewing Collingwood sponsorship; How floodwaters can turn cars into death traps; App to move Learner Driver Log Books into the digital age; M25 double deck idea floated; Human ’drone taxi’ to be tested in Nevada

We road test The Holden Spark with Errol Smith

Plus quirky news including: Google ‘teaching’ its self-driving car to use the horn function

Originally aired on 02 July 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Overdrive:

Sacre vroom! Paris bans cars in the city center ; Climate change adaptation costs set to soar on the railway ; Customers won't buy a car if their phone doesn't sync ; Software to blame for an increasing portion of vehicle recalls? ; Haese backs international electric car race for Adelaide ; Traffic expert dies in crash on way to road-safety meeting ; How big is a new Mini? Big enough to fit the old one inside

We talk with

We road test

Plus quirky news including: Jackson Mayor says he will pray potholes away; Bad drivers are indicator of corrupt government;

Originally aired on 11 June 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Overdrive: Google's Android dashboard; Judging speed; US drivers don't want self driving cars; Clean car sharing; Capturing carbon for fuel; and Bentley's SUV - it has a champagne fridge and a lot of cables.

We talk with Professor Corinne Mulley from Sydney University about the science of transport fares - high, low or free?

We road test the Haval H9 - a large Chinese SUV that gives you a lot for your dollar.

Plus quirky news including: Google's patent to make you stick to their cars; and how electric cars and music mix.

Originally aired on 4 June 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au

Overdrive: Cars caught in VW dieselgate scandal could be taken off the roads (in Victoria); Drive my car? Ford survey shows people open to sharing their car, home, phone - even their dog.; GM big SUV buyers to be compensated for wrong fuel economy on window stickers; Data reveals BMW is most cross-shopped against Tesla; Reduced congestion promised in Queen's Speech to give lift-off to driverless cars and drones; Heathrow hires world’s first airport cycle officer;

We talk with Professor Michiel Bliemer from Sydney University about road user charges.

We road test the newly released Kia Cerato

Plus quirky news including: Jackson Mayor says he will pray potholes away; Bad drivers are indicator of corrupt government;

Originally aired on 28 May 2016. For past programs and individual segments visit www.drivenmedia.com.au