The GEM Blog
Hay fever and driving
Posted on July 11th, 2011, by David Williams MBE FIRSO, in Motoring Advice Articles, Road Safety Articles
When you reach my grand age (60 next birthday) you become more aware of the awful illnesses that begin to strike. However, succumbing to the misery of hay fever after nearly 6 decades was not a worry that was high on my ‘concern’ list. Yet a couple of weeks ago during a long grass mowing session I noticed my eyes were continually itchy, streaming with tears and rather swollen. Blaming … read more
2010 A record year!
Posted on July 5th, 2011, by David Williams MBE FIRSO, in Road Safety Articles
The Department for Transport (DFT) has confirmed that 2010 was a record year for road casualties ……..the lowest number since records began in 1926. Before the ‘celebrations’ begin it has to be remembered that while 1,857 road deaths is a very welcome and dramatic reduction on previous years, it still represents a huge amount of pain, suffering and grief to the families and friends of those concerned, a very significant drain … read more
Mistakes from Munich
Posted on July 4th, 2011, by Rob Marshall, in Uncategorised
Being a lover of older vehicles, I have warmed to the trend of car companies harking back to their heritages. Although the cynical part of me cites the real reason as a means of thrusting new metal out of the showroom doors, I like to think that the people, working within in the new car industry, share my own passion for everything four-wheeled. Yet, while I see a car company … read more
Summer safety tips for man’s best friend
Posted on June 30th, 2011, by motoringassist, in Press Releases
This summer, No.1 for breakdown cover in the UK and road safety charity GEM Motoring Assist, is reminding motorists to take special care of their pets when travelling and asking owners to make sure their hound is properly hydrated, cool and safely secured on long and hot car journeys. When the temperature begins to rise, drivers may often forget how the heat can affect animals and ultimately, if not carefully … read more
Honda’s alternative hybrid
Posted on June 29th, 2011, by Rob Marshall, in Uncategorised
Why does Honda, the innovative British and Japanese manufacturer, suffer from such a geriatric ‘blue rinse’ image in the UK? I appreciate that there are numerous drivers on our roads (usually positioned in the middle lane of your nearest motorway) that enjoy the utmost dependability from their Accords, Jazzes and Legends. However, a strong, younger fan base is often overlooked, which extols the virtues of high-performance Hondas, including Civics, NSXs … read more
Which is your favourite Ford?
Posted on June 27th, 2011, by Rob Marshall, in Uncategorised
As part of its Centenary celebration of operating in Great Britain, Ford has been digging through its photo archive and is releasing select images to the media. This got me thinking as to which is my favourite of the company’s many models. Although the more glamorous cars, such as the GT40, were and remain beyond my means, I tend to have a more acute fondness towards the models that were … read more
Winners again!
Posted on June 22nd, 2011, by David Williams MBE FIRSO, in Breakdown Advice, Motoring News
Winning any competition or award is always a most wonderful experience and provides the recipient with feelings of pride, achievement and satisfaction. As the Chief Executive of GEM Motoring Assist I currently have all these emotions in abundance following the announcement that once again we have been voted UKs No.1 provider of breakdown cover in the Auto Express Driver Power Survey. The 2011 award when added to our No. 1 … read more
Chauffeuring for Wimbledon
Posted on June 21st, 2011, by Michael Carpenter, in Uncategorised
At the beginning of June 2009 I received a phone call from a former police colleague at Mercedes UK at Milton Keynes. He asked me if I was free to do a fortnight’s work at Wimbledon driving Roger Federer in a Mercedes 500 S class, starting on 29th June. It’s not every day you get asked this, so I was definitely up for it. My daily journey was from home just outside … read more
Zoe Tyler
Posted on June 20th, 2011, by motoringassist, in Stars and their Cars
Actress, Singer, West End Star and Vocal Coach are just a few of Zoe Tyler’s many talents. She has appeared on countless TV shows in her various guises, and is currently a regular presenter on ITV’s award-winning daytime chat show, Loose Women. Zoe kindly took some time out of her very busy schedule to talk about Minis, Maestros an M6 Breakdown, plus how her son chose her latest car! Who … read more
A role model father
Posted on June 16th, 2011, by James Luckhurst, in Uncategorised
The arrival of Fathers’ Day should be extra special for me this year, if only because I am expecting one more present and card than I had in 2010. Dylan, born last July, may not yet know the best way to mark the occasion, but hopefully Archie (now 15), Eliza (12) and William (5) can offer him a little guidance. I was interested to read Freya Berry’s article in the … read more
