12th August 2007 : Sunday Times

TAKE THE CYBER ROUTE: THE QUICKEST WAY TO CLEVER MOTORING
By Alex Goy

Before the internet, most drivers kept a veritable library of books to hand. You needed a trusty Haynes manual for advice about on-the-spot car repair and maintenance; you needed a street atlas for finding your way anywhere; and a copy of Yellow Pages was essential should you need to find a local mechanic or engine parts in a hurry. Even then you’d find it a nightmare to check on the history of a used car or seek out the cheapest petrol.

How things have changed. There are now countless websites that make the process of owning, maintaining and driving a car far easier, and many drivers are fast realising that they can plot their routes or find the best insurance deal online.

Indeed, in the past six months there has been a 26% rise in the number of UK web users doing this, according to Netratings, the internet analyst.

However, these sites are just the beginning. A host of new services provide video tutorials showing you how to repair your car, there is real-time traffic information and even sites that tell you how to appeal against parking fines and speeding tickets.

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Parking tickets are often issued unfairly, incorrectly or illegally, but appealing can seem like a waste of time. Many drivers don’t even know their rights.

The website for the National Parking Adjudication Service (www.parking-appeals.gov.uk) will talk you through the appeal process and explain the less obvious reasons you may have received a ticket. You can also appeal online here.

Casedismissed.co.uk does a similar service for people who feel they have been unfairly caught speeding. Set up by a freelance TV cameraman, this site will tell you, for a fee of £10, how to dispute your ticket.