SAFETY
Staying safe on the road is a priority for every motorist – and there is a variety of equipment worth investing in
SAFETY
Taking care of yourself and others is critical when driving. Sometimes it is the law that ensures we do, but in other areas it is simply common- sense to take precautions. And don’t forget you can increase safety further yourself. Tyres, for instance, must legally have at least a 1.6mm tread depth, but in reality wet performance deteriorates rapidly below 3mm. And how do you know other kit such as light bulbs conform to the required standard? We run a comprehensive test programme to ensure you keep within the law and stand the best chance of avoiding an accident.
Hands-free Kits
WINNER - Jabra BT530 - £40.95
Top-seller Jabra cleverly combines technology and price to be our top buy. It uses two microphones to cut background noise and is unbeatable for the price. We found voice dial and call performance were strong, and the earpiece can be tailored to fit. Charging is handled by USB or from the mains. Our champion, and the one to go for if you prefer using an earpiece to stay legal.
COMMENDED - Jabra SP700 - £42.06
The ‘SWAT team’ look of an earpiece is not for everyone, which is where this Jabra device comes in as the svelte, piano-black unit slips neatly over your car’s sun visor. A good price and useful noise cancellation make the SP700 hard to resist, and we liked the way the call could be heard through an FM radio preset.
COMMENDED -Supertooth VisorVoice - £44.99
A massive 800-hour standby time impresses here, as do the 15 hours’ talk time, making this pretty much a fit-and-forget solution. There is a small price to pay because that long-life battery means the unit is heavier than visor-mounted rivals. However, noise cancelling was good and it loaded our phone book automatically as well.
Tyres
WINNER - Pirelli PZero- £128.00
Designing tyres is all about trading off performance in one area for a gain in another. However, Pirelli has certainly hit on a winning compromise here, as the PZero starred not only in the wet, but also in the dry. It topped the times on both handling tracks, plus got the honours in curved aquaplaning. No wonder it inspires confidence when the heavens open. A great all-rounder that thoroughly deserves a place on your car.
COMMENDED - Continental ContiSport Contact3 - £132.00
German maker Continental earns its place here with some superb results in the wet, especially for aquaplaning, both in a straight line and on the curved test. But, just like the Pirelli, it proved to be a strong all-rounder, performing consistently well on the dry track assessments.
COMMENDED -Vredestein Ultrac-Sessanta - £107
Serial winner of this award, the Dutch tyre maker has to settle for runner-up this time behind the remarkable Pirelli. The Russian-owned producer really knows how to make a wet tyre, and on a soaking track this rubber starred. It was not quite so convincing in the dry, though.
COMMENDED -Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric - £120
The American giant broke new ground with the latest F1, as it ditched its favoured arrowhead pattern for an asymmetric version – and the newcomer works superbly. Yet another to star when the heavens open, the F1 also had a decent run through the dry tests and consequently makes it into our top four.
Best Bulbs
WINNER - Philips X-Treme Power - £22.99
Dutch bulb maker Philips created the ultra-high-performance sector of the market, and the company continues to dominate it. X-treme Power may claim ‘only’ 80 per cent more light 75 metres up the road, but in the light tunnel it clearly outshone those who boast of more. Currently this has to be the ultimate road-legal halogen headlamp bulb. Simply brilliant!
COMMENDED - Halfords Super Brilliance Blue - £22.99
For those who are looking for the super-white look of gas-discharge headlamps, then this is the ‘blue’ bulb to go for. The GE-supplied units were very consistent, although that blue coating does rob a little light compared to conventional bulbs. They’re great value when in Halfords’ regular ‘buy one, get one free’ promos as well.
COMMENDED -Ring XenonPlus - £15.99
Plus 30 per cent bulbs are the first step on the upgrade ladder, and for those trying to balance performance against cost, these Narva-supplied ones from Ring are a good option. In the light tunnel they gave a wide hot spot 75 metres ahead of the car just where you need it, and the improvement over the standard bulb was significant.
COMMENDED -Halfords Value Twin Pack - £9.49
Another commendation for the chain store giant, this time awarded for its standard bulb twin pack, which can still provide improved performance over an ageing lamp. Narva supplied these well made bulbs, which performed impressively, but were a long way behind the considerably more costly upgrade ones.
Speed Camera Locators
WINNER - Novus GPS Rider - £99.99
Versatility, accuracy and price secured our top award for the Novus GPS Rider, which has emerged from the old Talex company. A rechargeable battery and earpiece mean it can also be used when on two wheels, or to take the pressure off the cigar lighter socket in your car. It gives both voice and visual warnings, plus spotted all the traps on our test route. Add this to free database updates and you have a winner.
COMMENDED - Road Pilot MicroGo - £79.99
Dinky little MicroGo has been around for a while. However, that is reflected in the ever-decreasing price and it still works well – faultlessly alerting us to all our test route traps. Although it is small, it boasts a usefully large digital speed read-out showing the limit, plus a countdown to the camera site.
COMMENDED -Snooper Sapphire - £99.99
Veteran trap spotter Snooper has several models in its range, but the piano-black Sapphire is definitely our favourite thanks to its smart colour screen and huge list of set-up options. On the road it tripped up only on a tricky reversible camera. It is another to boast a rechargeable battery, so it can free up the cigar lighter socket for other kit.
