Articles by Karen Collier

Drivers are taking emergency loans to cover car registration costs to stay on the road.

Car insurers automatically renewing annual premiums will be clearer about their policies after customer complaints about surprise charges.

Young motorists tracked by car spying technology will get cash bonuses for safe driving, in a study that could revolutionise insurance pricing.

Petrol prices are on track for the biggest quarterly rise in almost 25 years.

Thousands of drivers promised fixed maximum charges when their vehicles were serviced are eligible for refunds after the nation's consumer watchdog discovered Kia's prices changed four times from 2012 to late 2014.Despite promoting that "the capped price applicable for each service is the maximum you will pay for your scheduled service", its terms and conditions allowed prices to change at any time.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said such advertising was likely to amount to misleading representation contravening the Australian Consumer Law.Kia Motors Australia "cooperated fully" with the investigation, and agreed to alter terms and conditions so that service charges are locked in at the price advised when an individual car is bought.The consumer watchdog plans to review other manufacturers' capped price deals. "Businesses that make capped price offers of this type in their advertising campaigns or represent that consumers can fix the maximum charge for particular services must ensure that these offers are not eroded by later reliance on amendment provisions in their terms and conditions which permit price changes," ACCC commissioner Sarah Court said. False or misleading claims carry a maximum penalty of up to $1.1 million per breach.

Melbourne's unleaded petrol prices have fallen to fresh four-year lows in a boon for Christmas holiday drivers.

If you're looking for a new set of wheels, economists say buying a car now is the most affordable it's been since 1976.CommSec compared how many weeks of wages are needed to pay for a standard new Ford or Holden.An average income earner today has to toil for 25.4 weeks to purchase a Ford Falcon XT auto sedan.Four years ago, it took 32 weeks of work to pay for an equivalent model. A decade ago it took 37 weeks.A Holden Commodore Executive V6 auto costs 27.9 weeks in average wages, down from 31.8 weeks four years ago and 37 weeks a decade ago.CommSec's Savanth Sebastian said wages growth off the back of the mining boom had driven up affordability.While pay packets were easing, car manufacturer competition was expected to help contain future prices.CommSec's research found that a BMW 318i four-door auto was worth 41.4 weeks of work for an average earner now, compared with 55.2 weeks a decade ago.For those with plenty of cash, a Porsche Boxster will set you back 72.8 weeks' worth of average wages. That compares with 121.5 weeks in 2004.

More than half are unsure at what age children should graduate from using a restraint to a seatbelt only. Some illegally make the move too early, polling shows. The worrying findings come amid a social media storm about whether Prince George was correctly fitted in a baby capsule as he left hospital.Pictures of the world's most famous newborn swaddled in blankets beneath, rather than above, the harness as he was placed in a car prompted hundreds of comments. They ranged from sympathy for the plight of first-time parents to concern for the future king's safety.But experts said the harness might have been correctly adjusted once the prince was inside the vehicle. Retailers expect a surge in Britax infant capsule sales in the wake of the prince's birth.An online survey of Australian parents for Britax found 55 per cent were confused about the best time to shift a child solely to a passenger seatbelt. One in 10 planned to move their child out of a restraint at age four to six. But road rules require children to use an approved restraint until they are at least seven.Almost 1 per cent of parents appeared to be already putting under-age children solely in seatbelts. The survey quizzed 1000 parents of children aged from six months to seven years. Britax Australia managing director Maurice McGrath said many children were not tall enough at seven for just a seatbelt.Signs that a child was not ready included slumping in the seat and the lap belt sitting across their abdomen; the seatbelt crossing across the child's face or neck; or the child wriggling and slumping during the journey."Ensuring your child is correctly restrained in the car is one of the most important things you can do as a parent," Transport Accident Commission CEO Janet Dore said. VicRoads says restraints and booster seats must be the right size, properly fitted, and adjusted to the child's body to give maximum protection.karen.collier@news.com.auVICTORIAN ROAD RULESA child under six months of age must travel in a rearward facing child restraint.A child aged six months to under 4 years must travel in either a rearward facing or forward facing child restraint. The type of restraint will depend on the child's size.A child aged 4 years to under 7 years must travel in either a forward facing approved child restraint with an in-built harness, or a booster seat. The type of restraint will depend on the child's size.A child aged 7 years to under 16 years must travel in either an approved booster seat or adult seatbelt. An adult lap-sash seatbelt is suitable for people with a minimum height of about 145cm. A child should continue using a booster seat until they have outgrown it.A person 16 years and over must travel in an adult seatbelt.A booster seat can be used with a lap-sash seatbelt or child safety harness. A child safety harness is not recommended for use with a booster seat in a seating position with a lap-sash seatbelt.There are some exemptions from the child restraint road rules for children with a medical condition or physical disability.Child restraints and booster seats help prevent injury in crashes. For maximum protection, they must be the right size for the child, properly fitted to the vehicle, and adjusted to fit the child's body.To ensure that all children are able to travel in the right size restraint, the road rules allow a child, who is too heavy or tall for the restraint recommended for their age, to use a restraint in the next age category.With the introduction of booster seats with shoulder height markers for children aged approximately 4 years to 6 to 8 years, and more recently, for children aged 8 to 10 years, children can now continue to travel in a restraint that is suitable for their size for longer.Source: VicRoadsParents wanting to choose the safest restraint for their child can visit the Child Restraint Evaluation Program website: www.crep.com.auParents requiring assistance when installing a restraint are advised to seek out an accredited restraint fitting station. Information is available from the RACV.

Drivers are being "screwed'' out of cheaper car services because of misleading manufacturer warranties and trouble getting data to maintain vehicles, independent mechanics claim. Car giants and independent repairers have agreed to create a voluntary code of conduct for access to technical detail to diagnose and repair modern cars. Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury said negotiations would be closely monitored, and threatened regulation unless "substantial progress'' was made. Mr Bradbury said motorists increasingly had to go to nearest dealerships, which could be hours away if they lived in regional areas. "It is a source of great frustration for consumers when they take their car to an independent repairer only to find they cannot complete the service, not because they lack the skills or equipment, but because they cannot access the required data and technical information,'' Mr Bradbury said. The Government would also co-ordinate a campaign through consumer affairs agencies to educate drivers about warranty rights. "Any suggestion by car manufacturers that cars need to be serviced at a licensed dealer to maintain the owner's consumer guarantee rights is not correct,'' Mr Bradbury said. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries director of industry operations Tony McDonald denied independents were deliberately locked out, noting a federal inquiry had found no consumer detriment. The voluntary code would help "better communicate information that is already available'', he said. Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association executive director Stuart Charity said some smaller repairers scrounged or paid hundreds of dollars to access fault codes, software downloads and technical manuals from specialist providers or overseas websites. "With today's cars, even the most minor job such as wheel alignment and battery replacement requires access to company-controlled data,'' he explained. Many motorists also felt obliged to take new cars to dealerships for servicing for warranty reasons. "Consumers and small businesses are being screwed over,'' Mr Charity said.