Keep in mind that the disability allowances allowed under the scheme are the Higher Rate Mobility Component (HRMC) and the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS). Said scheme is obviously designed to improve the mobility of disabled persons with vehicles adapted to their special needs.

Disabled individuals are also favoured in the process. Applicants will not be subjected to lengthy waiting times, rigorous credit checks, and stringent assessment procedures. For as long as the applicant can present proof of eligibility, then the application will be coursed through the normal process.

It must be noted that the disability allowance must be of a certain amount before the application can be considered although said requirement is nominal – £51.40 per week for HRMC and £57.40 per week for WPMS.

Under the motability car scheme, even the legal caregiver for the disabled person receiving the disability allowance is eligible to apply in behalf of the latter. If the disabled person directly applies, a driver’s license is unnecessary for as long as there are 2 other individuals who will vouch for the applicant’s driving needs.

The motability car prices remain similar regardless of who applies for the scheme, be it the disabled individual himself or his caregiver.

Read more about motability car prices and find the right scheme for you

Take a closer look at the features of family-friendly cars like Meriva, Zafira and Corsa and you will see many general features for safety and comfort shared by these automobiles.

So, what should you look for in a family-friendly car? First, look at the number of seats necessary to fit all of the family members in one car for a trip. Do a headcount, if necessary, just so you can choose the car with the appropriate number of seats. Go beyond the number of seats and consider room for your dog as well as a few odds and ends (i.e., bags, stroller, and golf clubs).

Second, the best family car addresses the issue of safety for the obvious reason that it is of greater importance than aesthetics, speed and other factors. Safety features in family cars are grouped into two, namely, active and passive. Active safety features are those that help in the avoidance of accidents and, thus, include anti-lock brakes and electronic stability systems.

Passive safety features are designed to provide protection in case of a crash, said features of which include seat belts, air bags and crumple zones. Be sure to consider the safety of children riding in the car as well.

When you have considered these two most important factors, you can proceed to looking at the extras and the aesthetics of the cars being considered for purchase.

Browse through the selection of family cars to suit you

On the other hand, it must still provide for sufficient space to stretch your legs a bit and to store a few essential items like a small luggage bag in the trunk. With plenty of great city cars to choose from, you should be able to choose the best one for your needs with the abovementioned criteria in mind.

Let’s break down these qualities. First, look at the size of the car on the outside and the number of seats on the inside. A good balance between the two should be present – not too large as to be unable to easily navigate crowded streets but not too small as to feel cramped inside. For example, the Meriva is just the right size on the outside with plenty of space on the inside.

Second, consider the luggage compartment. In this regard, your best city car will depend on your lifestyle. Do you stash several bags as well as other odds and ends in the car? Try the Agila S and SE city cars because of their 60/40 split-folding rear seats that allow for greater space for luggage. Other city cars with similar luggage capacity are Zafira and Insignia.

Third, consider the engines and transmissions. Your choice will affect your future gas expenses as well as the performance of the car in both urban and rural settings. Yes, most city-friendly cars can be driven on rural roads albeit with certain limitations.

In the end, the best city car is the one that you will be comfortable driving in. Safety comes first followed by style – always remember that.

Find the best selection of city cars for you

The question then is: What is a city car? To put it simply, it is a small car designed and manufactured for use primarily in urban areas, be it small or big cities.

When we say small, we refer to the fact that a city car must be able to easily negotiate relatively small spaces in the crowded streets of a city as well as park in small spaces especially where parallel parking is concerned.

Well, of course, you can always buy other types of vehicles aside from city cars for your transportation needs in and around the city. Think of pick-ups, trucks and limousines, if you want. There are many possible problems with choosing vehicles for driving in the city other than the best small car within your budget including the issues of space, gas expenses and area regulations.

It’s neither practical nor economical to choose large cars to navigate crowded cities unless you intend to muscle your way through traffic – and we assume you will not want to do it either.

So, for your lifestyle in the city, choose a city car that suits your budget, style preferences and lifestyle choices. We can mention the likes of Zafira, Insignia and Antara models in this regard.

Find the best selection of city cars for you

But some drivers have stood out more than others. Drivers that have shown themselves to be exceptional in some way when it comes to skill and achievement with Formula One races. The top 5 drivers include:

5- Sir John Stewart

This driver from great Britain was skilful enough that he was actually knighted for his skill. He was often known as the “Flying Scot.” He was an F1 driver for around twelve years.

He actually spent a lot of time on the circuit with his son Paul. BRM and Tyrell were the two teams that he raced for over his career, which included one hundred racing competitions. He first started out racing in South Africa in the sixties, and won a title in Italy in the mid-sixties.

4- Sir Jack Brabham

Jack Brabham raced in the Australia F1 circuit with a great deal of victories. He raced over the course of 15 years, with over one hundred and twenty different races. He won fourteen times, and ended up on at least placing thirty-one times. His career spanned between the years of 1955 and 1970.

3-Jacky Ickx

This racer of Formula One cars won the Formula One Championship for GP on eight different occasions. He had the fastest lap on thirteen different occasions. When it comes to single seat Formula One racers, Ickx is famous for being among the best to ever race.

2-Riccardo Patrese

Riccardo started racing in 1977, and finished in 1993. Over his career, he raced in the Grand Prix 256 times. he was involved in a crash that caused the death of another racer, Mtonza in 1978. He won 6 times over his career and placed thirty seven times.

1-Aryton Senna raced formula one cars until 1994. He won over forty times, and he’s considered one of the best drivers of his entire generation, if not of all time.

Technical Rules

F1 cars can only be 180 cm for width, and 95 cm for height, at a maximum. The length is actually left open, but because of the strict requirements on height and width, and because of engineering concepts like air resistance and other concerns of physics, many cars end up around the same length.

There are a variety of rules covering the exact size and shape of engines, as well. There are exacting standards about exactly when and how you can refuel, and exactly how the refuelling apparatus on the side of Formula One cars is allowed to function.

There are also exacting standards for how much each individual aspect of the Formula One car can weigh. This includes the chassis, the engine, and every other part of the car. The crankshaft and other apparatus that are related to that device have to be made a certain way out of steel.

Tires

There are also strict rules governing tires. For example, formula one cars are only allowed a certain number of sets of tires per race. This means that if something goes wrong during the race and tires have to be replaced, this can only happen as many times as the number of tires a particular driver team has.

If they use up all the tires too fast, then they are out of luck as far as being able to continue competing in a particular race.

Often, it is those that test Formula One Cars that truly set the stage for those that actually win the big races. How could you win a Formula One Championship if you did not know the car you were driving had the potential to perform in the requisite manner? Not even the most famous race car champion could possibly win a major championship if the vehicle was not properly tested in order to deliver on all performance expectations.

Now, this is not to dismiss the great champions that have won the races they are involved with. Such professionals are the true heroes of the sport. However, those test drivers that put in the great and risky effort of testing Formula One cars set the stage for the top professionals to actual drive their vehicles in those amazing races.

There are quite a few responsibilities in which the test drivers of Formula One cars must undertake. What would be the common responsibilities of the test drivers? The most basic responsibility would be to provide insights into a particular vehicle based on running through a test track’s course..

Based on such test drives, it becomes possible to determine any performance problems which may exist as far as how the car handles on the test track. In a similar vein, the test driver can also point out where the vehicle handles quite well on the road. Such information could prove to be quite helpful to professional drivers in need of insights into the vehicle they will be driving in a race.

There is also a human element at work here. In other words, feedback should not exclusively centre on how the car itself works or on mechanical issues. The test driver can provide personal insights into the experience into what actually occurs when operating the vehicle. Insights into personal experience can never and should never be dismissed. There are many intangibles found within the data revealed from test drivers. This is why test drivers play such an important role in the overall process of winning Formula One races.

In a way, many test drivers remain unsung heroes in the world of Formula One racing. This is not to say there is no precedent for test drivers that would go on to enter in themselves as drivers in championships in the racing world. Some have and have done well. Overall, the contribution of these great test drivers has been to provide the much needed support to the more famous drivers. To a great extent, this help has proven invaluable.

Clean Air: That’s the air that faces the car in the lead. Every other Formula One car gets gassed with the emissions from the car ahead of it, but the car in the lead gets clean air. A clean air environment makes for the best aerodynamic situation for the leading racer.

Baulk: When a driver tries to slow down another driver by getting in his way.

Black Flag: Black-flagged drivers have to go to their pits.

Butterflies: Refers to the induction system in the engine.

Pileup: A huge accident that involves many Formula One cars.

Flyer: Also referred to as the Flying Lap. This is a lap in which the driver drove dangerously so that he could get a better position.

Hand Grenade: A specially designed engine for the qualifying races.

Stop-Go Penalty: A 10-second penalty that is imposed when a driver flouts the Formula One Championship rules. The penalized driver must leave the race, stop in his pit area for 10 seconds, and then start racing again. He cannot get his car worked upon during this time.

Drive-Through Penalty: Another penalty for flouting the rules. The driver is required to drive through his pit lane at a limited speed (by turning on his speed limiter).

Chicane: Section of the track that is changed with the objective of slowing down Formula One cars. Chicanes enhance safety and involve using a series of alternating corners.

Armco: Safety barriers placed around the circuit.

Splash and Dash: A pit stop for a small refuel required when a small quantity of fuel (splash) is needed to finish the race (dash).

Stewards: The highest ranking officials of a formula one championship event. There are 3 Stewards in a Formula One race. They observe the race and make the penalty decisions. They also check the driver’s conduct.

Marshals: Marshals are the officials who have to ensure that the racing is safe. They have to create adequate safety for the spectators, removing Formula One cars’ debris, extinguishing flames, etc. These folks wave the flags to inform the drivers about the latest racing situation.

Paddock: Place where F1 teams place their transport vehicles. Public, and people not associated with the team, are not allowed in the Paddock area.

Parc Femme: Parc Femme means closed parking. Formula One Cars that have qualified for the event must enter Parc Femme on the race weekend. The idea behind this is to ensure that pre-race settings are not changed.

Pits: A pit is an area that hosts a racing team and its service equipment. The drivers drive into the pit for repairs, refuels, etc.

Pit Wall: The area that hosts racing team managers, owners and engineers. These folks monitor the race from the Pit Wall.

These are the terms bandied around during a Formula One Championship.

The changes that have taken place for the 2011 season involve moveable rear wings, the return of KERS, new tyre supplier, and a 107% qualifying rule. All of these and more will have an enormous impact on the racing field for Formula One cars. So let’s get on with the discussion about all these changes.

Adjustable rear wings

The adjustable rear wings on Formula One cars that are suitably equipped will find drivers adjusting the rear wing right from the driver’s seat which will alter the angle of incidence as they go down the road. While this something that can be done at any time during practice or while qualifying, the rules state that a driver may not adjust the rear wing unless they are less than a second behind a car in front of them, and at pre-determined track locations.

This rear wing capability is electronically governed, and will deactivate when the brakes are used. This feature, along with KERS has been designed to help boost the overtake capabilities of the car. However, this is by no means a compulsory feature that must be added to every Formula One cars as they vie for the Formula One championship.

F-ducts and double diffusers

As of 2011, any system, procedure or device that utilizes the movement of the driver to alter the aerodynamics of his car is prohibited. That means that there can be no F-ducts used. Double diffusers as they were originally intended are also banned from use in the Formula One championship showdown.

KERS

Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, or KERS has been a problem for some and a good thing for others since they were introduced in 2009, and they have been reintroduced for the 2011 season after they were banned in 2010. This KERS uses wasted energy that is generated during tuns and braking to provide more power to Formula One cars.

This extra energy is available to the driver in a specific amount under each lap by the simple push of a button mounted on the steering wheel. There has been no increase to the maximum power permitted that was seen in the 2009 season, but there is always the possibility that this could change in the future.

Wheel tethers

The 2010 season for Formula One cars saw a number of wheels that strayed from formula one championship racing cars, and therefore a new rule has been created that requires a second tether be placed on the suspension to prevent this from happening.

Tyres

Bridgestone decided to withdraw as the supplier for Formula One cars after 13 years. Pirelli is now taking over as this sports sole supplier of tyres. This is an Italian company, and they will supply all the Formula One championship racing teams with the rubber it takes to keep them on the ground for the following three years.

107% qualifying

This new rule means that if a driver fails to set a lap time that is within 107% of the Q1 fastest time they will not be allowed to start in the race. This could be waived if the driver performs up to this standard during practice.

These and other rules will govern how the next Formula One cars will perform on the track this year.

Becoming an F1 driver takes a lot of commitment and determination along with a lot of skill and raw talent. In fact, most F1 drivers tend to start at a very young age and compromise a lot to truly realize their dreams. Hence, before you start reading how a person can become an F1 driver, you need to realize that it requires unbelievable amounts of devotion. Here is a step by step guide.

Step I:
The first step to becoming a F1 driver is to get involved in racing at a very young age. A good deal of Formula One drivers started out as kart drivers in local or regional leagues with the help of their local karting schools or clubs. This has to happen at a very young age and while some teenagers have been known to achieve something, the majority of people have to start well below the age of 10.

Step II:
Even though people think that racing is all about racing, this is not the case because racing involves some education as well. If you want to be a F1 driver then you would need to get some formal training on how to handle powerful open wheel cars from racing schools in the country. There are numerous well reputed schools in the country that should set you on your way fairly conveniently.

Step III:
Focusing on Europe would immediately improve your chances of being a F1 driver. The longer you display your skills in Europe, the better your chances will be of being noticed by the scouts from some major formula one championship teams.

Step IV:
At the end of the day, you would have to consistently show that you have the talent and skills to make it in F1 for you to be noticed by any F1 professionals. Although there is no substitute for great skill behind the wheel and a lot of points and podium finishes, you should also get a reliable and experienced agent who would be able to capitalize on your successes on the track.

Step V:
A lot of drivers start out as test drivers for F1 teams before actually graduating into championship drivers. In fact, this is a good strategy because it would allow you to learn about the cars and tracks, before you can actually get into proper racing.

Step VI:
The final step for you to become a Formula One driver is to get sponsorship. While driving for Ferrari or McLaren may be your dream, you would most probably have to start through smaller teams. Such teams have poor finances which is why they appreciate sponsored drivers more.