Wet weather spray caused by heavy goods vehicles is amongst the most serious everyday driving hazards with which road users have to contend. Now, a patented innovation by a British company, Spraydown Limited, has achieved a major reduction in spray obscuration – over and above the performance of existing mandatory spray suppression equipment. The device, which will make its debut appearance at next month’s Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, has been granted full type approval under EU regulations.

The system comprises a rigid panel, made up of a series of fixed, vertical, lightweight, extruded vanes. Each vane incorporates three shaped channels which, when assembled in sequence, form a progressive series of water trapping gullies. The spray plume around the vehicle is also significantly reduced, lowered and controlled and associated aerodynamics effectively draws the air swirl and excess water spray back within the vehicle envelope.

Spraydown Managing Director, Steve Nesbitt says, “Improving visibility for following or passing motorists is about to take a step change and that is important both for road safety and for the image of the road transport industry and its operators. If we can deliver the predicted reduced drag and fuel savings as well, then the adoption of our new technology spray suppression system will also make a contribution to the environment. Most of the current spray suppression devices date back to the original mandatory requirement in 1991. Traffic density, vehicle design, aerodynamics and the performance and technology of composite materials have all moved on and these factors have had a significant influence in the development of the Spraydown system.”

It can be easily used by unscrewing the tyre valve cap from the commercial vehicle tyre and replacing it with the P-eye monitoring device. The P-eye measures the preset minimum tyre pressure and passes this on to the signalling LED. If the tyre pressure drops more than 5 per cent below the ideal pressure the LED lamp starts blinking. The driver knows then that the pressure of this particular tyre is too low and the tyre should be inflated.

As such, when a fleet of vehicles are parked on site, it is not necessary to check every single tyre, but action is only necessary on tyres where the LEDs are blinking. Statistically it has been found that approximately a quarter of all commercial vehicle tyres are not sufficiently inflated.

This increases wear with about 15- 20%. Practically all blowouts and resulting accidents are caused by a too low tyre pressure. This patented new device which can make commercial vehicles safer, and saves money for the operators, is being launched in the UK at the Commercial Vehicle Show, Birmingham

The Thomas Guide used to be the apex of car navigation, but GPS and digital-mapping technology have combined to make an evolutionary leap. These portable navigation systems can help you get from point A to point B with audible driving directions, color maps, points of interest, and much more. And while they were once a novelty tech toy for early adopters and gadget hounds, they've gained in popularity and the market is now flooded with them. To help you in your buying decision, we've selected our Top 5 picks for in-car GPS navigation systems.

I used to rely on an atlas whenever I went on long car trips. Nowadays things have changed, and drivers can now install car navigation systems in their vehicles that will guide them to their destination. Recent models of trucks and cars automatically come with this feature, and others can be purchased separately.

Garmin has been around for 17 years, its different than a company that might have one or two GPS models they just started last year. Also, they equip airplanes like 737's, so you know they will not install cheezy GPS units on commercial aviation. Garmin has the most recent maps also and the most detailed. Garmin has models from $249 to 1,000's. And no, I don't work for them at all. I plan to buy one in the next couple days. Look for the streepilot C330, almost every person says its great. It also has a nice price of $249. The screens are also simple to use. Where to and Map!

Navigation systems have proven to be quite useful for many drivers. This is primarily because navigation systems for vehicles has the capacity to provide drivers with the most recent and updated information on the various roads and the various traffic conditions. And in that way, cars and vehicles can simply steer clear of roads that are heavily congested with traffic. In the process, car navigation systems help drivers save on time and on gas.

Now, there is yet another new car navigation device sent out to the market. This one is from Clarion and it is an in-car navigation device which runs on Windows Automotive. Windows Automotive is actually based on the Windows CE 5.0. This new in-car navigation system is named the NAX963HD. It has got a 30 GB hard drive to provide you with ample map data. It is not bulky for it just around an inch thick giving you more space. You see, you can simply stash this device just right beneath your seat.