The UK’s motorists need to take steps to combat the effects of road salt on their vehicles, according to Autoglym.

The car care company has issued the warning after one of the UK’s coldest spells in living memory led to unusually high levels of grit laid down on the country’s roads.

An average of 60,000 tonnes of salt were deposited across the UK’s road surfaces over recent weeks and could affect paintwork and exterior trim, Autoglym warns.

Paul Caller, Autoglym chief executive, said: "Road salt can speed the corrosion of unprotected paintwork, as well as damage exposed plastic and rubber surfaces."

He added that a thorough wash, followed by wax or polish is the way to avoid the build up of salt, with unusually high amounts still on the road surfaces.

So much road salt was deposited that at one point it was feared councils may run out of grit, prompting the Department for Transport to reduce grit spreading by 25 per cent.

East Dunbartonshire has been revealed as the UK’s worst speeding hotspot by moneysupermarket.com.

The price comparison site analysed around three million motor insurance claims and found that boy racers in East Dunbartonshire were worst for speeding.

Men between the ages of 17 and 21 accounted for 54 per cent of all speeding convictions in the G62 postcode area.

Swindon and Sheffield areas registered figures of 52 and 30 per cent respectively for men aged between 31 and 40 in those areas.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) pointed out that male drivers are twice as likely as their female counterparts to be involved in a crash and under 25s are in almost a quarter of crashes resulting in death and injury.

He added that the insurance industry should do more to help improve standards.

Peter Rodger, IAM chief examiner, said: "The industry needs to work with those already trying to find ways of improving young male drivers’ skills and behaviour on the road, and to invest in their driver education."

The New Formula Renault 2.0 race car has been put through its paces at the Manor Competition at Pembrey Circuit in South Wales.

Formula Renault UK champion Dean Smith was the man carrying out the test session, piloting the car, which has 210 bhp, at a private session in Newark.

Manor Competition team manager Tony Shaw said: "The test went really well and we’re very happy with the car and its build quality. Dean [Smith] racked up around 75 laps in the new car on a wet track and it ran well throughout."

He added that although there were no official times, he was happy with the session and impressed with the car.

The car will make its competitive debut at the 2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship complete with a new chassis, more powerful 2.0-litre engine and a seven-speed paddle-shift sequential gearbox.

It is being constructed at France’s Dieppe Renaultsport factory.

Formula Renault UK is believed to be one of the best single-seater championship manufacturers in the UK after thrusting drivers such as Lewis Hamilton into the limelight.

The Institute of Advance Motorists (IAM) has issued advice to drivers on how to deal with the problem of potholes.

According to the organisation, potholes cost motorists an estimated £320 million a year and the recent spate of bad weather means that Britain’s roads have more of the motoring hazards on them than ever before.

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: "Potholes form and get worse after icy spells as water gets into small cracks in the roads, expanding as it freezes and forcing the tarmac apart.

"For this reason, roads will increasingly start to show signs of damage as the weather warms up."

He added that potholes are a major cause of suspension failure.

Mr Greig claimed that while motorists should be extra vigilant and avoid potholes at all costs, swerving around them could pose a threat to other road users.

Earlier this week, potholes.co.uk launched a competition to find the best pothole poetry on Twitter.

The Ford Mondeo has been voted the most popular fleet car in the UK in a recent survey.

According to industry website FleetDirectory.co.uk, the company’s Mondeo enjoyed a sizeable lead in terms of popularity of other shortlisted fleet vehicles – taking 20 per cent of the total vote.

Second place was given to the BMW 3-Series, which racked up just 14 per cent of the vote, with the Audi A6 coming in third with 13 per cent.

Richard Lawton, a spokesperson for FleetDirectory.co.uk, said: "The Mondeo is a very popular, long-established model, fleets and fleet managers trust in its solid manufacture. Add this to its smart innovations over the year, including the recent addition of the ECOnetic technology and the Mondeo is understandably very popular as a fleet car."

Other cars making up the top ten fleet vehicles included the Volkswagen Passat, the Jaguar XF, the Skoda Octavia and Citroen’s C5.

According to Volkswagen, the firm delivered 20.7 per cent less commercial vehicles in 2009 than it did in the previous year.

Drivers are continuing to ignore the warnings surrounding drink driving, it has been claimed.

According to a new poll by What Car?, more than 50 per cent of motorists admitted getting behind the wheel the morning after a heavy night out despite considering themselves over the drink drive limit.

Some 37 per cent said they had driven while over the limit on more than one occasion, ten per cent said they did it from time to time and six per cent said they did it regularly.

What Car? editor Steve Fowler said: "It’s incredible to think that in this day and age, people continue to drink-drive the morning after.

They are putting their lives, and the lives of many others, at risk.

"The simple message is that if you think you’re over the limit the morning after, you probably are. Stay away from your car."

Meanwhile, the Department for Transport is considering tougher penalties for people who use their mobile phones whilst driving.

Motoring website Carsite has released a number of hints and tips to help motorists stop their vehicles from depreciating in value as rapidly.

According to the firm, British drivers are throwing away hundreds of pounds when they come to resell their vehicles by not adhering to a few simple rules.

The site claimed that unusual paint colours, messy interiors and missing paperwork all knock value off a motor vehicle.

"One of the biggest mistakes drivers can make when buying a car is the colour. Unusual colours such as yellow, orange or pink are considered much more undesirable than silver, black or grey. On a small to medium car, the wrong shade can make it £200-£500 less appealing to retailers and buyers," the company said.

Spokesperson for Carsite Alistair Jeff said that after purchasing a vehicle, keeping it well maintained is the easiest way to ensure it retains its value.

British Car Auctions said the average price of cars sold in December of last year was £6,188 – an increase of £185 on November’s figure.

According to car manufacturer Nissan, all small cars do not all depreciate in value at the same rate.

The firm claims that its city car, the Nissan Cube, is a residual value winner, with independent experts claiming that car will lose just 55 per cent of its value after being driven for three years or 30,000 miles.

Used car professionals at CAP have set the Cube’s residual value at 45 per cent.

According to Nissan, this means the vehicle keeps its value better than other similar sized vehicles.

Nissan’s UK managing director Paul Willcox said: "Depreciation is a crucial factor for any new car buyer to take into consideration before they choose their next new model.

"While one car might appear to be cheaper, once you have factored in what you are likely to get back when you come to sell, it might not look like such a bargain."

Recently, Top Gear picked the Toyota Prius as its City Car of the Year, citing its residual value as one of its pluses.

Volkswagen delivered 20.7 per cent fewer commercial vehicles worldwide in 2009, compared to the previous year.

The manufacturer sold 354,770 light commercial vehicles to customers worldwide – down from 447,244 in 2008.

Selling the most was the Caddy with a total of 139,826, but even this was fewer than in 2008 when the model sold 151,488.

Stephan Schaller, chief executive of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, was optimistic about the situation, despite admitting that the company suffered from the recession, partly due to being excluded from government investment programmes.

In Germany, the company’s home market, it registered just a 0.9 per cent drop in sales.

He said: "Even Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles couldn’t escape the effects of the altered economic climate, but we have increased the distance between ourselves and the competition."

Volkswagen recently unveiled its new compact coupe hybrid car at the Detroit Motor Show which opened earlier this week and runs until January 24th.

Torsten Mueller will take over as Rolls-Royce’s new chief executive from March 2010.

He will take over from the retiring Tom Purves who is stepping down after a distinguished 25 years at the BMW Group.

Mr Purves oversaw the manufacturer’s launch of the Ghost model series and was praised by Rolls-Royce chairman, Ian Robertson, for leaving the company in a strong position as it enters a new decade.

Mr Mueller has led global product management for the group since April 2008 but has spent more than 20 years at the group and managed the re-launching of the iconic MINI brand.

Mr Robertson, who Mr Mueller will continue to report to, said: "He is the perfect candidate to lead Rolls-Royce Motor Cars into a period of expansion – having not only a successful track record as a manager, but also a feel for the unique attributes of a traditional brand."

The Ministry of Defence recently agreed a deal for Rolls-Royce to supply it with jet engines in a partnership worth £865 million.