When a woman goes to Summernats

“Gee, you’re brave …” That’s what the majority of friends, family and colleagues said, when I told them I was going back to Summernats. Alone.
Let's just ponder that for a moment. Why would that be the case? Why would it be considered ‘brave’ to go to one of Australia’s largest car festivals? Isn’t that just extraordinary in itself?

If you’re a car enthusiast, chances are you‘ve heard of Summernats. And if you’ve heard of Summernats, you’re aware of its reputation, which generally precedes it in all corners of the country, and indeed, the world.

It’s been many years since I’ve been to Summernats, but as a motoring writer now based in Canberra, I felt I had to give it another chance. And I was confident that attending during the daytime, armed with a Media Accreditation, would offer a very different experience to some of the dark nights (figurative and literal) that I spent there as a young woman.

Read more at https://practicalmotoring.com.au/voices/when-a-woman-goes-to-summernats/

What will it take to stop us killing ourselves on the roads?

Another Christmas holiday season, another wave of Australian families impacted by the tragedy of our – increasing – road toll.

Road safety experts have expressed concern about a spike in accidents and fatalities this year. From January to November 2016, 1185 people died on Australian roads – 75 more than the same period last year.

Between 23 December 2016 and 3 January 2017 – considered to be the ‘holiday season’ from a road safety perspective – 40 more people had died, up from 34 in the same period last year.

These numbers are even more remarkable when you consider that motor vehicles are safer than they’ve ever been (although we’ve written recently about whether car safety standards are actually as effective as they could be).

Read more at https://practicalmotoring.com.au/voices/will-take-stop-us-killing-roads/

That was Summernats 2017 ... how was it for you?

The roar of engines is turning into a distant rumble, the smell of petrol and exhaust fumes is fading, and the rubber smoke is clearing.
Summernats is over for another year. And what a year it was, with a record number of 119,000 people attending and around 2,500 cars participating (about 600 vehicles more than the previous record).

Read more at https://the-riotact.com/that-was-summernats-2017-so-how-was-it-for-you/192713

I'm going back to Summernats ... how about you?

I haven’t been to Summernats for a very long time.

I attended the annual celebration of fuel, fumes and flaming rubber when I was younger and wilder – because Summernats then was a place for the young and wild. And I have to say, what I saw fulfilled every cliché of the darker side of Australia’s most notorious motoring event.

From alcohol-fuelled violence to disturbing mob behaviour towards women, and just plain old stupidity – sadly, my observations were far from unique.

Read more at https://the-riotact.com/im-going-back-to-summernats-how-about-you/192304

The car lover's New Year's Resolutions

Ah, the first days of the New Year. When we all promise ourselves we’ll be thinner, fitter, smarter and richer this year, than we were in the last.
Most New Year’s Resolutions relate to health and diet, work lives and relationships. But if cars are a big part of your life, you might like to think about including them in your goals for 2017.

Here are a few motoring-themed New Year’s Resolutions that I’ve been thinking about.

Read more at https://practicalmotoring.com.au/voices/car-lovers-new-years-resolutions/