The good oil: GM blamed for death of soldiers in Iraq

Product presenters at motor shows over the years have largely dealt with wow-type questions like: "Does this beauty come with red upholstery too?" That was before the economic meltdown and particularly the US Government's aid package to General Motors and Chrysler. Now the questions have a bite to them. At the New York motor show the other day, a blond woman in a tight black dress pitching one of five electric cars on the Chrysler stand was asked: "How come you've got to nearly go bankrupt before you come out with a car like this?"

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A presenter at the General Motors display said a woman told her GM was responsible for the death of American soldiers in Iraq. The logic went like this: if GM made more fuel-efficient cars, the country would not need so much oil, and if the country did not need oil, US troops would never have invaded. "I didn't say anything," the presenter told the New York Times. "What can you possibly say? 'Thanks'?"

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Things were different at Ford, which is in better financial shape than its Detroit rivals. Ford's display was huge and festive. There were slot-car races, magicians doing card tricks, and the crew of MTV's Pimp My Ride upgrading a car.

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It was party time at the Kia stand, too. The men were wearing new Hugo Boss suits, with dark purple hankies, and the women were in designer dresses bought at the Beverly Centre in Los Angeles. The staff at Kia's South Korean parent Hyundai were decked out in new Armani jackets, Cole Haan sweaters and a few other items picked up at Nordstrom. "I haven't seen anyone who looks as sharp as we do," said Mark Laffrey, Hyundai's wardrobe consultant.

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Britain is looking at a tougher driving test after studies showed 20 per cent of new drivers have a crash within a year of getting their licence. The revamp is likely to mean the test will take much longer to pass and will therefore cost more. Roading authorities are also looking at ways to reduce the estimated 1.5 million uninsured drivers on Britain's roads. Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Mark Hunter said: "Any road safety strategy must tackle this problem. The Government has been worryingly silent on this issue." New Zealand governments have been similarly lethargic. A couple of years ago, there were an estimated 44,000 uninsured drivers on Auckland roads alone.

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The British Government was prompted into action after it noticed the country was slipping down the road safety tables. Back in the late 1990s, Britain had the safest roads in Europe. Now, it is lagging behind Norway, Sweden, Malta and Switzerland. The number of road deaths in Britain fell only by 15 per cent between 2001 and 2007, although 2007's toll of just under 3000 was the lowest since records began in 1926. Other countries, such as France and Germany, are making much better progress. Britain is aiming at fewer than 2000 road deaths by 2020. The 2009 road toll in New Zealand up to 48 hours ago stood at 132 compared with 126 for the same time last year. Last year's road toll was 366, against 421 in 2007, 393 in 2006, 405 in 2005, and 435 in 2004.

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Jose Melendez, 54, and his wife and daughter couldn't get their stories straight when highway police in Nebraska pulled over their motor home for a minor traffic infringement and asked where they were headed. Jose said he was going to visit this relative; his wife said she was visiting that relative; daughter said she wasn't sure which relative she was going to see. The cops became suspicious, searched the vehicle, and issued the family with new travel plans: stashed under a floorboard was $4.5 million worth of cocaine.

alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz