Tag Archives: road rage

car dealerships

FOXY partners with AVF Communications to promote car showroom events to women

AVF Communications and FOXY Lady Drivers Club are joining forces to promote a programme of first class showroom events to women drivers across the country.

Hertfordshire-based motor industry PR and event management consultancy AVF Communications is helping women fight back against the alarming increase in so called ‘road rage’ said to be sweeping the country by launching courses with motor dealerships, aimed at dealing with behind-the-wheel bullies.

AVF was the first external PR agency to be appointed by UK car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz UK to run an evening class for motor dealerships called Safety at the Wheel. Since then, a similar programme called Women in the Driving Seat has been adopted by Vauxhall Motors Ltd, for whom AVF is a manufacturer-approved supplier.

This week, AVF announced a strategic alliance with FOXY Lady Drivers Club to get these events to an even bigger audience than before.

We’re looking forward to working together and promoting AVF’s showroom events to women drivers. In our experience these are great fun as well as confidence-boosting occasions, giving female motorists the ammunition we need when motoring gets stressful. 

Not just that, but the organising dealerships are usually genuinely female-friendly businesses that we can introduce to Club members when they’re shopping for new cars or garage services. These days women are more savvy, shrewd and discerning – hence the considerable value of the independent FOXY Choice ‘female friendly garage’ endorsement.

We will shortly be publishing details of Ladies evenings across the UK, whether organised by franchised car dealerships or independent garages.

Car manufacturers, retailers and dealerships wishing to learn more about women’s showroom events can contact Adrian Foster at AVF Communications direct.

To find out more about the UK’s only female friendly garage network and the associated marketing services, please contact me via the FOXY Choice website.

FOXY

car dealerships

Hands up every foxy lady who can change a tyre?!

I recently went to a special evening called Women in Gear held at the Kia dealership showroom in Washington, West Sussex.

More than 80 eager women and a couple of token chaps were there, keen to hear more about how to change a tyre, what to do if we’re confronted by road rage and how to defend ourselves.

I was there with my FOXY stand, promoting FOXY Lady Drivers Club (in the photo) with my bright red jumper matching our mascot Sophie’s little red sports car.

Everyone loved self-protection guru Grant Hicks who made the subject of defending yourself fun and practical. He gave us great tips about how to foil muggers or thieves in and around our cars – like what to do if someone attacks us from behind and how to disarm them in three easy moves with the aid of everyday objects.

We heard about the psychology behind road rage and how to deal with behind-the-wheel bullies from ex-Police Chief Inspector Vic Botterill, who explained useful techniques like recognising how close people can stand next to you before it becomes intimidating, and what to do when that happens.

Everyone’s thoughts and emotions form our attitudes at a given time, and our feelings can alter our perception of a situation.

We learned that aggressive and therefore potentially dangerous driving usually starts with something small like a flash of headlights or a beep, which can quickly escalate to verbal abuse. The next thing you know there’s a confrontation or worse. Vic told us if we’re being followed, never drive home but go to a friend’s house or even better, directly to the nearest police station.

This might seem common sense but when we’re in a panic situation, it’s easy to forget the obvious and default to a less safe option.

Some of us were surprised to find we were the aggressors ourselves, as we were asked what we’d do in certain situations. Of course, it wasn’t me, guv!

We were then taken to Kia’s pristine and shiny workshops where we split into groups and were shown what’s under the bonnet. There are surprisingly few parts we need to know about these days compared with older motors, but even so we should all be able to top up our oil and water, and know what the battery looks like.

All of us came away with some really useful tips and techniques, and those I spoke to were certainly glad they’d gone.

FOXY

Women in Gear run free courses from time to time across Sussex.

women drivers

Letting off steam, the right way

There are times when you just have to let off steam … but not while you’re at the wheel!

We’ve all had times, I’m sure, when someone’s almost run into us and missed us by inches, carved us up or speeded past when they shouldn’t, and we’ve thought of a riposte or a choice word or two might inadvertently have popped out of our mouths. Admit it – it’s happened to you too, hasn’t it?!

And how often are we women patronised when behind the wheel, only for male passengers to tut annoyingly as we take a moment or two extra to park properly or do a six-, I mean a three-point turn? The fact that women are less likely to cause a road traffic accident strangely escapes men at this point.

It is frighteningly easy for the sort of incident I mentioned earlier to boil over into something more serious if we try to take things into our own hands, for example by getting out of the car and shouting, or by following the culprit. And this can be potentially dangerous not only for them and other road users, but for us too.

On the other hand, there are times when somebody has thought I’ve been to blame (as if!) and shaken a rather ominous-looking fist at me. If the person had approached me, how would I have reacted? Would I have been frightened or would I have been able to cope with whatever mood they were in?

I’m going to a special women’s evening this month where we’re going to be taught how to beat road rage – and if that fails, what weapons we can find in our cars to defend ourselves if the worst happens. This is part of a range of courses across Sussex to help female drivers deal with motoring aggression.

We’ll be given advice on staying calm behind the wheel and making sure everything is ticking along nicely under the bonnet.

I’m looking forward to hearing what the experts say about women and road rage. I shall try to remain calm if anyone says “Don’t get out of the car and hit them with your handbag”… grrr…

FOXY

PS: Interesting statistic – A recent survey by the RAC* found that 87% of drivers said they had been a victim of road rage and 71% admitted they had indulged in road rage themselves.
(*Source: The Argus 20.2.12)