The relationship between man and machine has long been both acrimonious and affectionate. The tale has its fair share of tragedies, from the Titanic to Le Mans, but also boasts some of the most significant inventions in history, from the wheel to the computer. Living in a society in which machines have almost become extensions of ourselves, through mobile phones, laptops, the internet, i-Pods, we do not realise just how influential these devices are; further, we do not realise how quickly technological history has accelerated since the mid-twentieth century.

Car advertising has become more and more personalised and extravagant, sending the message that cars almost grow out of our bodies, like mechanic mutations, will make us stronger and safer, will make us more attractive; will make us better parents. Thankfully, most people buying a car take all of those sloganeering asides with a bucket of salt: we know an empty promise when we see one. But do we know an empty promise when it comes our way in car insurance? Whilst this side of motoring doesn’t seem to suffer from extravagant adverts and models draped over car bonnets, it can be equally unforthcoming when it we compare our guarantees with our actual returns.

With this in mind, it really does serve to do a bit of research with your car insurance. Know what you want, and know what you should be getting. Most insurance providers should also be able to kit you out with breakdown cover, at home and in the European Union, accident recovery on the roadside, and a hefty no claims discount (or bonus at the end of the cycle).

And ever more frequently, car insurance companies are cottoning on to the damage caused by carbon emissions on Britain’s roads: the Co-operative is one of those companies, and is worth checking out online for some surprisingly good deals. If you really care about the future of the planet it serves to find an insurance company that will offset your emissions by a good percentage. Whilst there are many customers who, realising the extent of the damage caused by all those casual 5-minute walking distance drives, give up driving altogether, if you can justify having a car, at least ensure that you give back to the environment you are destroying