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Americans plan to keep their cars longer, AutoPacific study finds

In another chilling sign that auto sales are likely to remain stalled, a new study finds that Americans intend to keep their cars longer, indicating a general concern about the industry and the overall economy. The number of new-car buyers planning to keep their rides more than four years has risen to 59 percent, according to a study released Tuesday by California marketing research firm AutoPacific. That's an increase from last year, when about 45 percent of new buyers intended to wait more than four years for their next purchase, and it's up from 2005's tally of 46 percent.

98% fear UK road safety not improving

Research conducted for the latest issue of the Auto Trader Owner’s Guide suggests that a staggering 98% of British motorists fear that the government is failing to improve safety on UK roads. Of the 3,000 drivers surveyed for the quarterly publication, 77% also want theory and practical driving skills to be taught in schools, while 60% are convinced the coming fixed penalty fines for careless driving will do nothing to benefit safety. Find out how much a used car costs on Auto Trader On Bing: see pictures of safe cars Going further, 81% felt the ever increasing rise of in-car gadgetry, including the ability to make hands-free phone calls and check social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, represents a “hazardous distraction” to drivers.

News watch August 2012: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Friday 31 August 2012•European car sales continue to struggle, down 8.2% in July. Spain, europe's biggest market, saw sales frop the most, by a massive 26%.