A company is offering help to female motorists who are afraid of driving alone at night. The "Buddy on Demand" is a reusable blow-up man that fits in the glove compartment and plugs into the 12v outlet.

Women who don't like driving alone at night can purchase a blow-up man to place in the passenger seat. When they are finished with the "Buddy on Demand," they can deflate it by flicking a switch. The "passenger" is even small enough to fit in the car's glove box. Buddy's creator, Sheilas' Wheels, launched the blow-up man for the purpose of making women feel less nervous about driving at night. The company's own research found that 82 percent of women feel safer when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. Almost 50 percent don't like driving alone in the dark. Sheilas' Wheels spokeswoman Jacky Brown tells Reuters, "We're not saying that an inflatable man is the only answer but we do hope it will give women extra confidence and make journeys in the dark less fearful. "

He surely didn't need David Beckham's BMW or James Bond's latest wheels to make a getaway on this one. A man on a horse and cart made an amazing escape by out-doing four cops motorbikes, a patrol car, a video van, two cycling constables and a helicopter in a slow-motion chase through east Leeds, England. The 34-year-old man, who has been kept unidentified, is wanted in connection with a serious assault and was spotted by an officer on a bicycle on a side road. The man jumped on to a horse and cart and galloped away.

The Japanese Prime Minister was caught wheeling himself to his office, prompting Environment Minister Yuriko Koike to burst into giggles. He was seen rolling into the lobby on a Segway electric scooter by startled reporters, reports Reuters

The nation's motor vehicle thieves continue to favor imports over domestic brands as their targets of opportunity. Hot Wheels, the National Insurance Crime Bureau's companion repiort to its annual Hot Spots auto theft investigation, reviews data reported to the National Crime Information Center and determines the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2004.