My favourite things: Liz Dobson

The Porsche watch. Photo / Supplied

Liz Dobson dreams of waking up on Mother's Day and finding a few toys on her breakfast tray ...

Kiwi mums spend so many of their days on the road - taking kids to and from school/sports practice/malls/friends' houses - so it's only fair that on Mother's Day the family's unpaid taxi driver is rewarded.

Here are my picks of motoring gifts that I not only love, but also help make my life as chauffeur to my teens easier:

Porsche watch
One of my favourite cars is the Porsche 911 - unfortunately I can't even afford an alloy of the German sports car. But for the mum who owns one of these cars - or dreams of owning one - there is the Ladies Swarovski 911 watch ($795 from Porsche dealerships).

TomTom
As I face a busy main road and a packed motorway during the school run, I love the TomTom Go Live 1000 navigation system (RRP $549) with HD Traffic. This satnav updates road conditions every two minutes so you know if there are any traffic jams or accidents on roads, and even includes road works. To help avoid sitting in your car in a jam, the TomTom gives alternate routes. For mums with iPhones, there is now a TomTom HD Traffic app ($94.99) that enables you to constantly keep in touch with road conditions. Go to www.tomtom.com for details.

Panter Command Centre (rear view mirror)
Although many new vehicles now come with a reversing camera (with a screen set into the dashboard to show what is behind you), old cars don't have this safety device that can help prevent deaths in our driveways. So Aucklander Craig Wilson, from Retro Vehicle Enhancements, spent two years searching for a rear-view mirror that would fit the typical Kiwi car, and found the Pantera Command Centre. It incorporates a 9cm screen that can display what is behind your car plus a GPS system map and comes with Bluetooth. The RRP is $1675, including fitting. Check out www.pantera.co.nz for more info.

BMW Driver Training
Unfortunately a "baby on board" sticker on the car's back window is not going to prevent an accident. But if mum learns how to drive safety, she can get out of sticky situations. The one-day BMW Driver Training course helps address the main cause of 95 per cent of accidents - human error. The day's training at Hampton Downs racecourse teaches you how to handle a car at speed, how to manoeuvre out of dangerous situations and even cured me of my road rage (oops, maybe I need a refresher course). To end the day, you're zoomed around the track in a flash BMW by driving instructor Mike Eady at speeds of up to 240km/h - but remember, don't try that at home. Or in the supermarket carpark. You don't need a BMW to attend the course, just a current driver's licence. The cost is from $690; go to www.bmwdrivertraining.co.nz for info.