|
Latest news
Seat Belt Laws set to alter
The fine for not wearing a seat is to increase
from £30 to £60
·
Motorway car
sharing lane opens
·
Daytime
running lights to become compulsory
·
Kids get
detention for parents dangerous parking!
·
Driver wins
speeding case after 3 years and 24 court appearances!
·
Safer roads
encourage poor driving!
·
France leads the
way on drink-drive penalties
·
Safety money
'wasted' on speed cameras
older news
·
Kids forced indoors in Berkshire
Click here
·
Driver charged with murder after youngsters death
Click here
·
drivers risking lives and wasting fuel due to tyre neglect
Click here
·
Latest road safety news from BRAKE the road safety charity
·
petrol prices -Premium petrol a waste of money
Click here
·
Immigrant
drivers blamed for increase in road accidents Click
here
·
Road safety figures
Click here
·
History of the highway code
Click here
·
Man gets
parking ticket AND fined for littering
click here
·
Taking drugs and driving - you are playing with other peoples lives
Click here
·
Recent news regarding car drivers using their mobiles whilst
driving
Click here
·
Top police officer convicted of speeding -
Click here
·
and
its not just him either seems the our politicians cant either
Click here
·
Dangerous driver faces prison after wiping out family
Click here
Speeding point increase for car owners who fail to reveal who was
driving the car
Drivers who fail to identify who was behind the wheel when a
speeding offence is committed face a heavier penalty under law
changes that come into force today. The clampdown on driving
offences includes higher maximum fines for careless driving and
refusing to stop when flagged down by police. One of the most
significant changes will affect anyone who fails to provide
information on the identity of a driver, which now carries the
penalty of six rather than three penalty points.
From the times 28th September 2007
That carefree moment enjoyed by drivers is the biggest menace on
road
-
Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent
The vast majority of deaths on Britain’s roads last year were the
result of basic driver errors, a Department for Transport report has
found.
Simple mistakes were responsible for far more fatal crashes than
deliberate breaches of traffic laws, such as breaking the speed
limit or ignoring red traffic lights.
The RAC Foundation said that the figures underlined the need for
better driver education and more traffic police, rather than relying
on cameras to keep roads safe.
The most common cause of a fatal crash was loss of control of a
vehicle, which was identified by police in 35 per cent of reports.
More than 600 deaths, almost a fifth of the total of 3,172, were
caused by drivers failing to look properly.
Travelling too fast for the conditions, but within the speed limit,
was cited as a factor in 18 per cent of reports. Exceeding the speed
limit was a factor in 14 per cent of deaths, up from 12 per cent in
2005.
Sheila Rainger, the RAC Foundation’s head of campaigns, said: “While
a camera can clock someone a few miles over the limit, it cannot
deter drink, drugged or dangerous driving, or give advice to those
whose driving is not up to scratch.
“We must look to more innovative educational solutions, a return to
on-road enforcement by traffic police and a sustained attempt to
build positive driver attitudes, as the means to cut casualty
numbers.”
Figures on crashes involving foreign vehicles were included for the
first time in the annual road safety report.
Foreign lorries were involved in 1,041 crashes on British roads,
resulting in 44 deaths, 119 serious injuries and 1,203 slight
injuries.
The number of crashes was slightly down on 2005, but there was a
sharp rise in deaths from 33 to 44.
The department published a separate report showing a huge rise in
the number of foreign lorries on Britain’s roads, up fourfold in a
decade from 480,000 in 1996 to more than 1.5 million last year.
Road safety groups called for more roadside checks on foreign
lorries and said they should be required to fit “blind spot” mirrors
to reduce the risk of “sideswipes”, in which drivers on the left of
the cab pull out into the path of another vehicle. Foreign lorries
were involved in 443 sideswipes in 2005.
Half of the foreign lorries checked last year by the Vehicle and
Operator Services Agency had safety faults that could have resulted
in crashes.
Lorries from Eastern Europe were the worst offenders: prohibition
notices were placed on 62 per cent of those inspected from the Czech
Republic, 61 per cent from Romania, 55 per cent from Latvia, 52 per
cent from Bulgaria and 49 per cent from Poland.
Foreign lorry drivers were more than twice as likely as British
drivers to exceed the maximum time spent behind the wheel without a
break. More than 37 per cent of drivers of lorries registered in
Greece had exceeded that limit, compared to 9 per cent of British
drivers.
Foreign lorries were more likely to be dangerously overloaded, with
a third of those from Spain, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland
found to be over the weight limit.
The Department for Transport said that it would introduce
on-the-spot penalties of up to £200 for foreign drivers early next
year.
The road safety report revealed that more than one in ten crashes
last year involved a hit-and-run driver. There were 21,006 crashes
resulting in death and injury last year that involved a driver who
failed to stop, compared with 18,357 in 1997.
Speeding appeal letters click
here for more info
Mobile phone reminder
As part of the new traffic act, it is now completely illegal
to
use your mobile phone whilst driving.
If you are seen by a Police officer then you will get an instant
3 points and ?60.00 fine.
There is no judge and no jury ...in other words there are no
grounds for appeal.
In the worst scenario you could face
14 years in prison!
Obviously this would be in instances where you were involved in
an accident where somebody was hurt or worse.
But even if the accident would otherwise have not been your
fault, the law now says that it becomes your fault automatically
if you were holding a mobile phone at the time of the accident
Picture of the week:
How's my driving?
(It's so difficult to read phone numbers when they are sideways on!)
Ford have decided in other countries to save money when transporting
small amounts of vehicles
they have recruited a man in a white van
<
|
