Bristol mayor who fronted 20mph scheme is caught speeding

George Ferguson, the mayor of Bristol who spearheaded a £2.3m project to implement 20mph zones across his city has been caught speeding doing 35mph in a 30mph zone

Ferguson, who usually drives an electric-powered car or rides a bicycle, was behind the wheel of a Bristol city council fleet car at the time. He was clocked speeding on the A4 Portway road by Avon and Somerset police.

In a statement issued through the council, Ferguson described the offence as an inexcusable mistake and said he would be paying the £100 penalty charge.

“I am shocked to have just discovered I exceeded the speed limit on the Portway last month ... on one of the rare occasions when I have had to use a council fleet car.

“It serves as a sharp warning to me and goes to show that I am no exception to the rule. I am only too aware of the dangers of exceeding speed limits and commend the Avon and Somerset police for their vigilance.

“I have blemished an otherwise clean licence and shall be paying the penalty charge willingly from my own pocket.”

Ferguson became Bristol’s first directly elected major in 2012 and is an advocate of a 20mph pilot scheme run by the council.

The council voted in July 2012 to bring in the 20mph speed limit throughout Bristol in a six-phase scheme costing £2.3m. All roads except dual carriageways, 40mph and 50mph roads are considered for the 20mph speed limit, which applies to all motorised vehicles on the road.

Speaking at the time of the rollout, Ferguson said: “The new speed limit is part of a number of measures that we are introducing that will help to promote road safety, improve traffic flow, support sustainable transport and active travel and help to make Bristol a more positive place to live and work.

“We realise that the change in speed limit will take a little getting used to but I know from my own experience how little impact the reduction in speed will have on journey times.”

Warning over drug-driving law and prescribed medication

People who have been prescribed powerful anxiety or pain relief drugs are being warned about a new drug-driving law.

The new legislation will includes some prescription medicines.The limit levels for which are set above  prescribed doses so most patients should still be safe to drive. Those who are unsure are advised to seek the advice of a pharmacist.

The new law, was introduced 2 March 2015 in England and Wales, aims to catch those who put the lives of others at risk while driving under the influence of drugs.

It sets very low levels for eight well known illegal drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, but also includes eight prescription drugs, where the levels have been set much higher.

Prescription drugs covered by the new law

• Clonazepam (seizures or panic disorder)
• Diazepam (anxiety disorders, alcohol withdrawal symptoms or muscle spasms)
• Flunitrazepam (AKA Rohypnol is a sedative) 
• Lorazepam (convulsions or seizures caused by epilepsy)
• Oxazepam (relieve anxiety, including anxiety caused by alcohol withdrawal)
• Temazepam ( insomnia problems)
• Methadone (heroin addiction and for pain relief)
• Morphine (moderate to severe pain)

Robert Goodwill MP, Road Safety Minister, says as long as they stay within prescribed levels, most people will still be able to get behind the wheel of a car.

"If you are taking your medicine as directed and your driving is not impaired, then you are not breaking the law and there is no need to worry," he said.

"We advise anyone who is unsure about the effects of their medication or how the new legislation may affect them, to seek the advice of their doctor or pharmacist.

"There will also be a medical defence if a driver has been taking medication as directed and is found to be over the limit but not impaired.

"Drivers who are taking prescribed medication at high doses [are advised] to carry evidence with them, such as prescriptions slips, when driving in order to minimise any inconvenience should they be asked to take a test by the police."

Ed Morrow, campaigns officer for road safety charity Brake said the organisation strongly welcomed the new drug-diving law.

"This much-needed progressive move by government will make it much easier for police to deal with illegal drug-drivers," he said.

"We are confident that the necessary measures are in place to ensure drivers who take prescription medication are not unfairly penalised.

"However, many prescription medications can have a negative effect on your ability to drive safely, and there is a worrying lack of awareness of this among the public."

Man Abandons Wheel Of Speeding Minibus To Dance

Engaging in another activity while you are driving is incredibly dangerous. So you will probably find it hard to believe that one man thought it was okay to abandon the driving wheel of the mini bus that he was driving entirely to engage in a dance all while the vehicle sped on.

The dance is called the “horon,” a traditional dance in Turkey’s Black Sea region, had gone viral. The driver can be seen briefly leaving the driver seat of a moving vehicle to perform the dance. Turkish authorities who watched the video identified the man as Metin Kandemir, a driver in Istanbul’s Sultanbeyli neighborhood, where the viral video was shot in his minibus by one of the passengers.

Astonishingly, the man has been let go with a just a fine of 160 Turkish Liras and suspension of his driving license. Speaking to the media, the man apologized for his act.

£40,000 speeding ticket for going 14mph over limit

Finnish authorities take a very dim view of speeding, as they demonstrated when they fined one driver a staggering £40,000 for going just 14mph over the limit.

The huge  sum was demanded because in Finland, fines for speeding are scaled up according to the wealth of the law-breaker. 

Unfortunately for this businessman  who was caught travelling at 64mph in a 50mph zone he is a multi-millionaire and the authorities took a peek at his tax return.

Reima Kuisla's tax return showed that he earned 6.5m euros (£4.72m) a year, so they dished out a 54,000 euro fine, the Iltalehti newspaper reported.

The fine has a logic to it, but Mr Kuisla complained bitterly on his Facebook page about the sum he was asked to hand over posting a picture of the ticket and saying: ‘Finland is impossible to live in for certain kinds of people who have high incomes and wealth. I’m considering leaving the country.’

However, sympathy levels in Finland for his plight have been fairly low. One user wrote on the Iltalehti website: ‘He should stop complaining and hang his head in shame instead.’

RAC Road Safety Animation Competition Entry (2014) Two Rivers High School

Two Rivers High School 2014 competition entry (age 11-16 category)
Watch out for our new competition launching soon!
More info: http://www.rac.co.uk/childroadsafety

From tomorrow motorists can make plea online to speeding charges

As of tomorrow drivers charged with minor motoring offences across Englang and Wales will be able to make a plea online with the launch of a new digital service.

Courts Minister Shailesh Vara told Sky News: “Digital technology gives us an opportunity to make the justice system simpler, clearer and faster – and part of this means reducing or removing the unnecessary movement of paper, and people, around the system,”

“The new ‘Make a Plea’ service is reducing case time and costs for the courts and the police, ensuring that they can focus on the most complex cases. It makes it easy, simple and quick for people to access justice.”

It was first piloted in Manchester and around a third of offenders made their plea online as an alternative to making a postal plea or attending court.

The Government’s wider modernisation of the courts has included investing £160m in digital technology for courtrooms including video links, wifi and improved IT systems.

Elderly Couple Get Locked in Their Own Car

An elderly couple panicked and became 'trapped' in their new Mazda 3 hatchback after they had left their wireless key fob outside the car. 

The couple did not realise it was possible to unlock the vehicle without the key while sat inside and as a result almost died after spending 13 hours locked inside

According to the Otago Times, the couple were discovered at 7:45AM the following morning by a neighbour, at which point Mollieanne was unconscious and her husband was having serious breathing difficulties.

Health workers told the couple that they would have been killed had they spent just another half hour inside the vehicle.

Reports claim Brian had looked methodically for a way out of the car, and had even resorted to trying to breaking the window with a car jack, to no avail.

“Once I found out how simple it was to unlock it I kicked myself that I did not find the way out... I had this mind-set that I did not have the transponder [so I could not get out],” Brian told the Times.

The couple has since heard from five other car owners who have had similar experiences. The debacle has lead to the Mazda dealership who supplied the car vowing to provide more technical information on essential systems to elderly customers.

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