Using a phone while in the car passenger seat could land you a £200 fine and six points

USING your mobile phone while sitting in the passenger seat of a car could land you a fine and penalty points in certain circumstances.

According to information on Gov.uk if you are supervising a learner driver on a lesson, then that means that you are legally responsible for the car, therefore could land a fine for committing offences - This means it is illegal for the instructor to touch their phone while sitting in the passenger seat.

Offending drivers could be handed a £200 fine and penalty points while in the passenger seat in certain circumstances.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Research, said: "Supervising a learner actually puts you in the driving seat so legally you must treat it in the same way as if you were behind the wheel.

"Learning to drive is stressful enough without a passenger beside you who is more worried about posting than parking."

Mobile phone driving laws were introduced in December 2003 which saw motorists handed a £60 fine for an offence before rising to £100 in 2013.

Fine increased to £100 and penalty points endorsements doubled in 2017, to act as a further deterrent.

Drivers could face a maximum fine of up to £1,000 of a phone driving law offence.

The law still applies to you if you’re stopped at traffic lights and queuing in traffic.

To be able to use a phone while driving it must be mounted to a hands-free device and not touched while on the road.

Hands-free devices include:

• a bluetooth headset
• voice command
• a dashboard holder or mat
• a windscreen mount
• a built-in sat nav

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1161051/Phone-driving-laws-passenger-seat-fine-penalty-points-UK

Night-vision drones helping catch dangerous drivers in London

Police in London have launched a ground-breaking new trial that uses drones to catch speeding drivers.

Officers claim the millitary grade drones that have night-vision capability, are able to catch dangerous drivers along some of the capital’s busiest routes.

According to Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police have been using drone technology in London skies from July – the first initiative of its kind in the UK.

The drone that cost a massive £80,000 is being used on major routes where speeding offences are more common, It has a top speed of 30mph and can follow cars for up to 50 minutes..

Police say the drone, which can work at both higher and lower altitudes, is being used to identify only those travelling at dangerously high speeds. The drone footage is then passed to officers on the ground, who will pull over the offending motorists and issue a penalty.

If the scheme proves successful, it could be rolled out along more of the capital’s roads, as well as across other regions of the country.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, Detective Superintendent Andy Cox, head of the Met’s roads and traffic policing unit said the drones will deter dangerous driving through “intense enforcement.”
“This is one of many enforcement tactics being used,” he added. “We hope the message of ‘drive lawfully, stay safe and keep a clean licence’ is widely understood.”

He added: “Deterrence is sometimes best achieved through intense enforcement and that’s what this capability enables. The focus will be on dangerous drivers who are racing and those putting their lives and other people at risk.”


Source / Image: Express.co.uk

 

Police increase number of speed cameras and traffic officers

Ministers have announced plans for a major shake-up of roads policing in response to warnings that the lack of a visible police presence on the roads means yob motorists believe they can behave with impunity, there are also concerns about the failure to reduce road casualties over the past decade.

Statistics show that after falling for many years, road casualties have remained stubbornly high since 2010. And the number of people killed by drink drivers is rising.

The two-year review launched by ministers will be launched this year. 

This review will not only highlight where police forces are doing good work, it will show what more can be done to improve road safety.

Road safety charity Brake urged the Government to make investment in traffic policing a priority as it revealed that more than 9,500 motorists were caught speeding last year.

The RAC warned that the decline in road traffic policing may have contributed to a resurgence in drivers being caught using their mobiles at the wheel. 

Police patrolling the roads may be instructed to take a ‘more proactive approach’ to tackling crime. 

This would mean an increased emphasis on stopping drivers for infringements such as having a dangerous fault with their car or speeding on the basis that offenders are more likely to be involved in other crimes, such as drug running.

AA president Edmund King said last night: ‘The biggest deterrent to someone drink-driving, picking up their phone behind the wheel or driving without insurance, is to have a very strong and very visible police presence. 

Reducing the number of specialist traffic police by a third over a decade has meant that some drivers feel they can regularly drive or act dangerously and get away with it.’

The number of traffic police officers fell from 7,104 in 2005 to 4,356 in 2014.

Read the full story here DailyMailOnline

One in five drivers hasn't read Highway Code in a decade

One in five British motorists have admitted they haven’t brushed up on their Highway Code knowledge for at least a decade. and a third have not brushed up ever since passing their test.

The poll was carried out by Halfords Autocentres, and included over 22,000 drivers, Their findings echo the results of a similar survey conducted by the safety charity IAM RoadSmart in October 2018.

The Highway Code is regularly refreshed and updated, some rules from even just a few years ago may be different to what they are now.

In September 2014, the Code was amended to forbid drivers from throwing anything out of their vehicle, more tweaks were made in November 2018 so that drivers would know how to safely use more advanced tech such as parking their car using a remote control.

Halfords Autocentres’ managing director Andy Randall said: “Our Roadworthiness Quiz has produced some very interesting findings, including that some drivers could benefit from refreshing their knowledge of the rules of the road.”

The Roadworthy Quiz can be found online here

Snow peephole driver stopped by police on A9

A driver on the A9 trunk road at Thurso in Caithness on Tuesday morning was stopped by police after their snow-covered car was spotted with just a small patch of the windscreen cleared.

The driver was given a fixed penalty notice.

A police spokesman said: "Winter has been biting for most of us this week, which means it is more important than ever that your vehicle is suitably prepared for the roads.

"Unfortunately not everyone follows this advice."

Images: Police Scotland

Ban plug-in hybrids from EV charging bays

In a report written for the RAC Foundation, Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) should be banned from using electric vehicle (EV) charging bays, freeing them up for use by ‘pure’ EVs.

This is because the charging rates differ so greatly, for example it would take the vehicles this long to charge for a 15 mile distance.

• EV = 5 mins
• PHEV = 1 hour

EV charging infrastructure expert Harold Dermott argues that – until PHEVs “have both a greater electric-only range and can accept electricity at faster rate” – they should be banned from using charging bays at motorway services areas.

 
Mr Dermott expresses concern that if PHEVs continue to block EVs from using rapid charging bays, the charge points will “never be available for their essential purpose of charging BEVs [battery electric vehicles]” and the income of network operators will “collapse”.

Source Auto Express

Raise speeding fines to £130 demands top police chief

Controversial proposals from a policing chief could see motorists who are caught speeding facing bigger fines and higher fees for driver awareness courses.

Alison Hernandez (lead on road safety for Police and Crime Commissioners), is lobbying Ministers to hike the cost of both Penalty Charge Notices and National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) sessions by as much as £30. 

 Fines:                       Current £100      Proposed £130

 NDORS course:       Current £90        Proposed £120

Ms Hernandez  told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I believe the law-abiding public feel it is wholly appropriate that those who are caught breaking our laws and making the roads more dangerous for all of us should be helping to pay for road safety activities. It is the “polluter pays” principle.

An additional £20 or £30 per offender could really make a difference to our communities, that money could go back into police forces to support work on road safety.

Last year around two million speeding offences were handed out. Out of those two million offences about half of drivers payed to take an NDORS course run by UK Road Offender Education (UKROEd) to avoid getting points on their licence.

While speeding fines revenue goes to the Treasury, fees for awareness courses – which are offered to those who marginally exceeded a speed limit – are split between the course organiser and the local police force.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: ‘Speeding is unacceptable which is why there are tough penalties and enforcement in place for those who do so. Offences and penalties are kept under constant review to ensure the courts have sufficient powers.’

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