Tesla driver banned for M1 autopilot seat-switch

Photo: Herts Police

A driver who moved into the passenger seat after putting his electric car into autopilot while at 40mph on a motorway has been banned from driving. 

Bhavesh Patel was filmed by a witness in another car sitting in the passenger seat of his Tesla S 60 on the M1 between junctions 8 and 9 near Hemel Hempstead.

The footage was posted on social media before it was reported to the police.

The court heard Patel told officers what he had done was "silly" but his car was capable of something "amazing" when he was interviewed at Stevenage Police Station.

He added he was the "unlucky one who got caught".

A statement provided by a Tesla engineer said the autopilot was intended to provide assistance to a "fully-attentive driver", the court heard.

Mr Patel pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at St Albans Crown Court, he was disqualified for 18 months and must do 100 hours of unpaid work. He also had to pay the Crown Prosecution Service costs of £1,800.

Roadside 'textalyser' will treat drivers on smartphones like drunks

Police may start using a "textalyser" soon the new gadget will help them gauge if a distracted driver has been using their mobile phone before a road incident.

The move is in response to the rise  of instances of distracted driving that have led to accidents and death.

The idea was proposed by a draft legislation in New York, which would require drivers to submit their phones for testing, if pulled up by authorities.

"Reports indicate that 67 per cent of drivers admit to continued use of their cell phones while driving despite knowledge of the inherent danger to themselves and others on the road," the draft law said.
"Therefore, it is in the state's interest to treat this impairment with a similar methodology to that of drunk driving."

The new law, known as "Evan's Law" is named after 19-year-old Evan Lieberman, who died in a 2011 collision caused by a distracted driver. His father, Ben Lieberman, helped to draft and implement the law through his awareness nonprofit  Distracted Operators Risk Casualties (DORCS).

How the device would work

Obviously, due to privacy laws, police would not be able to force people to unlock their phone to check their recent calls, texts or social media activity.

Instead, the "textalyser" would look at metadata on the phone just to check whether it was used recently or not - keeping conversations, contacts, numbers, photos, and app data private.

Mobile phones are biggest accident risk in the UK

67 people were killed in Britain in the past three years purely because drivers were on their phones - and this doesn't include those who may have just put down their phones or been about to pick them up.

The Department for Transport has said that of 88 deaths caused by distractions in 2012, 17 (or 19pc) were due to mobile use – the highest death rate compared to other in-case causes such as people, children or sat-navs.

For more in depth information please read the article by the Telegraph

Stop a Douchebag

We have come across something quite interesting through "anonymous" about an issue in Russia where people are driving on pavements to avoid traffic.  A small group of people have come up with a great way to combat this problem 

On sidewalks and footpaths, the brave young protagonists stand in the way of bad drivers, politely ask them to head back to the road and if they refuse, plaster a hard-to-peel-off sticker (which proclaims in Russian: I Spit on Everybody, I Drive/Park However I Want) on the windshield, right in front of the driver’s seat.

"Stop a Douchebag" - is a Russian youth movement that attempts to enforce the road traffic regulations in Russia.

To read in more detail please visit the anonymous site

The Movement's channel on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/stopxamlive

 

Tougher sentences for disqualified drivers

Brake has congratulated the Government on delivering tougher sentences for disqualified drivers as part of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act, which came into force on Monday, April 13).

Under the new rules anyone convicted of causing death by driving while disqualified will face a maximum of 10 years in prison, up from only two years previously.

There is also a new offence that has been created "causing serious injury by driving while disqualified" anyone convicted of this offence will face up to four years in prison.

Ed Morrow, campaigns officer for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “This is an important day for everybody involved in campaigning for better justice for victims of criminal driving.

“Getting behind the wheel when a court has already found you to be a danger on the road, and has disqualified you from doing so, is one of the most selfish decision you can make as a driver.

“It is entirely right that maximum sentences are being increased, and we hope that judges will make use of them where appropriate.

“This is a good first step to securing better justice for victims and families, many of whom have been left feeling betrayed by inappropriate charges and paltry sentences.”

The road safety charity says that there are a number of other urgent issues with how the justice system handles cases of criminal driving, and it will be pressuring whoever forms the next Government to follow the current Ministry of Justice review through to a satisfactory conclusion.

Source Fleet News

Speeding taxi driver avoids jail after lying about driver

Image:castletaxiscanterbury.com

62-year-old Mohammed Malik claimed a mechanic was driving his Toyota Avensis when it was clocked traveling at 37mph in a 30 zone in Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, in April last year.

Officers then wrote to the mechanic, only to have the letter returned saying he no longer lived at the address given. They also visited the address and found it was a residential property that had never been a garage.

This aroused more suspicion, so police then spoke to the cabbie's firm to get a print out of his journeys on the day in question - they clearly showed Malik had actually picked up a fare at the time, with the person clearly visible on speeding camera footage sitting in the back seat.
Still, Malik insisted it was his mechanic at the wheel.

With the evidence stacking against him, Malik finally admitted the speeding offence and was subsequently charged with perverting the course of justice for lying about who was behind the wheel.
The driver, of Coleshill Road, Ward End, pleaded guilty to the charge and on 31 March he was handed a four month prison sentence - suspended for 18 months - plus 80 hours unpaid work and costs of £400. He was also banned from driving for six months.

PC Steve Jevons said "Malik may have avoided jail but the suspended sentence is hanging over him for the next year-and-a-half and it’s likely he will now be stripped of his taxi licence. With no livelihood, clearly this will have a huge impact on his life and he will have to ask himself if all his lies were worth the risk. We hope this case serves as a warning to others that lying to the police and the authorities is a serious offence and can ultimately land you behind bars."

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.

Driver Who Blamed Dog For Speeding Is Jailed

A man who blamed his dog for sitting on the pedals when he was caught driving at nearly 100mph in a 30mph zone has been jailed for 13 months.

Jordan Winn told police his Staffordshire bull terrier was in the footwell of his Volvo S60 sitting on the accelerator pedal last October.

Winn was spotted by a police officer in Chester-le-Street who then set off in pursuit.

Footage played in court showed the police car reached 88mph in an attempt to catch up with Winn over a mile stretch. The officer estimated Winn must have been driving at close to 100mph.

His Volvo could then be seen braking hard and turning right, just missing an oncoming car which had two adults and two children in it.

Winn admitted dangerous driving at a previous hearing, During sentencing at Durham Crown Court, the judge said "You advanced an utterly ludicrous account on which you were to insist for over a year. You told the police officer the reason you drove in that manner is because the dog that was in your vehicle was jumping around and became trapped beneath your foot."

That claim was dismissed at the previous hearing, known as a trial of issue.

Sentencing the 23-year-old, the judge said he would be failing the public if he did not immediately jail him.

"Your driving was extremely dangerous and it is just a matter of pure good fortune that nobody was seriously injured or killed during what was I am quite sure a police pursuit."

The judge said he was not being punished for the "ludicrous defence" he put forward, but for the potential harm he caused to others.

Taxi Driver Jailed After Claiming 'American Friend' Drove Speeding Cab

Taxi driver Nigel Taylor, from Sherbourne Grove in Birmingham, has been jailed for perverting the course of justice after falsely claiming a friend visiting from America was at the wheel when his cab was caught on camera speeding.

Mr Taylor had claimed he was asleep at home when his private hire vehicle was flashed by a speed camera in Pershore Road in August 2012, he said that a friend from Los Angeles had used the car without his permission.

In light of his information the prosecution was discontinued, however the enquiry was passed to West Midlands Police at the camera enforcement unit who probed the claim with Birmingham licensing enforcement officers. Taylor’s driver records from his taxi base showed that he was working at the time of the speeding offence proving that he had invented the story to avoid points ( he already had seven points on his licence).

Taylor was interviewed and admitted driving the vehicle at the time and was charged with perverting the course of justice after refusing a fixed-penalty ticket. He was jailed for four months at Birmingham Crown Court and ordered to pay £580 costs.

Lorry Drivers to Stage Rolling Roadblock on A9

LORRY drivers are currently considering creating a rolling roadblock on the A9 to protest against the installation of average-speed cameras.

Some of the controversial cameras are already in place between Inverness and Perth on the A9, motorists are already reporting longer journey times on the route, despite the devices having not even been switched on yet (due to be switched on in October).

The Lorry drivers claim the cameras are leading to more dangerous manoeuvres on the notoriously accident-prone road (dubbed the most dangerous in Scotland). One truck driver reported that

Truck driver Connor McKenna who is from Inverness, said motorists were slamming on their brakes when they spotted the speed cameras, He said drivers were ready to back the plan and added: “It is only a matter of time before there is an accident. People don’t understand the cameras.”

The 29-year-old led a successful campaign to increase the speed limit from 40mph to 50mph on the road for heavy goods vehicles. The campaign involved organising several rolling roadblocks to highlight the problem, including the threat of hitting Christmas deliveries, but that protest was dropped after progress was made.

Mr McKenna said about the proposed rolling road block on the A9: “We are looking at a go-slow but I need to speak to more drivers about what is happening.”

The plans have come under fire from Highland SNP MSP Dave Thompson who warned a go-slow on the road would be “utterly irresponsible” and added: “It will not do anyone any good.” he said he did not think cameras would cause motorists to drop their speed drastically and cause danger. “Average-speed cameras will ensure that people stick to the limit.”

The £2.5million scheme to install approximately 100 cameras between Dunblane and Inverness has been controversial since it was first announced by the Scottish Government last year. Ministers say the cameras will cut death toll and serious accidents on the road will decrease.

Opponents to the cameras claim that they will increase frustration which will lead to even more risky overtaking manoeuvres and increase the number of crashes.

Mike Burns, of Foyers, Inverness-shire, organised a petition with thousands of signatures calling for the scheme to be scrapped in favour of speeding up the plan to dual the whole road, which is backed by Highland MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

Sources: scotsman