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

Mum makes fake road camera to tackle speeding cars

A mum has erected a fake speed camera because she was worried about the threat to her children's safety from speeding cars.

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "The speed limit here is 30mph but we have cars and lorries speeding through here all the time."

She added: "We looked at what people had done in other villages with the same problem and realised that if it's on private land it's not illegal."

If Your Licence Plate Is Dirty You Can Be Fined £1000

Did you know that if your licence plate is too dirty to be read, you could get a fine of £1,000 as it's considered a driving offence.

A DVLA spokesman told The Sun: "There is a specific offence under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 of obscuring or allowing a registration mark to be not easily distinguishable."

All registration numbers must be displayed clearly and correctly on the number plate - this helps enforcement agencies and members of the public to correctly identify a vehicle to assist road safety and traffic enforcement.

If police person spots a car with an obscured licence plate you could be hit with a £50 fine immediately and then taken to court and further fined another £1,000. Quite a bit more than a car wash or taking the effort to get the bucket out at home!

Other things that are illegal but you might not realise!

using an Apple Watch while you're driving is the same as using a mobile phone (because you can make calls and check messages). It could put you in prison for up to two years! (same penalties as for using a hand-held mobile phone).

Everyone of course knows that if they want to answer a call on their phone and don't have hands-free then they have to pull over. However did you know if you don't turn off the engine while on the phone, you can still get charged!

Also other things that you need your hands for that you might be tempted to do whilst stuck in traffic including the following carry a fine of £100 and three points! this is because potentially they cause a distraction to the driver, and could be categorised as "careless driving".

• Putting on lipstick in the mirror 
• Eating
• Drinking water (or similar)
• Taking a hand off the wheel to pet your dog
• Handing something to a child in the back

Sources

Lad Bible
The Sun

Speed cameras being covered with bin liners in protest

France’s tobacconists are covering speed cameras with black bin liners in protest at plans to enforce the sale of cigarettes in plain packets. They say the "cover up" action is a symbolic move to reduce the government's revenue, similar to what they say will happen to their tobacco revenue.

The 2014  European Union law ordered that health warnings cover 65% of the front and back of cigarette packs with 50% of the sides - though member states are allowed to force completely plain packaging when "justified on grounds of public health".

Following the first action over a month ago, 20 of 97 districts have now been targeted.

So far three people have been arrested, but all were released without charge.

 

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

Are untaxed drivers getting away with it now paper discs have gone?

Image and full story confused.com

The abolition of the tax disc October 2014 raised fears it would become easier for motorists to get away without paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).
The  DVLA says that, despite some motoring organisations warning that the change could lead to a sharp rise in the number of untaxed vehicles, "the vast majority of drivers continue to tax their vehicles on time".

A spokesman adds: "Since 1 October, more than 16-and-a-half million drivers have taxed their vehicles – with over 70% doing it online, more than ever before."

The DVLA is confident that the new system will not see more tax evasion. This is mainly because even before its abolition, the tax disc was not the chief means of ensuring VED had been paid. The DVLA staff rely on its own database to see who has failed to tax their vehicles, with the keeper of an untaxed car sent a penalty notice in the post.

Fines for failing to pay tax can be steep: there is a potential fixed-penalty notice fine of £50 and untaxed vehicles can be clamped, with a £100 release fee charged. A £160 surety also has to be paid before the vehicle is released, although this is refunded provided the vehicle is taxed within two weeks.

ANPR cameras are also used to catch offenders, says Ian Crowder at the AA.
"There is the risk that the abolition of tax disc will encourage some people to believe these things won't be followed up," he adds.

It would appear however that changes to the vehicle tax system that were introduced at the same time as the disc was phased out are catching some motorists out. These changes meant that tax on a vehicle no longer carries over to a new owner as it did before October 2014 making it the responsibility of the buyer to pay tax immediately even if the vehicle is only part way through its current tax year. (the seller will automatically get a refund of any tax remaining when they sell it)

"This simplifies the process of buying and selling used vehicles as now all new keepers must tax the vehicle before they use it rather than having to find out if it’s taxed or whether the seller has had the tax refunded."

Man has been jailed for six months after trying to avoid paying for speeding tickets

Martin Whitworth from Wythall, Birmingham,  A man has been jailed for six months after trying to avoid paying for speeding tickets.

He was issued with a speeding ticket after driving through a safety camera at 64 mph in a temporary 50 mph speed limit on the M5 in August last year.

Upon receiving the notice in the post he told police that someone must have stolen or cloned his registration plates.

Thinking he had got away with it he tried the ruse again when he sped through a West Midlands camera in Shirley on 18 August.

However enforcement officers became suspicious after investigations revealed that the theft had never been reported and after viewing the photographic evidence they were convinced that the man in the image was the registered keeper.

In a bid to clear up the confusion the 46-year-old was asked to visit the station to speak to the enforcement officers. Knowing that the police were on to him he panicked and reported his plates as stolen to cover up his actions.When interviewed where he admitted that he was the driver and had fabricated the lies in a bid to avoid the penalty points and fines.

Whitworth was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday 2 March after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice and two counts of excess speed.

PC Jason Dooley, from the Camera Enforcement Unit, said: “This should be a cautionary tale for anyone thinking of trying to avoid speeding tickets.

“The man spun a web of lies and tried to wriggle out of paying for the fines, thinking he could evade the police.

“What he did not count on was that we would investigate the offense fully.

“If Whitworth had taken the points he would have been out of pocket for a short time but now he will have a conviction that will always be with him.”

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."

Google's Driverless Cars Designed to Exceed Speed Limit

Google's self-driving cars are programmed to exceed speed limits by up to 10mph (16km/h), according to the project's lead software engineer.

Google has tested its technology in modified cars

Dmitri Dolgov told Reuters that when surrounding vehicles were breaking the speed limit that going more slowly could actually present a danger and therefore the Google car would accelerate to keep up with thte flow.

Google first announced its driverless car division back in 2010, and has been testing its technology in modified cars built by other manufacturers.These cars have travelled on more than 300,000 miles of open road, (mostly in California).

The UK will be allowing driverless cars on public roads from 2015. Ministers ordered a review of the UK's road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines, these will include the need for self-drive vehicles to comply with safety and traffic laws, and involve changes to the Highway Code.

In May, the US tech firm said it would start building its own self-driving cars.Their electric bubble-shaped vehicles will seat two people, and to begin with they will be limited to 25mph (40km/h) to help ensure safety.

In a separate development on Monday, the White House said it wanted all cars and light trucks to be equipped with technology that could prevent collisions using radio signals which would allow the vehicles to "talk" to each other, and alert drivers to potential accidents

The label "driverless vehicle" actually covers a large range of different concepts. Features such as cruise control, automatic braking, anti-lane drift and self-parking functions already built into many vehicles offer a certain degree of autonomy. However term is generally used to refer to vehicles that take charge of steering, accelerating, indicating and braking during most if not all of a journey between two points, much in the same way aeroplanes can be set to autopilot.

Roads however are much more crowded than the skies, and a range of technologies is being developed to tackle the problem. One of the leading innovations is Lidar (light detection and ranging), a system that measures how lasers bounce off reflective surfaces to capture information about millions of small points surrounding the vehicle every second.

Another complementary technique is "computer vision" - the use of software to make sense of 360-degree images captured by cameras attached to the vehicle, which can warn of pedestrians, cyclists, roadworks and other objects that might be in the vehicle's path.

Autonomous vehicles can also make use of global-positioning system (GPS) location data from satellites, radar, ultrasonic sensors to detect objects close to the car and further sensors to accurately measure the vehicle's orientation and the rotation of its wheels, to help it understand its exact location.

The debate now is whether to allow cars, like the prototype unveiled by Google in May, to abandon controls including a steering wheel and pedals and rely on the vehicle's computer.

Or whether, instead, to allow the machine to drive, but insist a passenger be ready to wrest back control at a moment's notice.

French Police Watching British Drivers

The A64 marks the final stretch before reaching their holiday destinations in France. Most are in a hurry to get the holiday started and going a little faster than they should. French police say many foreign drivers break the speed limit because they think they can avoid a fine. EU figures from last year show that foreign drivers make up 5% of road traffic but account for 15% of speeding offences in the 28-nation bloc.

New EU legislation came in to force November last year that was aimed at tackling that anomaly. The legislation means member states can exchange data on motoring offences, to track down guilty drivers. So if a French camera catches a Spanish motorist speeding, that driver will still have to pay a fine in Spain (provided the driver is the owner of the vehicle) The UK and some others however opted out of the EU directive. This means the only way UK motorists can be sanctioned on French roads is if they are caught in the act by the police and made to pay on-the-spot fines.

There is a 32-strong special division of the gendarmerie that is equipped with special binoculars that can calculate speeds. They watch discreetly, about a kilometre before a toll booth, on a section of the A64 where the speed limit is 110km/h (68 mph). French motorists are given a fine that they can pay at a later date, but foreign drivers are in for a surprise. They have to pay cash up on the spot (the fine can be up to 375 euros (£323), If they don't have any money on them and they are on their own, they will be driven to the nearest cash point. If they really have no money at all, then an on-duty judge will be called to decide what to do. But that can mean waiting around for up to three days and the car will not be allowed to move.

• There are a variety of things that you can also be fined for including speeding
• Maximum speed on motorway is 130km/h (80 mph)
• On-the-spot fine of 90 euros if driver goes up to 40km/h over limit
• If speed breaks limit by more than 40km/h, police can seize car and demand 750-euro fine
• Driver must have a reflective jacket and warning triangle in car - fine can be 90 euros if either is missing
• In-car radar detectors are illegal
• law to carry one unused breath test see here for more information

Pretending not to speak French will not help drivers. The police quite often have a very adequate level of English. British police sometimes even join their French counterparts on missions in northern France, though they do not have the authority to issue fines on French territory.

The UK government are staying out of the new EU data exchange for several reasons. It is not happy that the directive means exchanging vehicle owner information, rather than driver information - and often, it argues, the offending driver does not own the vehicle.

The UK government also says fines are a poor deterrent for bad driving, compared with points on a driving licence, or the threat of losing a licence altogether. And the government wants to assess the cost of setting up the EU-wide data exchange system before joining in.

Sources: BBC, Sunday Times

 

10 Speed Cam Facebook Page Fans in Court

In France ten motorists are due in court in September, because they are active members of a Facebook page that identifies the location of speed cameras. They have been accused of using “a device capable of detecting radar”. This is illegal in France (not illegal in the UK) The Facebook page has 9,000 members, all of who can update it in real time with the location of permanent and mobile speed camera sites using their smartphones, this will instantly notify all other members of the page.

David Alegre is one of the 10 defendants, he is a truck driver David Alegre, said he was stunned to receive a summons. He admitted he regularly contributed to the Facebook page, but said he had no idea it would land him in trouble with the law.

He said: “I am being treated like a radar detector.”

Mr Rémy Josseaume his lawyer argues that communicating information on the Internet does not fall under the ban on using radar detectors in France.

 Read the story on our site about this french facebook story

Sources: connexionfrance.com