McLaren seized by police after speeding in Welwyn Garden City

Officers caught a driver in a speeding McLaren on 13th August and the tweeted:

“79 in a 40. Not a good day. Especially when we find out the insurance didn’t renew.

“Vehicle seized. We offered to drive it to the recovery yard but control insist it has to go on a truck.”

A police spokesman confirmed the sports car was a McLaren 720S, and was stopped today (Monday, August 13) at 10.30am.

“It was recorded doing 79mph in a 40 zone,” he added. “Further checks revealed that the vehicle was not currently insured and as a result the vehicle was seized.

“The driver was issued with a Traffic Offence Report by officers, meaning he will be prosecuted for the above offences at a later date.”

It is understood that the motorist will have to prove he has got insurance and pay a recovery fee before being able to get the car back.

MP Fiona Onasanya accused of lying about speeding

Labour MP Fiona Onasanya has been charged with perverting the course of justice over allegedly lying about who was behind the wheel of a speeding vehicle.

The MP of Peterborough Fiona Onasanya appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 12 July charged with the offence. She faces two counts of perverting the course of justice. Her brother Festus Onasanya faces three counts of the same offence.

Mr Onasanya, of Cambridge, is jointly charged with his sister on the two counts she faces relating to incidents on 24 July 2017 and 23 August 2017. Both are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 13 August

The charges allege they intended to pervert the course of justice by driving a vehicle in excess of the speed limit, falsely informing the investigating authorities that a third party had been the driver and enabling them, as a consequence, to avoid such prosecution and punishment.

During the July incident, Ms Onasanya is alleged to have been driving - and during the August incident, her brother is alleged to have been driving.

The single count that Mr Onasanya faces relates to an incident on 17 June 2017.

The BBC contacted the office of Ms Onasanya and A Labour Party spokesman said: "It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing case."

Ms Onasanya, who was a solicitor before being elected to Parliament, is a Labour whip, meaning she is responsible for party discipline.

 Source BBC

Eight year olds caught speeding

You wouldnt expect it but Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency figures reveal that children as young as eight have been caught speeding by police in Britain in the last two years.

A Freedom of Information request covering 2017 to the present, unearthed that there were two instances where people aged eight were found in cars or on motorbikes.

At the other end of the spectrum more than 900 people in their 90s got penalty points for speeding (three of these incidents involving people aged 99).

If a driver is underage, the endorsements are held on file by the DVLA and the penalty points can be added to any driving licence they hold in the future.

The DVLA did not provide information about the circumstances of the driving offences, saying its role was to compile information provided by the courts.

But its figures show more than one million speeding offences were recorded over the period concerned.

Nearly 1,400 offences related to people aged under 17, including one aged 11 and three aged 13.
The majority of speeders were people in their 40s, which is thought to include the largest age group of motorists.

The highest number of speeders were aged 46, amounting to 30,075 offences

Source: BBC

Gatso vandalised with grey spray paint. Are fines still valid?

A Gatso camera on Wessex Way in Bournemouth, was recently sprayed grey - making it 'almost invisible' according to one motorist - any prosecution could still take place, according to Dorset Police.

The police said that they were 'aware of the vandalism'. Adding that repairs were carried out within 24 hours of enquiring about the damage.

However, drivers who believe they could escape any speeding prosecution because the camera is not its more prominent yellow colour are wrong.

Source: Bournemouth Echo
 

Why warning fellow drivers about speed cameras could potentially land you with a hefty fine

No one likes getting caught by a speed camera which means usually if you spot a new camera its just instinct to tell others about it if youre having a conversation, perhaps approaching the road that it is located on as a passenger in a car.

However extending a well meant warning other drivers using the same road as you by flashing your headlights could land you in hot water!

The Highway Code states you should only flash to let other drivers know you are there and doing otherwise could potentially prevent police officers from doing their job

Rule 110 states: “Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there.
“Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.”

This means that drivers do choose to flash to warn others about a speed trap implemented by the police, they could be in breach of section 89 of the Police Act 1997 .

Under this law it states that it is an offence to “wilfully obstruct a constable in the execution of his/her duty.”

If the police deem you are obstructing their ability to perform their speed checks on other motorists you could be slapped with a maximum penalty of £1000.

Source msn.com

World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

The world’s first electrified road that recharges the batteries of cars and trucks driving on it has been opened in Sweden.

Just over a mile of electric rail has been embedded in a public road near Stockholm, and the government’s roads agency already has plans future expansion.

The technology solves the issu of electric vehicles charged as energy is transferred from two tracks of rail in the road via a movable arm attached to the bottom of a vehicle. The design is similar to that of a Scalextric track, although should the vehicle overtake, the arm is automatically disconnected.

The electrified road is divided into 50m sections, with an individual section powered only when a vehicle is above it.

The system is able to calculate the vehicle’s energy consumption, which enables electricity costs to be debited per vehicle and user.

The “dynamic charging” – as opposed to the use of roadside charging posts – means the vehicle’s batteries can be smaller, along with their manufacturing costs.

Säll said: “There is no electricity on the surface. There are two tracks, just like an outlet in the wall. Five or six centimetres down is where the electricity is. But if you flood the road with salt water then we have found that the electricity level at the surface is just one volt. You could walk on it barefoot.”

Photograph: Joakim Kröger/eRoadArlanda

Please read the full article at The Guardian

Driver who sped at 101mph after wife went into labour could be fined £2,500

A father clocked speeding at 101mph on the M5 motorway after his pregnant wife went into labour on the passenger seat has been threatened with a fine of up to £2,500.

Louis Baker wrote to West Mercia Police appealing for leniency over the “life or death” situation after being caught by a speed camera on the M5 in Worcestershire on April 14. They told him he will have to appear in court at a later date.

Mr Baker rushed his wife Laura and their unborn child to hospital amid complications surrounding the pregnancy, meaning she needed to be given antibiotics for four hours before giving birth. They were also worried because their previous child was born four years ago after an 11-minute labour.

The baby was born at Worcestershire Royal Hospital two hours after the alleged offence, 

Mr Baker said: “I have been driving for 10 years and I have never had a speeding ticket or a motoring offence in my life.

“When I first got the fine I spoke to a lady at West Mercia Police and she was very supportive and said to write a letter of appeal.

“I appealed but they rejected it and said due to excessive speed the fine could not be waived

“I would say that if it was your wife and child at risk in the same situation, anyone would do exactly the same thing.

“I have spoken to a solicitor but until I get a court date there is not much I can do.”
Laura, a trainee pharmacy technician, told the Birmingham Mail scans had shown her baby had stopped growing from 36 weeks.

The 26-year-old said: “Louis drove at 70mph for most of the journey but towards the end, because of the intensity of the contractions, I really thought the baby was coming.

“Louis wasn’t concentrating on his speed at that point, he was trying to stay safe on the road and get me to hospital as quickly as possible.”

A police spokesman said: “Due to the speed involved this case is being referred directly to the Magistrates Court.

“The independent magistrates will take into account any mitigation presented when determining their decision on the matter.”