Posts Tagged ‘Driving Law’

Making Britain’s Roads Safer – Have Your Say!

Saturday, April 25th, 2009
making-britains-roads-safer

Road Safety Consultation

Following the recent publication of the results of the DSA’s Learning to Drive Consultation comes the Government’s latest document seeking views on the vision, targets and measures for improving road safety in Great Britain beyond 2010.

“Making Britain’s Roads Safer” is the title of the consultation document, and we would urge you all to get involved and make your opinions known.  The full document and related research articles can be found hereThe closing date for this consultation is 14th July 2009.

The key challenges for the new strategy are as follows:

  • reducing the number of road deaths, which have fallen at a slower rate than serious injuries;
  • pedestrian and cyclist casualties in our towns and cities – particularly in deprived communities;

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Learning to Drive Consultation… The Results!

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

DSA Learning to Drive Consultation

Results of the DSA Learning to Drive Consultation

On 7th May 2008, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) issued a Consultation Paper setting out wide-ranged proposals intended to make Britain’s roads safer by getting newly qualified drivers to cope with the challenges of driving unsupervised in today’s modern driving conditions. The Government’s preferred approach to achieving this is through education and incentives, encouraging young people to participate in more effective and efficient learning.

The four key elements of the proposed programme were:

  • An improved learning process
  • Improved driving tests
  • Better information about driving instructors and improved driving instructor training
  • Further options for qualifications and learning

Today (21st April 2009), the DSA published its report on this consultation. Having read the document this evening, I have listed the main changes that will happen, changes that may happen and proposals that have been rejected or indefinitely postponed.

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Twitter users a danger on the roads?

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

twitter2According to esure car insurance, users of the new social networking site Twitter are causing significant danger on the roads.  The Association of British Drivers have hit back at the claims though, making it clear that many of the Tweets were not UK based.

Research by esure car insurance released last week finds that some motorists are putting themselves and others at risk by Tweeting behind the wheel. The insurers say nearly one in ten of motorists questioned are using mobile internet services and social networks whilst driving.

To prove the point, esure released the following list of driving Tweets:

“Driving with my knees and peeling an orange…Probably not the safest thing to be doing.”

“Driving school bus”

“Irresponsible twitter driving woo!”

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Men much more likely to speed, says road safety charity

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

41_05_4_prev2Following the launch of a new government anti-speeding campaign featuring a male driver plagued by memories of the child he killed, research released today by Brake, the road safety charity and Direct Line Car Insurance has found men are more likely to speed compared with women.

The research finds one in 3 male drivers, compared with one in 7 female drivers, admit they drive 35mph or faster in 30mph zones every day or several times a week. At 35mph you are twice as likely to kill a child compared with driving at 30mph or slower.

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Plans to cut speed limit on rural roads

Friday, April 10th, 2009

50mphThe Government is giving serious consideration to plans to cut speed limits on most rural single-carriageway roads from 60mph to 50mph, it has been revealed.

Ministers believe that the potentially unpopular move may be needed in order to reduce the number of deaths among motorists and pedestrians on rural roads.  Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick is said to have been struck by figures showing that these parts of the UK’s road network were more prone to crashes.

In 2007, there were 2,946 deaths and 30,000 serious injuries on British roads, with speed being a factor in 29% of them.  Currently the speed limit on almost all single carriageway roads outside of towns is set at 60mph, except for at accident blackspots.  Mr Fitzpatrick is looking at reducing these limits in a bid to improve the UK’s road safety record, which used to rank among the best in the world, but has slipped in recent years.

But AA director Edmund King told the Sunday Telegraph: “Rather than impose a blanket cut, the Government should adopt a targeted approach.”

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Illegal instructor given suspended sentence

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

bowyerMartin Bowyer was sentenced yesterday at Stoke Crown Court for duping learner drivers out of thousands of pounds by pretending to be an approved driving instructor.

Bowyer, 48 of Leek, Staffordshire, advertised his illegal services in his wife’s hairdressing shop, had a top box on his vehicle and dual controls inside his car. He misled unwitting candidates into believing he was a qualified driving instructor, one of whom was a close family friend.

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