Posts Tagged ‘driving law’

Motoring Offences And Their Penalties

July 24th, 2010

The UK has an abundance of road laws, and if you’re a driver on the UKs roads then chances you have at some point fell fowl of one of them. Surprisingly most of the UKs drivers are not actually aware of what they are being charged with and why when they are stopped. In this article, you will find a short list of the most widespread traffic offences, shedding light on the details and penalties you can look forward to for some of the more frequent motoring offences.

Speeding or exceeding the speed limit: The offence here is clearly defined as ‘Driving on a road exceeding the prescribed speed limit’. For this type of motoring offence you can expect a 60 fine up to a maximum of 1000 and an endorsement of 3-6 points on your licence, and a discretionary disqualification also applies. If you are driving at more than 30 miles an hour over the speed limit then you are likely to be disqualified.

If caught speeding and you are offered a fixed penalty then you are almost certainly best off in the long run to take this option as the compulsory fine is likely to be less than what any court would inflict. On the other hand if you do decide to contest a speeding fine, then possible reasons consist of; you were simply not speeding, it wasn’t you driving, or that you were driving an exempt means of transport due to emergency.

Failing to stop: This crime is clear; ‘A driver of a mechanically propelled means of transport in attendance when a road traffic accident occurred where personal injury or damage was caused to another person and or vehicle’. Further to this, if you also fail to stop after injuring an animal not in the vehicle or properties on or near the road and fail to stop then you break the above law. Penalties for this type of offence are strict, with at least 6 months in jail and a fine of a 5000 likely.

Motorway speeding: if you are caught exceeding the national speed limit in the UK on a motorway then the maximum penalty is a fine of 2500 and six driving licence points. If you a caught in excess of 100mph then the probably outcome is a ban coupled with the fine.

If you have been given a Drink Driving Ban, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving expert Driving Solicitors.


Britain’s Most Lucrative Speed Camera

July 12th, 2010

It has materialised that a new speed camera erected on a road where there has been just one severe accident in over ten years, has brought in over 1.3m pound in profits from speeding motorists per year. It has been daubed Britain’s most lucrative speed camera and has been named and shamed by an angry local community.

The controversial camera, which has been described as one of the most lucrative in Britain, has captured on average 1,843 motorists per month. And with the average fine for speeding 60, that equates to 1,327,140 each year.

The cameras location is Poole in Dorset on a 30mph section of road on a dual carriageway. The camera was initially erected to catch motorists jumping the red lights nearby; however the camera has since been converted to also trigger when motorists speed through the green light and is one of the first in the country to do so.

Official statistics show that only one serious accident has taken place on this road in over ten years with no fatalities. This has led to fears by motoring groups who are concerned that the only reason the camera has been converted is to ‘milk the motorist’, they also believe the low 30mph speed limit on a dual carriageway that usually commands a 40mph limit adds to the high number of issued tickets.

As a result of the cameras positions, the low speed limit and the fact it works regardless of green or red lights, drivers who thought they were driving legally have been caught travelling just a few miles over the limit. The road the camera is situated upon is a wide dual carriageway, with an industrial estate on one side, and a harbour on the other. The revenue generated by this one camera dwarfs the amount generated by other cameras, delivering evidence that something is seriously wrong with the setup.

A temporary Camera at road works on the A1139 in Peterborough earlier this year was, on average issuing 3000 tickets per month, generating 3.2m per year.

If you have been given a Drink Driving Ban, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving expert Driving Offence Solicitors.


Pensioner On Drunk Driving Rap

June 20th, 2010

An elderly disabled pensioner has been arrested and convicted of dink driving whilst speeding at 4mph on his mobility scooter. He was arrested after 8 policemen in three cars made the road side stop.

The man was pulled over when he failed to stop after being ‘blue lighted’ by police. Police then took further action which resulted in one car mounting the pavement to block the driver’s path. Only then were police able to seize the vehicles keys.

The disabled pensioner, who has the scooter thanks to blocked arteries in his legs, was pulled over after an evening playing dominoes with his friends and had consumed around six or seven pints before setting off home.

The pensioner was understandably shaken and somewhat peeved after the incident, he commented “I can’t believe how they treated me – anybody would think that I was a bank robber or a member of Al-Qaeda,” Donohoe told the Daily Mail. The pensioner was kept in police cells for 12 hours, fingerprinted and had his DNA taken.

He continued; “They must have known, like I did, that the rules of the road don’t apply when you’re riding a mobility scooter down the pavement at three and a half miles an hour, but it didn’t seem to matter one jot.”I didn’t stop at first because I wanted to get home, and I wasn’t doing anything wrong.”

Mr Donohoe was found to be three times over the legal UK drink driving limit after he failed a roadside breath test. He has been banned from driving; however he has not been banned from driving his mobility scooter as it is not actually classed as car.

There are several unusual cases of drink driving, including a milk man charge with driving his float whilst under the influence and a Welsh rugby player driving a golf buggy down a busy motorway.

If you have been convicted of Speeding, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving expert Speeding Solicitors.


Apply The Brakes To Drink Driving

June 14th, 2010

1 in ten deaths on UK roads are caused by drunk drivers, and in 2008 269 of these where a direct result of drivers being found over the limit. There where over 11,000 recorded drink or drug related incidents in the UK in 2008.

The road safety charity, Brake, has recently conducted some research into these findings. The findings reveal that up to 14 per cent of these incidents are caused by driver ‘at work’. An ‘at work’ driver is one that attends a meeting or corporate event and consumes alcohol before getting back behind the wheel either same day or the morning after.

The at work drivers admitted to consuming up to three times the legal drink drive limit before taking control of their vehicle, when in comparison just 6 percent of other driver made the same claim.

The findings from the research should get managers thinking about the role they play and the responsibilities they have to their employees the next time an event, ceremony or marketing conference or other ‘off site’ event is organized. Many of our UK workforces have attended such an event, where the common procedure is to consume alcohol after the meeting or event is wrapped up.

It is of course the responsibility of the individual to retrain themselves with regards to alcohol consumption; however the managers can play a role in organizing public transport to and from the event, and even allowing the employee the morning off work the day after the event.

Brake is doing its bit by launching a new campaign called ‘Face Facts’. Posters and e-guides are available to assist managers in alerting company drivers of the risks of drunk driving.

If you have been convicted of speeding, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving Road Traffic Solicitors.


Arrested For Drunk Driving Behind The Wheel Of A Bus

June 11th, 2010

Passengers on board a Blustar-run bus have spoken of their shock after the driver of the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

25 passengers were on board the double decker bus, ran by Blustar at the time of the incident. The passengers onboard included children and elderly people when the police pulled over the vehicle before breathalysing and then arresting the driver for drunk driving.

One shocked passenger who does not want to be named commented: “We couldn’t hear the police officers after they had stormed in and were talking to the driver. We all panicked but did not know what to think. We just didn’t have a clue what was happening when we saw the blue flashing lights.”

One passenger travelling on the bus said: “We just didn’t have a clue what was happening when we saw the blue flashing lights. We all panicked but did not know what to think. We couldn’t hear the police officers after they had stormed in and were talking to the driver.

After the driver had been detained by police, the company sent over a replacement drive that arrived within minutes. Chris Harris, public relations manager at Blustar said because of the serious nature of the incident the employee was suspended immediately.

He continued:” The consumption of alcohol while on duty or reporting for duty while under the influence of alcohol is expressly forbidden. It is a strict rule that all Bluestar employees are required to be completely sober at all times when on duty. ”

It is important that companies such as Bluestar act quickly in response to drink driving allegations in order to reassure customers and take potentially dangerous drivers off the road. The safety of passengers aboard Blustar vehicles is paramount to their operations, so it is important to reassure passengers through swift response to issues such as this one that they are willing to do what is necessary to ensure safety.

The driver has been bailed until later in the year.

If you have been convicted of drink driving and been given a Driving Ban, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving expert Road Traffic Solicitors.


Driver Blames UFO To Get Off Paying A Parking Fine

May 30th, 2010

Are you one of the many UK motorists that believe they have been the victim of an unfair motoring charge? If you are currently nodding your head, then don’t despair, try using one of these genuine explanations given to one London borough council in the hope, albeit slim, that you may be able to overturn your motoring conviction.

However, you can’t blame them for trying as fines for illegal parking in the City of London reach an incredible 120 per ticket. Furthermore, if you do have a valid pay and display ticket, remember to remove your previous day’s ticket, as they will also fine you for that!

One of the more inventive motorists, trying to avoid a fine for driving in a bus lane came up with a UFO for his failure to pay his fine. The driver was so captivated by what he described as a UFO he inadvertently drove into the bus lane and was subsequently fined.

Are you colour blind? If so you may want to try this one; another unjustifiably fined motorist stated that they were unable to distinguish colour, and the yellow line they were parked upon was actually green at the time.

A spokesperson for the London borough for Southwark Council said that the imagination of some motorists was “quite impressive”. Some of the other reasons submitted by desperate motorists include “It was raining. I thought I could park anywhere if the weather was bad.” Another fined driver stated: “I don’t know what the yellow lines mean.”

Director of environment and housing at Southwark Council, Gill Davies said: “The imagination of some of these drivers is quite impressive, but UFOs and colour blindness unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket.”

Director of environment and housing at Southwark Council, Gill Davies said: “The imagination of some of these drivers is quite impressive, but UFOs and colour blindness unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons to overturn a ticket.”

Westminster City Council has recently stated those of us that park illegally in central London could receive written or verbal warnings instead of the current 120 fine.

Need a Motoring Lawyer? Then visit Freeman Keep On Driving to find expertMotoring Lawyers.


Drink Driving And The High Risk Offender

May 26th, 2010

All the essential ingredients of a safe driver – a person’s reactions times, perception, judgment and co-ordination are affected by the depressant drug alcohol. Even in small amounts, alcohol can make driving almost impossible for a driver to assess their driving ability. This is because alcohol provides the driver with a false sense of confidence and ability, which in turn fuels risk taking and the perception that they are in total control of their vehicle, even when they are not.

Unless a blood or road side breath test is performed it is absolutely impossible for a driver to know the amount of alcohol still present in their system when they get behind the wheel. Knowing the drink drive limit and stopping drinking when you reach the current drink drive limit is just not enough. Everyone processes alcohol through their bodies at different rates; this is due to a number of different reasons. For a start, a person’s height, weight and gender affects the rate of processing alcohol. Also their age and metabolism of their body is a big factor as is the time you last ate a meal and the person’s age.

There is no scientific way to measure exactly how long it takes to sober up completely after you have been drinking, and it’s probably a lot longer than you think. It can take over ten hours, yes TEN hours for your body to process the alcohol, even if you drink less than four pints the night before.

Who are the high risk offenders?

The driving limit is, or blood alcohol concentration (BAC) currently stands at 80mg. the average BAC of a convicted drink driver is 160mg, exactly twice the legal limit. Studies show that when you are at this point, you are exactly 20 times more likely to be involved in a serious road traffic accident. The majority of drink driving offenders can now be classified into the following groups;

Young drivers that have a difficult time respecting the law.

Regular heavy drinkers that drink drive and have up to know, evaded the police.

People with chronic alcohol problems that delude themselves that they are perfectly capable of driving a vehicle, they may not even be aware that they have drunk before getting behind the wheel.

There is also a clear pattern of offenders that that have a long list of motoring offences that can be classified as high risk. In particular, drivers without a valid license and drivers repeatedly stopped for having no tax, MOT or insurance.

The conclusion is that the high risk offender is someone whose behavior is out of control and therefore a person that is difficult to influence by law which draws the question; how do you stop these offenders?

Educate the offender and teach them about the risk to their own health.

Driver education; teach them about the risks of exceeding the daily BAC.

Close supervision of the offender and proactive police monitoring and use of the media to publically appeal to the offender and promote the penalties and risks of being caught drink driving.

Want to find adriving offence solicitor, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving to find expert driving offence solicitors.

categories: drink driving,driving law,lawyers,solicitors,legal advice,motoring,vehicle


New Law Passed Banning Texting While Driving For Commercial Truck And Bus Drivers

February 21st, 2010

There are many accidents on the road as a result of distracted drivers. Texting while driving has quickly become a common theme in accidents that involve distracted drivers. The Department of Transportation hopes that a new law banning texting by commercial truck and bus drivers decreases accidents on the road.

A couple of weeks ago, the Department of Transportation passed new rules that prohibits truck and bus drivers from texting while they are driving. Those who are caught breaking the law face criminal or civil fines of up to $2,750.

The Department of Transportation’s new law will attempt to decrease the use of technology, including cell phones and texting, that is becoming more frequent. Commercial drivers are on the road quite a bit and have dashboard mounted computers as well as cell phones that they use which can sometimes be a distraction if used while driving. The new law hopes to help this. However, it fails to address the use of the dashboard computers, which can also be distracting.

There was a recent Virginia Tech study that showed texting while driving increases the likelihood of an accident by a factor of more than 23 times. Truckers and bus drivers that are texting are required to take their eyes off the road for as long as five seconds at a time.

The new law is an important step towards making the roads safer from distracted drivers.

A driver that is distracted can lead to an increased chance of an accident. It’s a good sign that the government is taking steps to improve safety on the road, but accidents that do occur as a result of a distracted driver can lead to injury. If you have been in the unfortunate situation of being injured in a truck or bus accident, be sure to contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your issue.

Being the victim of a truck or bus accident can be a stressful situation. It would be wise to to speak with NJ injury lawyers about your case. New Jersey injury attorneys can help you to you understand your rights and educate you about your situation.