50 Lanes of Gridlock

Think your commute is bad? An insane traffic jam in China, turned this expressway into a 50-lane parking lot earlier this week after a new checkpoint was installed outside Beijing. Millions of motorists were on the roads for hours on end during a week-long national holiday in China. 

92% of motorists don’t believe car smoking ban will be enforced

From today (1 October 2015) it is law that you are not allowed to smoke in cars with children in them

The ban, which covers England and Wales, could see £50 fines dished out for anyone caught smoking in a car with passengers aged under 18.

Image credit www.motoringresearch.com

Research carried out by the RAC has found that, despite 90% of drivers being aware of the new law and only half knew it was being introduced today, many don’t believe police have sufficient man power to enforce it.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “It is worrying that nine in 10 motorists have concerns about the extent to which the new law is likely to be enforced. This is perhaps well-founded as traffic police officer numbers have fallen by nearly a quarter (23%) between 2010 and 2014 across forces in England and Wales, so it is hard to see how people flouting the law are going to be caught."

“The new ban joins a raft of other laws that have been introduced in recent years such as making it illegal to undertake or hog the middle lane of a motorway. But without sufficient enforcement there is a real danger that these laws will quickly be forgotten by a large proportion of the motoring population.”

What do you think about the new law? will it affect you?

Source: www.motoringresearch.com

Driver of just 15 caught speeding 96mph on the M2

The teenager was recorded on the 13th of this month by the PSNI’s Road Policing Unit who later tweeted an image of the speed gun reading, adding: “This speed was recorded on the M2 today by road policing officers. Driver was just 15 years of age.”

This speed was recorded on the M2 today by Road Policing officers. Driver was just 15 yrs of age.#KeepingPeopleSafe pic.twitter.com/jT6mX00NmK

— PSNI Road Policing (@PSNITraffic) May 13, 2015

MLA Trevor Clarke, whose constituency takes in a large part of the M2, said: “There are very serious questions to be asked about how someone of this age came into possession of a car.”

"A car is as deadly as a loaded gun, especially at 96 miles per hour. I want to commend the PSNI for stopping this young man before he injured himself or anyone else."

"Doing that kind of speed on a motorway is an accident waiting to happen. The last thing any of us want to see is another fatality."

It is illegal for a 15-year-old to drive, even as a learner. Normally, the earliest date a provisional licence can become valid is when the holder turns 17. But learner drivers are not permitted on motorways.

Whats the best way to stop people driving on pavements?

We've come across something quite interesting  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

Sacked For Protecting Privacy By Deleting Tracking App From Her Phone

Myrna Arias, has filed a lawsuit against Intermex her former employer (a money transfer service), for invasion of privacy, retaliation, and unfair business practices and is seeking damages in excess of $500,000. She claims she was fired for uninstalling an app from her iPhone, that let her boss, John Stubits, track her movements 24 hours a day.
The app Xora, allows an employer to monitor workers locations on a Google Map. They can also see where they have been, the route they have driven and where they are now.

Image Source Anonymous

The lawsuit alleges: “After researching the app and speaking with a trainer from Xora, Plaintiff and her co-workers asked whether Intermex would be monitoring their movements while off-duty. [Arias boss, John] Stubits admitted that employees would be monitored while off duty, and bragged that he knew how fast she was driving at specific moments ever since she had installed the app on her phone.

“Plaintiff expressed that she had no problem with the app’s GPS function during work hours, but she objected to the monitoring of her location during non-work hours and complained to Stubits that this was an invasion of her privacy. She likened the app to a prisoner’s ankle bracelet and informed Stubits that his actions were illegal. Stubits replied that she should tolerate the illegal intrusion.
“He confirmed that she was required to keep her phone’s power on ‘24/7’ to answer phone calls from clients. Stubits scolded Plaintiff when she de-installed the app in late April 2014 in order to protect her privacy.”
 
“The app had a ‘clock in/out’ feature which did not stop GPS monitoring, that function remained on. This is the problem about which Ms. Arias complained. Management never made mention of mileage. They would tell her co-workers and her of their driving speed, roads taken, and time spent at customer locations. Her manager made it clear that he was using the program to continuously monitor her, during company as well as personal time,” Arias’ attorney, Gail Glick said.

New Traffic Lights for Vienna

Select traffic lights in Vienna will feature same-sex couples as part of this year's Eurovision Song Contest

A spokeswoman for Vienna's city lighting department told Reuters, "the campaign is intended to present Vienna as an open-minded city and also to improve traffic safety as the unusual symbols attract the attention of drivers and pedestrians."

You might not want to challenge that speeding ticket, this guy has to pay £11,000

David Pickup was caught speeding and has to pay £11,000 for challenging his ticket after a prosecution expert hired an airfield and a sports car to prove him wrong.

David Pickup, 45, was clocked doing 101mph in his Audi R8 on the A55 at Lloc in Flintshire in April 2014.

Flintshire Magistrates' Court heard a police speed camera caught him and he asked officers: "Can we call it 98?".

Mr Pickup who is from Wilmslow in Cheshire, who has a holiday home in Abersoch, Gwynedd, was convicted of speeding.

He denied breaking the 70mph speed limit and said that a number of people from Cheshire had second homes in Abersoch, which he called a millionaire's paradise.

The defence questioned the accuracy of the in-car police speed camera so the prosecution hired an expert who rented an airfield and an Audi R8 to carry out tests, the results of which were presented to the court.

Pickup was fined £675, given six points on his licence and ordered to pay the full prosecution costs - which included the testing - of £10,384.