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

Gridlock this weekend due to train cancellations, roadworks and weight of traffic

This Easter weekend Britain is facing gridlock as engineering works on the railways and the Bank Holiday getaway coincide. 

As many as 16 million motorists are set to take to the roads over Easter, with four million traveling on Good Friday and 4.5 million on Easter Sunday.

'The first spring bank holiday of the year traditionally heralds the start of busier weekends on the nation's roads,' said RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams.

He went on: 'This Easter is set to be a hectic one with 16 million of us getting behind the wheel for an Easter break, but at least we will benefit from the longer days and lighter evenings to complete our journeys.' 

The Highways Agency is also maintaining 55 sets of roadworks over the Bank Holiday weekend meaning Parts of the M1, M3, M4 and M6 likely to be hit by lane closures or speed restrictions. ( they are lifting 62 roadworks temporarily to ease the congestion).  

The increase in the number of people planning to travel by car is thought to have been in part triggered by a significant shutdown of the rail network including the West Coast main line, First Great Western and Greater Anglia - forcing passengers to make diversions on slower trains or spend hours on the dreaded replacement coaches. 

Network Rail said engineering works were planned over the Easter holidays because passenger numbers fell by 20 per cent. 

In a move that has been described by an expert as 'adding insult to injury', Virgin Trains and London Midland have cancelled advanced cheap fares forcing passengers to purchase more expensive off-peak tickets. 

Both Virgin and London Midland say they cannot offer advance fares as the tickets would not be valid with other operators and replacement services. 

The gloomy weather forecast this Bank Holiday weekend will increase the traffic on Britain's roads as travellers go abroad in search of sunshine.

Figures from Gatwick airport show that more than two million passengers are expected to fly off for foreign holidays over the Easter break - a four per cent rise on the same period last year.

Almost 50,000 more people than last year have bought air tickets for travel over the Easter weekend compared with last year. Barcelona, Dublin and Malaga are the most popular destinations. 

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How will the 2015 budget affect you as a UK motorist?

• Petrol duty frozen for fifth year 
• 0.5p-a-litre Sept increase scrapped 
• Little change in company car tax 
• Severn toll crossing reduced
• 5p cheaper fuel in rural areas
• Tax-exempt classic cars from 1976 
• £100m fund for autonomous cars

The Chancellor George Osborne announced the abolition of planned fuel duty increases in the 2015 Budget, claiming the accumulated tax freezes would save Britain's 30 million motorists £10 every time they filled up at the pumps.

It's a typically oblique political claim; cutting a planned 0.5p-a-litre increase will not save a tenner for any motorist filling a typical fuel tank of, say, 50 to 60 litres. Rather, he's referring to the planned five-year freeze on the fuel duty escalator, in real terms. But then this was very much a Budget of posturing and smoke and mirrors, as the May elections loom large.

Drivers living in rural areas may benefit from 5p-a-litre cuts, as a new countryside tax relief kicks in on 1 April 2015, the Budget also revealed today.

And Osborne announced further investment into autonomous cars and revealed Government plans to reduce the Severn road crossing toll from 2018, when it passes into public ownership.

Read on for a full analysis with carmagazine.co.uk

Eclipse will happen in rush hour this Friday

Motorists have been urged not to take their eyes off the road during the eclipse that id due during rush hour this friday as it could cause an accident.

Around the UK the proportion of the Sun covered by the Moon during the near-total solar eclipse will increase towards the North, ranging from 84 per cent in London to 89 per cent in Manchester, 93 per cent in Edinburgh, and 97 per cent in Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.

Times will also vary. In London, the eclipse begins at 8.24am, reaches its maximum extent at 9.31am, and ends at 10.41am. For observers in Edinburgh, the eclipse starts at 8.30am and peaks at 9.35 am. The last solar eclipse of such significance occurred on August 11 1999, and was “total” – with 100 per cent of the Sun covered – when seen from Cornwall.

A Highways Agency spokesperson said: “Safety is a top priority. As always, we advise road users to drive carefully, adjusting their driving according to weather and road conditions and during the eclipse we’d ask them to do the same.”

Only the Faroe Islands and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard will see a total eclipse.

New driving licence service

The DVLA is shortly due to stop issuing the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence. As of the 8th June 2015 it will be no more.

If as a business or organisation you need to check someone’s driving record you can do so using Share Driving Licence.

There are 2 steps to this new service.

1. The driver licence holder will need to log on to the View Driving Licence service and click on Share Driving Licence. This will generate a unique one-time use access code that the driver will need to share with you, along with the last 8 digits of their driving licence number. Here the driving licence holder will also have the option to download a summary of their driving licence information and access code.
2. Once in receipt of the access code you may use this in conjunction with the last 8 digits of the driving licence number to view the latest driving licence information from the DVLA. This free, 24/7 service will be available at www.gov.uk.

Drivers with old style paper driving licences issued before 1998 can also use the Share Driving Licence service.

For more information on these changes and the abolition of the counterpart visit www.gov.uk/dvla/nomorecounterpart.

Bad driving in Europe could be punished in UK courts

British motorists caught speeding in their own vehicles on the Continent could have fines sent to their home addresses and be pursued in UK courts, under new plans to let European Union states access our motoring records for the first time.

Currently, British motorists who commit driving offences in other EU countries can be fined only if stopped by a police officer at the roadside. Those whose offences in their own vehicles are caught on camera tend to escape without punishment, while drivers of hire cars are often traced through their rental companies.

But this week the European Parliament will vote on a range of measures that will give national police forces the power to send out fines across Europe – and pursue offenders through the courts of their home countries.

Under the new rules, If a driver commits an offence in another country, that state may use their car’s registration number to access their personal data to send out a letter in the driver’s own language, demanding payment and threatening court action if they do not pay the fine.

The new Bill will be the first time that all 28 EU countries take part in cross-border information exchanges. Under the law, British police will also be able to pursue foreign motorists for traffic and speeding fines if they have left the UK.

An earlier law, which Britain had opted out of, was struck down by the European Court of Justice on an administrative technicality. However, the new directive, which was proposed by the European Commission in May, does not allow for Britain to use its opt-out.

Read the Full story by the Independent here