Dog crashes tractor on Motorway causing "Tail" backs (boom boom!)

Image credit thewebawards.com/dogs-driving

A dog caused long tailbacks after it took "control of a tractor" and crashed it through a fence onto a busy motorway.

The bizarre incident was reported by Traffic Scotland at junction 13 of the M74 near Abington in South Lanarkshire.

The dog had apparently leaned on the controls of the tractor, taking it from a field on to the road before crashing into the central reservation having gone through a fence at around 8.15am. The dog was uninjured in the incident.

#M74 (N) J13-RTC due to dog taking control of tractor... nope, not joking. Farmer&police at scene,vehicle in central res. #maycausetailbacks — Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) April 22, 2015

#M74 (N) at J13 - Route is CLEAR from earlier incident & dog is fine. Has to be the weirdest thing we have ever reported! No delays in area — Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) April 22, 2015

The incident led to plenty of dog puns as people responded to Traffic Scotland's tweets. Tony T wrote: "Police investigating, so far no leads," while Beverley Friend added: "This is barking." Michelle Muirhead asked: "Will the dog have points on his licence? Was he breathalysed? Did police arrest him?"

Criminal Justice and Courts Act - tougher sentences for disqualified drivers

Brake has congratulated the Government on delivering tougher sentences for disqualified drivers as part of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act, which came into force on Monday, April 13.

Under the new rules anyone convicted of causing death by driving while disqualified will face a maximum of 10 years in prison, up from only two years previously.


There is also a new offence that has been created "causing serious injury by driving while disqualified" anyone convicted of this offence will face up to four years in prison.


Ed Morrow, campaigns officer for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “This is an important day for everybody involved in campaigning for better justice for victims of criminal driving. Getting behind the wheel when a court has already found you to be a danger on the road, and has disqualified you from doing so, is one of the most selfish decision you can make as a driver. It is entirely right that maximum sentences are being increased, and we hope that judges will make use of them where appropriate. This is a good first step to securing better justice for victims and families, many of whom have been left feeling betrayed by inappropriate charges and paltry sentences.


The road safety charity says that there are a number of other urgent issues with how the justice system handles cases of criminal driving, and it will be pressuring whoever forms the next Government to follow the current Ministry of Justice review through to a satisfactory conclusion.

Source Fleet News

Speeding Taxi Driver avoids Jail JUST!

Image:castletaxiscanterbury.com

62-year-old Mohammed Malik claimed a mechanic was driving his Toyota Avensis when it was clocked traveling at 37mph in a 30 zone in Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham, in April last year.

Officers then wrote to the mechanic, only to have the letter returned saying he no longer lived at the address given. They also visited the address and found it was a residential property that had never been a garage.

This aroused more suspicion, so police then spoke to the cabbie's firm to get a print out of his journeys on the day in question - they clearly showed Malik had actually picked up a fare at the time, with the person clearly visible on speeding camera footage sitting in the back seat. Still, Malik insisted it was his mechanic at the wheel.

With the evidence stacking against him, Malik finally admitted the speeding offence and was subsequently charged with perverting the course of justice for lying about who was behind the wheel. The driver, of Coleshill Road, Ward End, pleaded guilty to the charge and on 31 March he was handed a four month prison sentence - suspended for 18 months - plus 80 hours unpaid work and costs of £400.

He was also banned from driving for six months. PC Steve Jevons said "Malik may have avoided jail but the suspended sentence is hanging over him for the next year-and-a-half and it’s likely he will now be stripped of his taxi licence. With no livelihood, clearly this will have a huge impact on his life and he will have to ask himself if all his lies were worth the risk. We hope this case serves as a warning to others that lying to the police and the authorities is a serious offence and can ultimately land you behind bars."

Police educating motorists in Kent about the dangers of speeding

Kent Police has taken to the roads of Ashford to educate motorists on the dangers of speeding.

Local PCSOs carried out the speed awareness event at six locations in the area along roads highlighted by residents as being potential speeding ‘hot-spots’.

A total of 575 vehicles were checked during the two-day exercise on Tuesday 10 March and Saturday 14 March.

Of those, 22 drivers were found to be exceeding the speed limit and were spoken to about the dangers of speeding.

Roads checked were:

• Faversham Road, Kennington: 125 vehicles checked, nine exceeded the speed limit
• Canterbury Road, Kennington: 111 vehicles checked, seven exceeded the speed limit
• Charing Hill: 80 vehicles checked, one exceeded the speed limit
• Smarden: 25 vehicles checked, none exceeded the limit
• Appledore: 60 vehicles checked, none exceeded the limit
• Canterbury Road, Kennington: 130 vehicles checked, three exceeded the limit
• Top of Charing Hill: 44 vehicles checked, two exceeded the limit

"The speed checks were carried out along roads which residents have highlighted as having issues with speeding drivers.

It is reassuring that such a low number of drivers had to be spoken to but we will continue to monitor any areas of concern.

Educating drivers continues to be fundamental in our efforts to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Kent’s roads.

Appropriate advice has been given to those drivers and although the purpose of these patrols was to educate drivers, next time people could face penalties.

Speeding can put pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists in danger so we are asking all road users to play their part in helping keeping our roads safe."

– Inspector Andrew Judd of the Ashford Community Safety Unit