Many of us are partial to a big night out and the large majority of us are decent enough not to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking, but how cautious are we about driving the next day? Many people would chose to go on a night out and stay at a friend’s house before driving home or to work in the morning but this can be just as dangerous as driving the night before.
Depending on what country you are in, the legal limit for driving is around 50 – 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. You will easily reach this limit with just a couple of units of alcohol so imagine how 10 – 20 units would effect you even after a nights sleep. Obviously the tolerance to alcohol depends on an individual but the general rule of thumb is that one unit remains in the bloodstream for one hour.
The build up of alcohol can often take more than 12 hours to process through the body and it can still have an effect up to a day later. Many people will often stay up to the early hours of the morning on a night out or at a party meaning they don’t get a full nights sleep, especially if they are getting up at their usual waking hour. They assume that after sleeping the effects of the alcohol will have worn off but this is not the case.
An astonishing number of people drive while under the influence of alcohol the morning after drinking, but not all are so innocent; most do not realise that they are over the limit but some assume that even though they might still be breaking the law there is a much lower chance of being caught in the morning than at night when the police are waiting.
Police are wise to occasions when people drink heavily such as weekends and holidays and will plan accordingly. The morning after Christmas, New Year’s Day and other holidays are times when forces perform random stops and road blocks. This is primarily a deterrent but they also aim to crack down on offenders.
It’s not just residual alcohol that can impair your ability to drive; a hangover is caused by the brain being dehydrated which means you will find it difficult to concentrate. A bad hangover will mean you are less alert, lethargic and have impaired vision, not to mention a sore head. Combined with residual alcohol levels this makes for a deadly combination that can catch unsuspecting victims with devastating consequences. The simple answer is to wait at least 12 hours and if you feel hung over, don’t drive.
Getting caught over the limit in the morning can still land you with a drink driving ban and many people end up hiring a driving offence lawyer to get them off the hook.
Over a decade ago McLaren entered the record books with the fastest production car ever made, their iconic F1. Just 106 of the cars were ever built and the exclusivity ensured their notoriety but this year Chairman Ron Dennis has made a statement “Since 1966, when McLaren first raced in F1, 106 teams have come and gone – and that tells me that if we stay solely as an F1 team it will lead to extinction.” Their latest creation, the MP4-12C is not just an attempt to experiment with new driving technology, but to fight off the curse that has fallen so many of their racing rivals.
McLaren plan to produce over 1000 of the cars in the each year, the same number as many of the companies it will be competing with. It is estimated to cost around 150,000 which is standard supercar money and there have been 1,600 pre-orders already.
The 12C is due for release in 2011 even though the plant it will be produced in is yet to be constructed, when it is it will create 300 new jobs. The car was unveiled at a press conference in McLaren’s space age headquarters in Woking, test drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button pulled back the sheets to uncover it to the press.
McLaren’s Managing Director Antony Sheriff stated “The 12C won’t take you to the edge of what’s possible; It will take you to the edge of the edge. It’s what we call an ‘and’ car. It’s powerful and efficient; lightweight and safe; fast and comfortable.” They have designed the car around their own engine and a unique concept carbon monocell structure making it super light and super strong. McLaren claim it will be capable of reaching 60mph in “under three seconds”.
The MP4 will undoubtedly be a big supercar but there is no doubt that it will not fill the big shoes left by its predecessor the F1. The more important question is what will happen to this brand when they no longer offer such a level of exclusivity? Will every millionaire want one if they know the wont own the only one on the roads? It’s a question that only time will answer but one that could determine the future of this Formula racing giant.
The speed the MP4-12C is capable might persuade McLaren to provide a driving offence solicitor with each car. Their previous F1 required almost every owner to enlist a speeding solicitor at some stage
There is much pressure facing the Government to reduce the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers. The current limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood which would allow the consumption of roughly a pint and a half of medium strength lager for an average sized man. The proposed limit would bring it down to 50mg per 100ml of blood is less than an average pint or a large glass of wine but would match the legal limit in the European Union.
Current UK law states that anyone found driving over the legal limit faces an automatic 12 month driving ban but Sir Peter North QC is currently investigating the possibilities of introducing a second, lower penalty for anyone above the lower limit such as 6 points on a driving licence. Changes could also see prosecutions for drivers found with illegal drugs in their bloodstream, regardless of whether it impaired their performance.
According to Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, 430 people were killed as a result of drink driving last year however this figure only refers to people who were over the current legal limit. He also suggests drug-driving is a key concern for the public.
”Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs still leads to a large number of deaths and serious injuries. The challenge is to see whether changes in the law and its processes can reduce casualties” Claimed Sir Peter.
President of the AA, Edmund King, commented that “the legal issue is more complex than the limit as a sliding scale of penalties could reduce the deterrent effect. There is a serious problem with drink drive repeat offenders with recent figures suggesting that almost a quarter of drink drivers have served a previous ban.”
However, Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations condemned the proposals, “We will fight this very very strongly,” he said. “This will penalise responsible people because of the behaviour of some idiots.
Thousands of motorists are prosecuted every year for a drink driving offence but the punishments for speeding are far less despite it causing a significantly higher number of deaths each year.
categories: driving,cars,drinking,alcohol,offence,beer,licence,motoring,law,solicitor,lawyer,crime,fast,ban
The Government in the UK faces intensifying pressure to reduce the legal limit of alcohol consumption when driving. Currently it is illegal to operate a vehicle with at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood which relates to approximately a pint and a half of medium strength lager for an average sized man. The new proposed limit would bring it down to 50mg per 100ml of blood which is little more than half a pint or a large glass of wine which is in line with the European Union limit.
Sir Peter North remarked that ”Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs still leads to a large number of deaths and serious injuries. The challenge is to see whether changes in the law and its processes can reduce casualties.”
At the moment, any driver caught in use of a vehicle over the legal limit faces an automatic 12 month driving ban but Sir Peter North QC is currently reviewing the case to introduce a lesser penalty for a lower limit such as 6 points on a driving licence. There are also proposed plans to implement prosecutions for drivers found with illegal drugs in their bloodstream, regardless of whether it impaired their performance.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has proved that over 400 people a year are killed as a result of drink driving but this figure does not reflect any incidents where drivers were above the proposed lower limit. He also suggests drug-driving is a key concern for the public.
AA President, Edmund King agreed, “the legal issue is more complex than the limit as a sliding scale of penalties could reduce the deterrent effect. There is a serious problem with drink drive repeat offenders with recent figures suggesting that almost a quarter of drink drivers have served a previous ban.”
But the plans are not welcomed by everyone, Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations condemned the proposals, “We will fight this very very strongly,” he said. “This will penalise responsible people because of the behaviour of some idiots.
Thousands of drivers each year are convicted of a drink driving offence but even more are convicted, with lower penalties, of a speeding offence, something that causes many more fatalities each year.
Thomas Feely, Britain’s most convicted driver was sentenced to five months in jail after totting up over 110 driving offences. He was stopped by police driving a van with no licence, no insurance and whilst currently disqualified just three days before he was due to be sentenced for an earlier similar offence.
Although he contests that he needs to drive because of his mobile DJ business, Leeds magistrates said his 59 previous driving bans were the worst they had ever seen. Over 28 years of driving, Feely has been convicted of 89 offences but so far avoided jail.
The reputation of British traffic police has suffered in recent times, with some counties reporting over 30 convictions on some roads per day. Although over 6000 speed cameras have been installed, the government has received much criticism as there has been little effect on road safety. Many critics argue that the safety of motorists is being used as an excuse to generate revenue for the government in the form of speeding fines.
Sarah Fatica, of road safety charity ‘brake’ says, “Anyone who has been disqualified so many times poses a serious risk on the roads, it’s disturbing that he has been allowed to continue breaking his ban time and time again.” She argued that “Five months in jail is laughable given his continued disregard for the law”
Behaviour like Feely’s has been one of the primary factors to an increase in car insurance for Britain’s drivers. The average comprehensive insurance policy now costs over 1000 a year, an increase of 20% since 2008. Motor group the AA has attributed this largely to uninsured drivers, which is expected to cost UK motorists 2.1bn this year alone. Critics argue that this will cause a vicious cycle in a recession where more and more people are tempted to drive without insurance, therefore raising premiums.
If you have been convicted of and driving offences you could make use of a traffic offence solicitor especially if you already have a drink driving ban
The government and the authorities have had serious criticism from UK drivers over the legality of many of their speed cameras. The devices are intended as a ‘deterrent’ from speeding to improve road safety but many argue that they are simply designed to bring the government revenue. In the past year alone, speed cameras have generated over 100m in the UK.
Traffic police and councils are supposedly taking advantage of vague boundaries and there are many arguments against both fixed speed cameras and mobile units. Experts have also claimed that digital systems are open to tampering but would still leave innocent drivers open to prosecution.
One of the largest criticisms of fixed cameras is their placement and visibility to motorists. Many forward facing cameras are purposefully placed behind large street signs, trees or walls to avoid being spotted by motorists until they are in its range. This has been disputed as the law states cameras MUST be in place as a visual deterrent and not an entrapment device which cannot be possible if they are obscured from view. If the speed limit is 40mph or less, they must be visible from 60m, 100m over 40mph.
The use of mobile speed cameras has been popular due to the flexibility and range of use they offer. Despite a strict set of rules and regulations, there is much proof that officers have been operating illegally to increase revenue. If a driver is caught speeding and believes the camera which spotted them was placed illegally they have no right to appeal unless they can provide evidence, although this is not at all a guarantee. Groups of individuals have taken to rebellion by collecting images of camera vans parked on pavements with double yellow lines, hidden around bends, in the way of pedestrians and blocking entrances to properties and posting them online in a fight against an unlawful use of entrapment.
Legislation put in place in 1992 announced that any new speed camera needed to be approved by parliament but reportedly none of the 6000 speed cameras set up since then have acquired the essential approval. Technically, every single speeding ticket issue in the UK since 1992 could be illegal and all evidence collected on the roads could be dismissed.
If you feel you have been wrongly accused of speeding or simply disagree with the use of speed cameras and you want a speeding solicitor then visit Freemankeepondriving.com for the best speeding solicitors.
categories: driving,speeding,speed camera,licence,motoring,law,solicitor,lawyer,crime,fast,ban
If you have ever fancied a privatised registration plate and found yourself only being able to afford the incomprehensible variations on barely significant digits, think about what the other half spend! For some money does not matter so just exactly how much are they prepared to spend on a piece of plastic that will help them get pulled over.
A great way to assert your importance when on the road would be to buy the worlds most arrogant number plate, ‘VIP 1′ was first used on Pope John Paul II’s popemobile. It is now unsurprisingly owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who reportedly paid 285,000 for the privilege of being recognised as ‘the number one VIP’.
Liverpool born Mike McCoomb sold his mobile phone store to BT Cellnet in 2000 for 40m, this gave him the cash to splash out 330,000 on the number plate ‘M1′ which he apparently bought for his son’s sixth birthday. Not only will the poor lad not be able to drive for nine more years but he probably doesn’t even understand the significance of an expensive number plate.
Bradford entrepreneur Afzal Kahn broke McCoomb’s record by throwing 440,000 at his ‘F1′ which he suitably donned on his Mercedes SLR McLaren, a car half designed by the actual F1 McLaren team. Given the wealth surrounding Formula one racing, Kahn believes he was lucky to only pay that much as he believes it could have gone for much more.
The most expensive number plate ever sold was outside of Britain in the wealthy Arab state of Abu Dhabi. Billionaire Saeed Abdul Ghaffer Khouri broke the world record when he paid nearly 8m for a prized ’1′ number plate. In Abu Dhabi’s car culture, single digit number plates are the most prized and obviously number one is the most sought after. Khouri has not made it clear which car he will be adorning with the number plate but it is certain that whatever he puts it on; the number plate will be worth many times more.
If you splash out on fancy cars and now need a speeding solicitorbecause you have been caught speedingwhy not check out Oliver and Co for the best solicitors of motoring law.
If you have lost your driving licence you will have either reached the highest number of penalty points allowed or have committed an offence that was considered by the courts to have put the lives of others at risk.
The length of a driving ban depends on the severity of the offence and can range from one year to ten years. In severe cases, a judge will ban an offender from driving for life, with the safety of the public at mind.
When the offence is less severe you may be required to serve a Short Period Disqualification (SPD) which is less than 56 days. You will need to give your licence to the court for the period of time and a permanent record will be made but it will not be surrendered, you will not be required to retake a test and you can start driving once the SPD has expired.
In the cases of full licence disqualifications you can reapply for your licence after the period has expired. This must be done by filling in the correct forms available online or at a post office. You will be first provided with a provisional driving licence with which you can apply to re-take the theory, hazard perception and practical test.
Unless otherwise inculcated by a magistrate, the endorsements of a disqualification will remain on a licence for which you will need to appear and present your case to have them removed.
If someone has been disqualified they may apply for their licence earlier than the expiry of the disqualification. However, this depends on the individual circumstances of the driver and the length of the ban.
If a driver has undertaken driving improvement courses or other steps to ensure safer driving once qualified, they may be allowed by a court to only serve half their disqualification. The effect of the ban on an individual’s family life or career may also affect the court’s decision.
Disqualifications longer than 2 years may be overturned after half the proposed disqualification period, for example for a ban of 6 years you can apply after 3. If you re-offended, driving or otherwise, since your disqualification the court will instantly dismiss your application. If you drive whilst banned you may face a custodial sentence and a hefty fine.
If you need advice on speeding, then visit Nick Freeman’s site if you believe you may experience exceptional hardship as a result of losing your licence.
categories: driving,speeding,offence,licence,motoring,law,solicitor,lawyer,crime,fast,ban
