The UK has a large quantity of road laws; we have put together a short list of the most frequent traffic offences, shedding light on the details and penalties you can expect for some of the more common driving offences. If you’re a driver on the UKs roads then the likelihood is you have at some point fell on the incorrect side of the law with one of them. Astonishingly most of the UKs drivers are not actually aware of what they are being charged with and why when they are stopped.
Exceeding the speed limit: The fault here is plainly defined as ‘Driving on a road travelling at a speed greater than the limit’. This offence carries a 60 fine and three points on your driving licence. The maximum penalty for this offence is 1000 and 6 points on your licence depending on the speed you were doing, however the majority of fines are 60, with 3 points. A ban can be expected if you are caught travelling at 30mph above the speed limit.
If caught speeding and you are offered a fixed penalty, usually 60, then you are almost certainly best off simply paying the fine and accepting the points as any court appearance will most likely result in a larger fine or even a ban. If you do decide to challenge a speeding fine, then potential reasons to do so include: You were simply not speeding, it wasn’t you driving or that you were driving an exempt vehicle due to emergency.
Failing to stop: This offence is defined as ‘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 fail to stop after injuring an animal on the road or road side or buildings on or near the road then you break the law. Penalties for this type of offence are severe, with at least 6 months in jail and a fine of a maximum 5000 probable.
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.
The ‘most lucrative’ speed camera in Britain has been named and shamed. Not surprisingly, the local community is outraged by the findings of this camera. It has been discovered that the speed camera, erected on a road where few incidents take place, has netted the local council 1.3m pound per year.
With the average cost of a speeding fine now reaching 60 the camera has earned 1,327,140 each year. This means that the ‘most lucrative’ camera in Britain has on average captured 1,843 motorists each and every month.
The notorious speed camera was erected in 1999 in Poole, Dorset with the aim of catching motorists jumping the red lights were it is situated on a 30mph section of a dual carriageway. The camera became one of the first to be converted to catch unaware motorists speeding through green lights as well as red.
The camera was converted even though official stats showed there had been only one serious injury and no fatalities in at least 11 years. Motoring groups feared the camera was converted to in a move to ‘milk the motorist’ as the speed limit is also said to be to low for a dual carriageway.
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.
A disabled pensioner was pulled over for drink driving by eight policemen and three police cars as he made his way home from the pub on his mobility scooter.
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.
Eamonn Donohoe, 62 of Chesterfield was travelling at around 4mph on a pavement near his home when police surrounded him, preventing him from completing his journey home. Mr Donohoe, who is disabled due to blocked arteries in his lower legs, was pulled over after spending a pleasant evening at his local pub playing dominoes with friends. He had consumed around six or seven pints before leaving for 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.”
The pensioner failed his roadside breath test where he was alleged to have been three times over the limit. He was given a ban from driving which bizarrely means he can continue to drive his mobility scooter as it is not classed as a car.
Recently there have been several cases of unusual drink driving offenses, the most publicised being Welsh rugby star Andy Powell after he was convicted after driving a golf buggy the wrong way down a motorway, in another case a milkman was convicted for being drunk in charge of a milk float.
If you have been convicted of Speeding, then visit Freeman Keep On Driving expert Speeding Solicitors.
In 2008 there were 11,000 drink and drug related driving deaths or injuries in the UK. More specifically, drunk drivers cause over one in ten road deaths on UK roads with 269 recorded deaths caused as a direct result of drivers over the limit.
Brake, which is a road safely charity has conducted some research into drunk driving related statistics. The findings have revealed that that up to 14 per cent of drink related accidents have been caused by what is regarded as ‘at work’ drivers. An at work driver is one that has commuted to or from a work based event where alcohol has been consumed during or after, resulting in the driver being over the limit when getting back behind the wheel.
These at work drivers, as part of the research, admitted to consuming up to and over three or more units of alcohol before taking control of a vehicle. In comparison, just 6 per cent of other drivers on the road admitted to the same level of consumption before driving. This statistic is more than double the amount taking other road users and pedestrian lives into their hands.
These facts should get company bosses and managers thinking about their roles and care of responsibilities the next time they organize an ‘off-site’ appointment, awards ceremony, sales or marketing conference. Many of the UK workforces have attended such an event, where the day’s meetings are concluded with a meal and inevitably, an alcoholic drink.
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.
Passengers have spoken out about the shock on board a double decker bus after the driver was arrested upon suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol.
Passengers have spoken out about the shock on board a double decker bus after the driver was arrested upon suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol. 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.
Police pounced after a member of the public raised concerns. The bus was stopped as it travelled between Southampton and Wincester just as it reached the roundabout at Chilworth. The driver is now out on police bail however he has been suspended by the company.
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.
Public relations manager at Blustar Chris Harris said because of the serious nature of the incident the employee was suspended immediately. The driver was immediately detained by the arresting officers and Bluestar dispatched a substitute driver who arrived to take command of the bus within minutes.
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 in question 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.
