You can now go to prison for a long time if you seriously injure someone while carelessly driving. The law changed this week following campaigns to plug a gap in sentencing guidelines and here Paul Loughlin (below), partner and motoring offences specialist at Stephensons explains the thinking behind the changes. “The consequences of dangerous and careless driving are often profound. Just one … [Read more...]
Newslines 22 October
The arrival of the October half term will spark an ‘autumn rush’ on the roads with drivers taking an estimated 19.4m separate leisure trips between Friday and Sunday, according to RAC Breakdown. The survey of 1,400 drivers suggests that Saturday will be the most popular day on the roads with drivers planning an estimated 5.6m ‘getaway’ journeys, followed by Sunday (4.6m) and Friday (4.3m) with … [Read more...]
Logistics UK Welsh safety conference
Logistics UK’s popular Transport Manager conference is coming to the St Pierre Marriott, Chepstow on 25 November 2021. The event will highlight key issues for anyone involved in running vehicle fleets, provide professional advice, and help managers remain compliant and up to speed on the latest legislative developments. Topics to be covered at the one-day event will include logistics in urban … [Read more...]
Newslines 2 April
Nine out of ten Cardiff drivers don't know when they must put on headlights and are risking accidents, prosecution and penalty points as well as invalidating insurance. A survey for Uswitch found only 9.62% of Welsh drivers knew they had to turn on headlights when visibility was under 100 metres as defined in the Highway Code. The average annual car insurance premium has fallen by £55 from the … [Read more...]
Motorists taking risks with insurance ignorance
Millions of drivers have no idea exactly what their car insurance policy covers as one in four simply let their other half deal with it. A study of 2,000 UK motorists found one in 10 are clueless about whether they are covered for things like driving their car for business use, if they have windscreen cover or if they can drive other vehicles. Worryingly, nearly one in three wouldn’t know what … [Read more...]
Newslines 2 April
AIWAYS, the Shanghai-based personal mobility provider, will start taking online orders for its U5 all-electric SUV from European consumers in May. Secured via a small deposit, the U5 will be offered exclusively via a direct-to-customer sales model, and not retailed or leased through traditional dealerships. European pre-sale markets and the required deposit amount will be announced by AIWAYS in … [Read more...]
Cardiff drivers are booked – 100 years ago
A South Wales businessman has uncovered a unique record of early motoring in Cardiff with council records of motoring offences and fines dating back over 100 years. The details from the early years of the 20th century when the first cars started appearing on Cardiff streets are contained in a massive bound book kept by John “Jack” Hubbard until the 1970s. After being evacuated to South Wales … [Read more...]
Government changes are pushing automotive change
With 2018 consigned to the history books it is important to remember that the industry learnt some interesting lessons during the course of the year. With new car registrations down by 6.8%, almost exactly in line with Cazana’s predictions, and used car sales down by 2.1% it is no surprise that for some the full year results were not as expected and the trading conditions flexed in an … [Read more...]
Private practice when learning – avoid penalties
Getting private practice while learning to drive plays an important role in gaining vital experience behind the wheel before taking the driving test but before you offer to take someone out make sure you have the relevant information. IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman, had this advice for those willing into giving the learner additional driving … [Read more...]