The oldest taxi legislation dates from 1831 and the framework has been extended, amended and adapted ever since. Private hire vehicle legislation was not introduced until 1976 (1998 in London).

The proposals still keep the distinction between private hire and “ply for hire” taxis but will aim to reduce the burden of regulation on local businesses to improve competition. In addition suggestions for provisioning for persons with disabilities have been included.

http://lawcommission.justice.gov.uk/consultations/1804.htm

With the increased safety and speeds of modern vehicles, an 80mph motorway speed limit could bring many economic benefits. However, as the RSF report suggests, much of the UK motorway network falls well below par in terms of dealing with an increased speed limit.

Examples include inadequate run-off areas, poorly maintained safety barriers and no electronic controls or variable speed limits to control heavy traffic flow which reduces the chances of shunt crashes. Crash avoidance technology and road engineering need to catch up with the pace of vehicle safety so they both complement each other.

The new offence will be introduced at the Queen’s Speech and will provide police with the powers and technology to test drivers at the roadside to detect drugs in the body through saliva testing. The machines can also pick-up certain prescription drugs.

If detected the driver will face a minimum year’s driving ban, a fine of up to £5,000 and prison for 6 months. The finer details of the new offence are being worked on such as which drugs are to be included in the tests and whether there should be some form of threshold.

The helmet cam shows this  motorcyclists riding across a mountain top, in the snow. He’d better watch out for any ice.

Only 10% of the 1550 commuters surveyed said they commute regularly by push bike with a third saying that if the roads were safer for cyclists they would travel to and from work by bike.

Road safety charity Brake calls for a number of measures to be implemented to make cycling safer, these include:

1. Widespread 20mph limits in communities
2. Segregated cycle paths connecting community facilities and workplaces
3. Government funding to help local authorities make cycling safer
4. Driver training and education to look out for cyclists on the road
5. Employers and organisations to promote cycling
6. Companies to ensure that commercial vehicles have blind-spot technology fitted

Henry Wolf claims that the seat is poorly designed and that BMW are liable to him through their negligent design of the motorcycle seat which triggered a condition known as priapism and gave him an erection that lasted for 2 years.

Henry Wolf is claiming for lost wages, medical expenses and emotional distress after a 4 hour motorcycle trip through San Francisco in 2010.

The statistics are made up from returns by Police forces across England and Wales and show a 10% decrease in the number of offences when compared to 2009. Offences peaked in 2003 with 3.5 million FPNs issued.

The largest increase, in percentage terms, for road traffic offences is seen in load offences and failure to wear a crash helmet for motorcycle offences. The largest decrease in offences was for waiting, obstruction and parking offences. The full release can be found on the Home Office website

On average 13 tests were carried out per 1,000 motorists. The statistics do show a high difference between Police forces, for example West Midlands only conducted 1 test per 1,000 motorists compared to North Wales who carried out 43 breath tests per 1,000. Brake, road safety charity warns that enforcement of drink driving laws needs to carry on providing an effective deterrent against drink driving.

The technology could be used to track cars, particularly when they are involved in an accident, to provide exact data of what happened. The idea isn’t new but as of yet hasn’t had any real implementation in the UK.

The Government wants to aim to reduce the cost of car insurance, specifically for younger drivers, as insurance premiums continue to rise. The high cost of car insurance has a significant economic and social impact for all motorists, specifically younger drivers.

Over the last 5 years in S Yorkshire there were 28 incidents involving a mobility scooters where 17 of these were KSI accidents.

The Police will run 2 hour training sessions set within a full-size reconstruction of a town allowing users to gain confidence and understand the safety and legal requirements.