Sending your vehicle for its annual MOT is an expense we would all rather do without, but very few of us are unable to see its importance.

We know this because a report out this week from the RAC, Brake, AA and the Retail Motor Industry Federation, among others, shows that 94% of people think an MOT is very (71%) or quite (23%) important to road safety.

But the government isn’t weak enough to let the vast majority of people get in the way of its efforts to review the frequency with which the test is conducted. Read Full Article »

Nearly half of motorists who clock up 12 points on their licence are still able to drive, according to a survey out this week. The road safety charity Brake and Direct Line Insurers have joined forces to commission a research study on the subject.

The figures do fluctuate, but the study has flagged up that more than 10,000 drivers have retained their licence despite totting up more than twelve points.

When a licence holder reaches 12 points the Magistrates must disqualify for a minimum period of 6 months. To escape a ban the driver and their Solicitor must present to the court an Exceptional Hardship argument . Read Full Article »

The legislation to ban clamping on private land continues to trundle its way through Parliament within the Protection of Freedoms Bill.

It is due to be granted its Royal Assent by the end of the year, meaning the ban should come into force shortly after, but already there are misgivings about its power to crack down on rogue clampers.

Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone claimed the Bill’s creation sounded the death knell for unscrupulous firms whose sole aim is to extract huge fees from unsuspecting motorists without fear of regulation. Read Full Article »

Three months ago prisons minister Crispin Blunt left no-one in any doubt over his feelings about overhauling sentences relating to dangerous driving:

“The government have said that they do not want to pursue a pattern of constantly tinkering with legislation if we can possibly avoid it, so we must consider other possible solutions if they are available.”

Now, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has recently been perfecting his reputation for saying the opposite of what the government wants him to, but the press release on his Department’s website doesn’t look like it will be rescinded any time soon: Longer Jail Terms for Dangerous Driving. Read Full Article »

Bath gets in a flap about HGVs and sets off a storm in the neighbouring county.

Keepmeontheroad has blogged before about the rise of ‘Lorry Watch’ schemes, which hand residents a hi-viz vest and a green light to harangue lorry drivers for rumbling down the wrong roads.

But Wiltshire’s Trading Standards must be the first to announce it is starting its own scheme because it has deep seated concerns about the effect of Bath City Council’s plan to ban HGVs. Read Full Article »