Back in March we highlighted a forthcoming Green Paper that the government said would contain proposals to help reduce the high number of deaths among young drivers and new motorists.

The paper has not yet been published, but it is expected later this month.

However, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has got in first, by calling for drivers with ‘L’ plates to be given motorway driving experience before passing their test. Click here to read more »

The government finally announced this week that careless drivers will be subject to on-the-spot fixed penalty notices of £100 from July, in order to free up courts from “resource-intensive” processes.

It was thought that the penalties would be £90, but the Department for Transport has decided to build in cover for a few more years of inflation, as well as ensuring that it’s slightly higher than the current cost of speed awareness courses and so encouraging offenders to participate. Click here to read more »

The police’s focus on the ‘Fatal 4′ revealed hundreds of drivers flouting the law during April. And that’s just in Nottinghamshire.

The campaign, which has been rolled out in other areas of the country as well and targets the biggest causes of death and serious injury on the roads, found many motorists not wearing seatbelts, drink driving, speeding and using mobile phones. Click here to read more »

It has been reported today that Nottinghamshire has been involved in a trial for the government whereby specialised traffic courts have been instigated in an effort to fast track the court system dealing with motoring offences such as speeding and no insurance.

Since May 2012, in Nottinghamshire, most routine motoring offences have been scheduled to be heard at the Mansfield Magistrates Court, freeing up valuable court time for more serious matters at the Nottingham and Worksop Magistrates’ Courts. Initially on Mondays, but now also on Tuesdays, Mansfield has operated courts devoted to dealing with road traffic law – the case load of 160 or so cases now being split to around 80 cases a day! Ironically, this scheme came about hot on the heels of the closure of the Newark and Retford Magistrates’ Courts in Notts on ‘cost saving’ grounds. Click here to read more »

Interesting guidance over driver offence prosecutions emerged last week, which could prevent drivers being charged if they kill a loved one.

The Crown Prosecution Service guidance acknowledges that those who cause the deaths of close friends or relatives while driving “bear a particularly heavy responsibility”, according to director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer. Click here to read more »

A recent case that went to the Appeal Court related to an operator who was charged with allowing a subcontractor to use an operator’s licence issued to the company with intent to deceive. The defendant submitted that it had not been established that anyone holding a position of sufficient responsibility within the company knew or ought to have known about the misuse of the operator’s licence, so as to form the necessary intent to deceive. Click here to read more »