The Driving School with a Difference…

Archive for the ‘Driving and the Law’ Category

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced his intention to consult on raising the national speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80 miles per hour. The government plans to launch a full public consultation on the issue later this year with a view to implementing any change in early 2013.

More information from the Department for Transport website

New laws to tackle uninsured driving will be enforced from today.

Under the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement law it’s an offence to be the keeper of an uninsured vehicle, rather than just to drive when uninsured.

From today, registered keepers identified as having an uninsured vehicle will be sent a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured, and warning them of the consequences if they fail to take action. Those who don’t act on this warning – either by taking out insurance or declaring their vehicle off the road – will receive a £100 fine and could have their vehicle clamped, seized and destroyed. They may also face a court prosecution.

All drivers can check their vehicle is recorded correctly for free at askMID.com

Under the new system:

• DVLA will work in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to identify uninsured vehicles
• motorists will receive a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action
• if the keeper fails to insure the vehicle they will be given a £100 fine
• if the vehicle remains uninsured – regardless of whether the fine is paid – further action will be taken. If the vehicle is on public land it could then be clamped, seized and destroyed; alternatively court action could be taken, with the offender facing a fine of up to £1,000
• seized vehicles would only be released when the keeper provided evidence that the registered keeper is no longer committing the offence of having no insurance and the person proposing to drive the vehicle away is insured to do so

Vehicles with a valid Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) won’t be required to be insured.

For more details, visit direct.gov.uk/stayinsured

Motorists are being warned to insure their vehicles ahead of a new crackdown to tackle the menace of uninsured driving.

Under the new system:

• The DVLA will work in partnership with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to identify uninsured vehicles.
• Motorists will receive a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured and warning them that they will be fined unless they take action.
• If the keeper fails to insure the vehicle they will be given a £100 fine.
• If the vehicle remains uninsured – regardless of whether the fine is paid – further action will be taken. If the vehicle is on public land it could then be clamped, seized and destroyed. Alternatively court action could be taken, with the offender facing a fine of up to £1,000.
• Seized vehicles would only be released when the keeper provided evidence that the registered keeper is no longer committing an offence of having no insurance and the person proposing to drive the vehicle away is insured to do so.

You can view a video here for more information

Bad drivers will be hit with fixed-penalty fines of up to £100 under a Government scheme which aims to cut road deaths by as much as 57% within 20 years.

Motorists who tailgate, undertake or cut up other drivers could be handed the fine rather than being taken to court.

Current fixed fines of £60 for offences such as driving while using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt could go up to between £80 and £100.

Full story…

What do I need to start learning to drive?

* Provisional driving licence
* 17 years old (unless registered with motability)*
* Able to read a number plate from 21.5m (with glasses/contact lenses if needed)

* Disability living allowance – if you are receiving disability living allowance at the higher rate, you can apply for your provisional driving licence up to 3 months before your 16th birthday.  You can’t drive however, until your 16th birthday.

When/How do I get my provisional driving licence?

You can apply for your provisional licence prior to your 17th birthday by:

* Getting an application form (D1) from most post offices or
* Applying online here