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Archive for the ‘Careless Driving’ Category

£100 Fixed Penalty For Tailgating and Middle Lane Hogging

Government plans have been announced to introduce £100 Fixed Penalty notices for careless driving incidents like tailgating and middle lane hogging.

 

The plans are designed to save police time and will see some careless drivers dealt with without the need to attend Court.

 

Courses are also being designed which, if accepted by drivers, will allow them to avoid the penalty points imposed along with Fixed Penalty notices.

 

Any drivers who do not accept the allegation will be able to fight against the Fixed Penalty and take the matter to Court.

 

Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, the Association of Chief Police Officers National Lead for Roads Policing in England and Wales said;

 

“The new penalties are absolutely necessary to deal with drivers who are putting people’s lives at risk and police will not hesitate to enforce them.”

 

Tailgating seems to be a straightforward issue; it isn’t pleasant to experience.

 

Middle lane hogging is much harder to see as an offence, and much harder to enforce.

 

Part 264 of The Highway Code says: “You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear.  If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past.”

 

The problem with middle lane hogging is that it leaves the inside lane under-used and makes it difficult for vehicles in the inside lane to overtake slow moving vehicles in front of them, causing congestion.  The extent of this congestion varies widely depending who you listen to, with some people seeing it as a huge problem that reflects that drivers shouldn’t even be allowed on motorways, to other people who really don’t see a problem with staying in the middle lane.

 

The debate continues.

 

Car drivers to be blamed for all crashes with cyclists

This is not an early april fools joke, it is the latest idea from the government.

Phil Darnton Chief Executive of Cycling England, an agency funded by the Department for Transport presented proposals to the Government.

Government advisors are looking to introduce a law that states that for insurance purposes the owner of the most powerful vehicle will always be at fault for any collision. So if a cyclist jumps a red light, cycles into you because he wasn’t looking or is practicing riding no handed along the High Street whilst standing on his cross bar – it’s the car drivers fault!

Cyclist

Cyclists are not immune in all of this, if they knock over a pedestrian then they are to blame because their ‘vehicle’ is more powerful.

Most drivers would agree that cyclists need prtotection, they are of course more vulnerable. Most car drivers do make allowances for this but does it make sense to make car drivers automatically at fault for any accident? Anyone who has been an a main road in Central London is only too aware of the crazy antics of some of the despatch riders, weaving in and out of traffic at speed. Should they be encouraged by making the driver responsible regardless of the clyclists actions?

Many drivers see this as yet another attack by the government on the car driver, the majority of whom are law abiding. Is this just another attempt by the governemt to get more money from the already squeezed motorist?

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