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Proposals have been made to re-schedule MOT tests. The first to take place after 4 years followed by biannual checks. As cars are built better and service intervals stretch out to 2 years or 20,000 miles it is felt that MOT tests are not required so frequently. However, the vehicle repairer’s association, MVRA, has objected strongly referring to ‘serious safety issues’ if the new proposals are adopted. I’ll keep you posted. By Graham Hill

It would seem that as cost of living continues to increase more motorists are attempting to give up smoking but as a result warnings have been issued not to drive if you are taking a drug designed to help smokers to quit. The Government appointed MHRA Pharmacovigilance Risk Management Group warned that the anti-smoking drug Champix could cause adverse effects that would affect the driver’s ability to drive. You should remember that driving under the influence of drugs carries the same stiff penalties as drink driving.

Since the changes to the Highway Code, brought in last year, Churchill Car Insurance carried out a survey and found many drivers unaware of the changes. More than 80% were unaware that playing loud music in cars is against the new Highway Code rules and almost two thirds admitted to eating whilst driving which is against the new rules. The research also found that 30% of drivers think that driving in flip flops or high heels is forbidden and yet this is not the case! That’s a relief eh fellas! You can view the new highway code online by visiting www.direct.gov.uk  scroll down to travel and transport and click on highway code then scroll down again to view all the headings.

There has been a loophole in the law allowing drivers in the EU to apply for a driving permit (equivalent to a licence) in another country whilst having their original licence confiscated following a driving offence. There was already a mutual recognition of disqualification’s between Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain but the European Court Of Justice has ruled that drivers who have had their licences confiscated cannot apply for a driving permit in another EU country. The main problem was apparently between the Czech Republic and Germany whereby German drivers who were banned were crossing the border and applying for a driving permit – but no more it would seem!

Just about to travel to or through France, even on a day trip? Then please note that the French have a new piece of legislation making it compulsory to have a reflective jacket on board. In an emergency the jacket must be easily accessible by the driver and must be put on before leaving the car. You need a quick trip to Halfords or you could end up with a fine.

In my book ‘An Insider Guide To Car Finance’ I provide a great deal of legal advice, obviously if you find yourself in a dispute you should consult a qualified solicitor. However, by way of advice, in these times of high fuel costs suddenly the advertised MPG figures become all important. So what happens when the figures provided by the manufacturer/dealer are incorrect? I often receive complaints about this subject but as the cost of fuel was under reasonable control no one seemed willing to enforce their legal position, however that may well start to change. So in order to clarify your position I would suggest the following. Read more »

The Government is to tighten up on new car advertising as a result of pressure from the greenies to better advise the public about CO2 emissions. In future all literature including posters and all print ads must include CO2 emission information. This is now believed to conform to EU directives on the level of information that should be made available to car buyers. Strangely no such rules apply to used cars which are in the vast majority and kick out many more CO2‘s than their new equivalents. Or am I missing something?

I can’t believe I’m writing this piece but I felt it should be included. It’s to do with pregnant women and the wearing of seat belts. Volvo, who is the only car manufacturer to have a pregnant test dummy (look – leave it – I’m just reporting it OK) called Linda, it’s true, the bloody dummy is called Linda – good grief. Anyway, Volvo, on a very serious point says ‘car safety for unborn children is rarely documented as foetal injury and deaths often do not show in statistics.’ As a result of extensive tests with Linda they have found Read more »

There has been a great deal of talk recently about extending the use of tachographs to all vehicles used for business as it seems unfair that the driver of a commercial vehicle is covered by European driving hours directives whilst sales people and service engineers driving small vans or cars aren’t but are just as likely to fall asleep at the wheel. However, many are not aware that the law already applies if the car, or 4×4, plus trailer plated gross weight exceeds 3.5tonnes. If this is the case the vehicle should be fitted with a tacho and drivers Read more »

The police are fighting back against vehicle cloning through the use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras located in the roadside and in most fuel stations. currently 50 million vehicle movements are recorded by ANPR cameras every day. The new software being tested by officers in Durham will identify when cars with the same number plates are moving at the same time and alert officers. The analytical ability of the software will enable the police to Read more »