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Road safety charity Brake carried out a poll to see how much support existed for the dropping of the drink drive alcohol limit from 80mg per 100 ml to 50, in line with most of Europe. Their findings showed a 70% support which has prompted the Government to take action and consider dropping the level which would criminalise the Sunday pint in a country pub according to an article in Auto Express. But they Read more »

Warnings continue to increase about the numbers of ‘accidents to order’ where fraudsters stage an accident then put in an insurance claim for the damage caused to their vehicle as well as any passengers. Some are known to drive the car on behalf of the owner, swerving in front of another driver causing the accident. Details are exchanged and the details of the owner are given along with his insurance details to the Read more »

Calls have been made for more information regarding driving abroad to be more easily available. As I have reported previously countries have different rules regarding insurance, breakdown cover, warning triangles, emergency fluorescent jackets, replacement light bulbs and first aid kits. But there are other rules regarding drink driving, speeding and parking that could result in some very heavy fines and even Read more »

A few months ago I announced proposed changes to insurance claims procedures that should speed up undisputed insurance claims. The good news is that the new rules come into effect from April 30^th. The new rules should speed up payout and reduce legal costs on personal injury claims between £1,000 and £10,000 resulting from a motor accident. This covers around 80% of all personal injury claims so good Read more »

The OFT has hit out at used car dealers, who they claim are letting customers down and not taking their legal responsibilities seriously. They are saying that more needs to be done to make customers aware of their legal rights and dealers aware of their legal responsibilities. Dealers are avoiding their responsibility to have vehicles checked prior to sale or to fix problems when pointed out by customers. Following a Read more »

Some people believe that when a ticket is issued with incorrect information, such as your name spelt incorrectly or the car registration transposed that you can avoid prosecution. I seem to recall when I was first driving that this was the case but these days it is more difficult to get away with a prosecution as a result of what a court would consider to be a clerical error. If you genuinely believe that you or your Read more »

The first ever UK parking summit has recently been held to discuss the growing problems faced by motorists whose cars have been clamped by cowboy clampers operating on private land. The summit was attended by parking firms, minsters and motoring groups. The AA called for tougher laws to be introduced. Edmund King, president of the AA, said that it cannot be just for there to be no independent appeal against a Read more »

I reported last year that ‘staged crashes’ resulting in fraudulent insurance claims was on the increase. However, law firm Keoghs who produce the Annual Motor Fraud Index have shown that the hot spots are spreading in 2009. Along with the major hot spots, as shown below, other nearby towns are now becoming problem areas also. Greater vigilance is needed when driving in these areas to avoid accidents Read more »

In a bizarre new legal ruling if you go to court and defend yourself against a speeding offence, and get acquitted you will still have costs to pay under new Government rules. The new Ministry of Justice scheme will result in a defendant acquitted in the courts to only be reimbursed at current legal aid rates, regardless of their actual level of costs. In many instances this could lead to innocent people paying Read more »

New rules will be introduced next year to speed up insurance payouts following car accidents where liability is accepted. The Ministry of Justice said the agreement will streamline road traffic accident personal injury claims between £1,000 and £10,000 – around 80% of all motor personal injury claims. The new process comes into force in April 2010. It means, where fault is not disputed, Read more »