| Norwich
Union introduces Pay as You Drive insurance
for young drivers.
Drivers holding a mobile phone whilst driving
will now be fined £60 and have three penalty points endorsed on their
licence.
A survey conducted in Edinburgh rejected the
Council's plan to introduce a £2 congestion charge in the city. The 'No'
vote is seen as somewhat of a setback to the Government's plan to
encourage councils throughout Britain to introduce congestion charging.
There are plans to increase the London congestion
charge from £5 to £8 from July. The charge for commercial vehicles will
rise by £2 to £7 and Mr Livingstone wants to extend the zone into
Kensington.
Evidence from the civil courts has indicated that bull bars fitted to vehicles cause serious injury. Solicitors who give car accident advice have for many years been calling for a change in the law. There are now plans to ban the use of bull bars on
four wheel drive cars. The Government gave its backing to a move which
would make such metal bars illegal within three years.
A single roadside breath test will be enough to
prosecute a driver who is over the limit. Police officers will no longer
have to take a second reading at a police station.
In the past lawyers giving car accident advice have always been satisfied that sophisticated speed camera
detectors have been legal to own and use however detectors and jammers will become illegal under proposed new legislation. Simple satellite positioning
devices, which tell drivers where cameras are located, will still be
allowed.
Motorists suspected of being under the influence
of drugs will face compulsory road side drug tests. If they fail the tests
or perform badly they will be taken to a police station and asked to take
blood tests which will determine if they have taken drugs.
New regulations which came into force on 1
January mean that all new heavy vehicles used at home and abroad weighing
more than three and a half tons (3,500kg) must be fitted with limiters to
keep their speed below 56mph. They will also be banned from the fast
lane of motorways. Vehicles driven solely within the UK have been given
three years to have them fitted. Heavy commercial vehicles up to
three years old must also have them fitted.
There are plans to force drivers over 70 to undergo
medical tests to prove that they are fit to continue driving.
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