Drivers who use mobile phones at the wheel are increasingly going unpunished despite a sharp rise in the numbers flouting the law, official figures suggest.

The number of on-the-spot fines handed out to people caught using a hand held mobile phone while driving has fallen for the third year in a row, according to figures collected by the Home Office.

Driving with a mobile has been banned since 2003

It comes despite evidence that mobile phone use at the wheel rose by more than a quarter last year, with truck and van drivers the worst offenders.

Road safety campaigners said that the figures proved that the law is being routinely flouted by drivers and enforced only weakly by overstretched police. Read the rest of this entry »

A learner driver taking her second lesson managed to flip her instructor’s car on to its roof in Oxford.

The woman, in her mid-20s, hit a gatepost on Old Road in Headington, causing the Fiat 500 car owned by driving instruction firm BSM to flip.

Paramedics treated the woman and the instructor for cuts to their hands and elbows at the scene of Sunday’s crash.

BSM described the crash as a “freak incident” and said it took health and safety very seriously.

Communications manager Paul Shepherd said: “We have spoken to the learner driver who is fine and is already hoping to book her next lesson with us soon.

“The instructor responded calmly, professionally and swiftly, and is back on the road in a new car.” Read the rest of this entry »

A councillor demolished six graves in a cemetery by driving over them in her car when her foot slipped on the accelerator.

Relatives initially thought the burial plots at Mangotsfield Cemetery in Bristol had been vandalised on Easter Sunday.

But local politician Shirley Potts has now come forward to admit she accidentally mowed them down when her muddy foot slipped onto her brand new car’s accelerator.

Councillor Potts admitted the damage

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Failed asylum seekers given temporary leave to remain in the UK will no longer be able to apply for driving licences, under new government rules.

The Department for Transport has said only people granted permission to stay in the country for 185 days or more will now be eligible to take a test.

The change applies to people from outside the European Economic Area and does not affect those from within it.

Overseas drivers will have to show they are "lawfully resident" in the UK

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Director of driving school BSM avoids car ban despite 17 points

Abu-Haris Shafi, the director of Britain’s largest driving school, has avoided a car ban despite ‘totting up’ 17 points.

Shafi, joint managing director of the British School of Motoring (BSM), faced court action after his car was caught breaking a 50mph limit by speed cameras.

Mr Shafi, from Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, received a £750 fine.

Mr Shafi, 47, declined to reveal who was driving the Volvo and received six points on top of a previous 11 points already on his licence. Read the rest of this entry »

Not News: South Korean woman passes driving test. News: On 950th try.

You’ve just got to admire this kind of tenacity. This 68-year-old woman wanted her driver’s license so badly that she had gone to take the written test nearly every single day since April of 2005. Unfortunately, Cha was unable to score the necessary 60-percent score to pass.

Happy, as you can see.

Read the rest of this entry »

Driving examiner strike – candidates to attend tests

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union is asking its members to take strike action on Monday and Tuesday, 8 and 9 March.

If you have a driving test booked for either day, we ask you to attend as scheduled.

We won’t know the effects of the strikes until the day as not all of our examiners and staff are members of the union.

We don’t know at this stage who will attend for work, which is why we ask that you arrive for your test regardless.

You don’t need to do anything and there is no need to contact DSA.

If you can’t take a test because of the action, you will have the test rebooked automatically, free of charge, and an appointment confirmation will be sent by email or post.

Official link

This Highway Code applies to England, Scotland and Wales. The Highway Code is essential reading for everyone.

The first thing to think about in snow is this: do I really need to go out in it? Is my journey really necessary or should I take the day off and go back to bed? If it is absolutely necessary, allow sufficient time for your journey and try to avoid travelling at dusk or in the dark.

Next: is my vehicle ready and prepared for the journey? Have I got plenty of fuel? This will come in handy should you become stranded or take a more circuitous route – if you are stranded the biggest source of heat is the engine. Stay warm: hypothermia is a killer.

Driving in the snow can be hazardous

If you are forced to abandon your car, try to leave it in the safest place possible. Try not to block the road, causing chaos and disruption or danger to other road users.

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