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.

Under laws which tightened up in 2007, drivers caught using a mobile phone at the wheel can be fined £60 and given three penalty points on their licence.

By contrast people who allow their dog to foul the pavement can be fined up to £1,000.

Last week Ed Balls, the Children’s Secretary, was fined for driving while using his mobile. He explained his actions by saying that he had taken the telephone out of its “hands free” cradle to avoid waking his children who were sleeping in the back seat.

Figures contained in the Home Office’s annual bulletin of police powers and procedures show that 116,000 drivers were given fixed penalty notices for using a hand-held mobile at the wheel last year, down 30 per cent in two years.

A separate roadside study published earlier this year by the Department for Transport showed a 27 per cent rise in phone use by motorists between 2008 and 2009.

Sarah Fatica, general manager of Brake, the road safety charity, said: “This is clearly a law which is being flouted and isn’t being enforced to a degree that actually makes people think that they are going to get caught.

“Police are overstretched and drivers aware that this is the case and many are quite happy to risk lives just to make tat phone call.

“People wouldn’t chop down a tree with a chain saw while using a mobile phone but think it is perfectly acceptable to get into a large chunk of metal and drive around residential areas using one.”

A spokesman for the Institute of Advanced Motorists added: “There is insufficient enforcement. Drivers don’t think they will get caught.”

Original Story from The Telegraph

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.”

Russ Dunne, 30, of Old Road, was talking to a political candidate on his doorstep on the opposite side of the road when the crash happened.

He said: “I heard the car accelerating then I heard a loud bang when it hit the gatepost.

“I saw it roll on to its side and on to its roof. I hoped no-one was seriously injured and I was worried it would catch on fire if fuel was leaking.”

Mr Dunne rushed over to help pull the learner driver out of the passenger window. The instructor had already managed to pull himself free.

“The instructor was very quiet and calm he just said ‘accidents happen’, but the driver was in real shock and kept saying she couldn’t believe it.”

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

The ”freak accident” – which left some burial plots wide open – happened after the retired teacher had visited her son’s grave.

She has now apologised to the family involved and says she feels ”devastated” by the damage she caused.

Mrs Potts, 73, the Labour councillor for Staple Hill in South Gloucestershire, said: ”It was a completely freak accident – it was only a matter of yards.

”I’m so sorry it happened but there was nothing I could’ve done about it at all.

”There’s no dispute about who is to blame – it happened in seconds and it was so unfortunate.

‘My heart went out because I had just visited my own son’s grave and I knew how I would have felt.”

The accident happened at around 2.30pm on Sunday after Mrs Potts had been to visit the grave of her son nearby.

She scraped the mud from her feet before getting into her brand new grey Hyundai i10, which has an automatic gearbox.

But just as she turned to pull away her foot slipped sideways from the accelerator and lodged under the brake.

As it slipped her heel clipped the accelerator, and as she tried to pull her foot free the car sped forwards and slammed into six graves belonging to members of the same family.

Relatives say they were not informed about the incident and immediately suspected vandals were responsible when they visited their loved one’s graves later that day.

Grieving Yvonne Orchard, 31, found her grandmother’s headstone had been completely destroyed and her brother’s grave lay gaping open.

She assumed vandals had ”deliberately” attacked the graves with a vehicle, as car parts littered the scene and tyre marks had scorched the grass.

But Cllr Potts says she informed the relevant authorities and has spent the last few days trying to contact relatives.

She said: ”When I initially reported the accident they said don’t make any contact but I really wanted to write to her and apologise.

”I have contacted the officer who deals with the cemeteries and asked her to get Mrs Orchard’s permission to get her details so I can send a letter of apology.

”I made all the contacts I should with the emergency centre but it was Easter Sunday and there was no way I could have found Mrs Orchard’s contacts on the day.”

Mrs Orchard said the graves had been previously targeted by vandals and estimates the damage caused by Mrs Potts may cost more than £15,000 to repair.

But she said she is relieved to hear that the damage was caused by accident.

The communications manager from Bristol said: ”The council has told us that the lady concerned has admitted the accident.

”It would have been nice to receive an apology as I’m sure she didn’t do it deliberately but must have appreciated the distress it must have caused.

”It would just have been good to have an explanation of how it happened.

”However, I am very glad that she came forward and that she did not injure herself. We are certainly not angry with her and feel no animosity towards her.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police yesterday confirmed that the person responsible for the damage had come forward.

Inspector Kevin Thatcher said: ”Officers have spoken to the person responsible and this matter is no longer being treated as criminal damage but as a collision.

”We have spoken to the woman whose family’s graves were damaged and updated her with the current state of our enquiries.”

Original Story

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

Transport minister Paul Clark said it was the “right” policy.

The rule change has been implemented under existing law, meaning it will not need to be approved by Parliament or debated by MPs.

‘Ordinary settled life’

In a written statement to the House of Commons, Mr Clark said: “As a preliminary measure, I am informing the House that from today those applying for a provisional as well as full driving licence will have to demonstrate that they are lawfully resident in the UK, not simply lawfully present, in order to qualify for a driving licence.

“Those who are present in the UK on temporary permission or temporary release under the Immigration Act 1971 will not be considered eligible for a driving licence.

“Those granted leave to enter or remain in the UK for at least 185 days will continue to be able to apply for a licence whilst their leave is extant, provided they otherwise qualify.”

He added: “It is right that those whose status remains undecided and those without leave should not be seeking to establish the benefits of ordinary settled life in the UK, including access to driving licences.”

The alteration to the rules was introduced jointly by the Department for Transport and the Home Office.

Original story

NB – This article was originally posted by BBC News.

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.

Drivers who build up 12 or more penalty points within a certain period are likely to be disqualified under the ‘totting-up’ system.

Mr Shafi’s solicitor told Bournemouth Magistrates court that a driving disqualification would risk his job and stop him taking his mother to the GP.

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

Road safety campaigners expressed concern at the decision.

Katie Shephard, from Brake, the road safety charity, said: “The reality is that speed is a factor in most crashes, because the faster a vehicle goes, the less chance there is to avoid a hazard, the harder the vehicle hits and the more damage it causes.

“As the boss of a major UK driving school, Shafi should be aware of the dangers of speeding and should be responsible for setting a good example to all young people learning to drive.

“Brake would strongly recommend that the situation is reviewed and his license is revoked immediately.”

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Courts should impose a ban when a driver acculmulates 12 points. The fact that a ban will affect somebody’s ability to do their job does not justify a decision not to impose it.

“A driver who is accumulating points has even more reason to change their driving so they do not reach 12 points. If they persistently demonstrate bad driving, they should be banned.

“It is very surprising that somebody in this position would apparently show such a pattern of persistent bad driving.”

BSM teaches around 130,000 people a year to learn to drive.

Mr Shafi said: “I apologise for any embarrassment this situation may have caused.”

Original story

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.

Ultimately, Cha ended up taking that same written test about 950 times before managing that 60-of-100 score. Yes, you read that right – this woman took the written test 950 times before earning a passing grade. Like we said, tenacity.

That coveted slip of paper didn’t come cheap. All told, Cha spent more than five million won ($4,200) in application fees over the last four years. Please join us in a silent prayer for safety on South Korean roadways.

For what it’s worth, Cha’s not out of the water just yet – she still needs to pass the actual driving test before being rewarded with a real license. According to local media reports, Cha hopes a driver’s license will improve her door-to-door vegetable-selling business. Good luck!

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

Thousands of children – some as young as 11 – are enrolling for driving lessons at a growing number of specialist centres, but the trend has police and safety groups concerned.

Jack Bassford, 15, has already mastered the basics of driving a car.

He is one of thousands of youngsters being taught to drive off the public roads long before they are legally able to hold a driving licence.

The theory is if they can gain an understanding of driving and the dangers early, it will make them better drivers when they are eventually old enough to get a licence.

‘Crash risk’

“If I keep coming and practising, then in two years’ time when I’m old enough to drive, I’ll be used to getting in the car and driving,” the teenager said.

He was speaking during a lesson at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham with a company called Young Driver – one of dozens of firms now offering the courses.

Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. An explanation of the abbreviations can be found in ‘The road user and the law’.

Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts (see ‘The road user and the law’) to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.

Knowing and applying the rules contained in The Highway Code could significantly reduce road casualties. Cutting the number of deaths and injuries that occur on our roads every day is a responsibility we all share. The Highway Code can help us discharge that responsibility. Further information on driving/riding techniques can be found in ‘The Official DSA Guide to Driving – the essential skills’ and ‘The Official DSA Guide to Riding – the essential skills’.

highway code

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.

Make sure all lights are working and fluid levels are correct. Use a stronger mix of screen wash to ensure maximum cleaning and to prevent it freezing – do not use just water and never use washing up liquid. Make sure all windows are clean – use de-icer and a suitable scraper. A CD case will be fine if you have nothing better.

Never leave the engine running with the car unattended – if you wish to keep your car, that is. If the car is stolen you will not be covered by your insurance. To demist you could place a hot water bottle on the dashboard. Never pour hot water directly on to the screen: it turns the glass brittle and a slight knock or jolt could cause it to crack or shatter.

Dress suitably for the conditions. Take a thermos of hot drink or soup and high-energy food such as sweets, chocolate, and glucose-based snacks. Keep a blanket or sleeping bag and a high visibility coat or vest in the car. Have some kind of entertainment, especially when conveying young children. Also take a pair of sunglasses with you – they will reduce the glare of low winter sun on the snow. A charger for your mobile phone makes sense, as does knowing the telephone number of your breakdown service. Tell somebody that you’re on your journey, particularly if travelling in remote areas.

While driving, use the principle of gentle acceleration, steering and braking. These are the key. When pulling away, use a high gear such as second or even third and, with automatics, select second. Some automatics have a winter mode. Watch your speed and remember that cyclists and pedestrians will be less visible, as well as other vehicles.

If the driving wheels lose their grip, do not rev the engine – all that does is polish the snow and ice. And if your vehicle starts to skid, gently remove your foot from the accelerator and steer in the direction of the skid. Try not to brake – use the gears to slow down.

More often than not, black ice is found in areas that are shadowed from the sun, particularly on roads heading north to south. And while your car might be nice and warm, it could be well below freezing outside. Keep an eye on your the external temperature display, if you have one. They are a good guide. If the road has not been gritted, be wary of driving in the wheel-tracks of other vehicles, as compressed snow is likely to cause you to skid than undisturbed snow.

Remember that stopping distances can be increased by up to ten times in ice and snow, so keep your distance from the car in front and indicate early before turning or changing lanes. Give other drivers plenty of time to react. Always use dipped headlights – see and be seen. Do not use fog lights unless visibility is less than 100 meters, as it dazzles oncoming vehicles, and rear fog lights can obscure brake lights.

And finally, avoid flashing your headlights to acknowledge other drivers. You might intend it to be courteous, but it may well dazzle the other driver.