New rules covering those that drive whilst disqualified

Brake has congratulated the Government on delivering tougher sentences for disqualified drivers as part of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act, which came into force on Monday, April 13.

Under the new rules anyone convicted of causing death by driving while disqualified will face a maximum of 10 years in prison, up from only two years previously.


There is also a new offence that has been created "causing serious injury by driving while disqualified" anyone convicted of this offence will face up to four years in prison.


Ed Morrow, campaigns officer for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “This is an important day for everybody involved in campaigning for better justice for victims of criminal driving. Getting behind the wheel when a court has already found you to be a danger on the road, and has disqualified you from doing so, is one of the most selfish decision you can make as a driver. It is entirely right that maximum sentences are being increased, and we hope that judges will make use of them where appropriate. This is a good first step to securing better justice for victims and families, many of whom have been left feeling betrayed by inappropriate charges and paltry sentences.


The road safety charity says that there are a number of other urgent issues with how the justice system handles cases of criminal driving, and it will be pressuring whoever forms the next Government to follow the current Ministry of Justice review through to a satisfactory conclusion.

Source Fleet News

Most UK Drivers Think it's Fine to Break the Speed Limit -- A Bit

According to recent research the vast majority of UK drivers believe that going slightly over the limit is harmless, in fact 1 in 5 UK motorists thinks that driving 10mph over the speed limit is acceptable. Whilst almost one in three motorists are of the opinion that a driver traveling in a 20mph zone should only face punishment if they go 10mph or more over the speed limit, this is cause for some concern as 20 mph speed limits are typically found near schools and hospitals, where travelling at a reduced speed is crucial for the safety of children and patients.  Despite thinking that marginally speeding is not a problem the survey revealed that the vast majority do support limits being in place

The survey was carried out by German based insurance company Allianz, in an attempt to discover British attitudes to speeding. Other data gathered included:

• 74 per cent of motorists believe it is okay to go over all speed limits by 5mph 
• 65 per cent of motorists nominated motorways as most likely to induce speeding 
• 59 per cent of drivers get frustrated with other motorists who stick to the speed limit. 

There were many excuses for speeding but the most common were seeing a empty road in front of them, their speed gradually creeping up, and - perhaps the most predictable reason - being late.

More than one third of motorists (35 per cent) agree that compulsory speed awareness courses should become standard alongside the current penalties and 74 per cent of motorists agree there should be harsher penalties for extreme cases of speeding. 

The UK Chief Executive of Allianz Insurance said: "With 1 in 4 drivers saying they had been personally involved in an accident which involved excessive speed, motorists can help significantly reduce the number of accidents on Britain’s roads by driving within the speed limit."