06/11/2020
North Wales Police is supporting the national Operation Drive Insured campaign aimed at reducing the numbers of uninsured drivers using the region’s roads. During a week of enforcement action, officers across the country have been conducting an enhanced policing operation aimed at detecting and seizing uninsured vehicles.
The operation is co-ordinated by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and partners, to help highlight the issue of uninsured driving. Each year in the UK over 130 people are killed and 26,000 are left injured in collisions caused by uninsured and untraced drivers, linking them to nearly one in every five road traffic collisions. This equates to one casualty every 20 minutes.
Since January 1st North Wales Police has seized 979 vehicles due to no insurance. Whilst statistics tell us that uninsured drivers cause more collisions, there is another consequence - higher premiums for other drivers.
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13/10/2020
Ministers are backing the recommendations of an independent expert group to give councils additional civil enforcement powers to fine problem parkers.
“The current law is not as clear as it could be", said Deputy Transport Minister, Lee Waters MS, who set up the taskforce.
“There is no specific offence of parking on pavements, and although the Police can enforce the existing criminal offence of causing ‘unnecessary obstruction of any part of the highway’, it is rarely enforced".
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05/10/2020
Dyfed-Powys Police has revealed that its Roads Policing Unit officers arrested 20 people on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol over a three day period, Friday, 25 September -Sunday, 27 September.
Breaking the figures down, the force says 11 of the people arrested were suspected to have illegal substances in their system at the time of driving, while nine were suspected to be over the alcohol limit.
Inspector for Specialist Operations Andy Williams said, “Unfortunately, we have seen a dramatic rise in arrests over the past 12 months, with the number of drug driving incidents surpassing drink driving.
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01/10/2020
Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP have launched brand-new Assisted Driving assessments to give motorists the crucial insight they need to understand how to use today’s assisted driving technology safely.
Many new vehicles feature assisted driving systems that have been developed to support the driver. However, there is significant potential for carmakers to overstate the capability of their current assisted driving technology and for motorists to misuse it. Confusion around the limitations of these systems has resulted in serious road collisions – and deaths.
Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP have therefore stepped in to bring much-needed clarity and understanding, via the new Assisted Driving Grading.
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17/09/2020
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will introduce changes to the car theory test on Monday 28 September 2020.
The updates, which will make the test more realistic and improve the accessibility for all candidates, were postponed earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within the multiple choice section of the current theory test, video clip scenarios will replace the written case study and candidates will be asked 3 questions based on the short video.
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06/08/2020
A disqualified driver who tested positive for drugs and who was also wanted, was one of the many arrests made by the North Wales Roads Policing Unit recently.
Inspector Nicky Collins of the Roads Policing Unit said, “Driving whilst under the influence of drugs – whether prescribed medication or illegal substances is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol. Not only is it a criminal offence but it is also completely unacceptable which puts lives at risk.
“Drugs can affect your mind and body in a variety of ways that mean you aren't able to drive safely. Not only that, the effects can last for hours or even days. Driving while under the influence of drugs can lead to slower reaction times, poor concentration, confusion, fatigue, being over confident which means you take unnecessary risks and erratic behaviour.
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15/07/2020
The Welsh Government has confirmed driving lessons will be able to take place in Wales from 27 July.
Theory tests will restart on Monday 3 August, along with vocational, motorcycle, car and trailer tests, and tractor driving tests.
Car driving tests will start from Monday 17 August, as well as the restarting of driving instructor testing and standards checks.
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29/06/2020
Mandatory MOT testing is to be reintroduced from 1 August 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions are slowly lifted, Roads Minister Baroness Vere has announced.
- Mandatory MOT tests for car, motorcycle and van owners in England, Scotland and Wales to be reintroduced to keep roads safe
- Drivers encouraged to book a test in advance to ensure vehicles are in a roadworthy condition
- Vehicle owners with an MOT due date before 1 August will still receive a 6-month exemption
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, drivers were granted a 6-month exemption from MOT testing in March to help slow the spread of the virus. However, as restrictions are eased when safe to do so, all drivers whose car, motorcycle or van is due for an MOT test from 1 August will be required to get a test certificate to continue driving their vehicle.
MOT tests are important for road safety and ensure that vehicle parts, including tyres, seatbelts, brakes, lights and exhausts, are in proper working order.
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20/05/2020
Through its current campaign, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) is reminding motorists of the devastating impact speed can have; not only increasing the risk of a collision but the severity of the impact at higher speeds.
This week, Police forces across the country have been sharing messages across social media encouraging the motoring public to slow down and save lives. From Monday 25th May, visible speed enforcement activity will increase.
The NPCC reports, “On average 17 people are killed and 126 are seriously injured every month in the UK, where speed is believed to have been a significant factor.
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29/04/2020
Driving for Better Business, the programme to help employers reduce road risk, has created an essential ‘Transport Toolkit’ of free online resources to help businesses and fleets through the coronavirus pandemic.
The resources provide guidance for a range of situations, including fleets working at capacity on essential operations through the crisis, to vehicle maintenance, furloughed staff and the importance of maintaining established policies.
Peter Golding, founder and managing director at FleetCheck, said, “Working in conjunction with Driving for Better Business, we’ve taken the subjects that are being raised most frequently by our customers and produced videos available to everyone that provide pertinent advice in a fast, easy to understand format.
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