Rise in Speeding Fines Linked to More Drivers Breaking the Limit Speeding fines and convictions have risen sharply across the UK in recent years, with new figures indicating that more motorists are exceeding limits and more of them are being caught. Consumer expert...

Insightful reporting from the BBC here.

Rise in Speeding Fines Linked to More Drivers Breaking the Limit - BBC share.google/lf7lLRVmZCtA...

IOPC investigates 11 officers over handling of fatal Wimbledon school crash The families of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, who died at an end-of-term tea party, say the initial investigation was flawed.

I have a lot of empathy for Smera Chohan. I can't fathom how angry I would be in her shoes.
But perhaps my white privilege might protect me from such treatment, if I were ever hit by the tragedy of road violence?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

RTA 1988
s.3ZA (2B) [a trained constable driving for police purposes] is to be regarded as driving without due care and attention if (and only if) the way the person drives falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful constable who has undertaken the same prescribed training.
2/2

Police officers should not be punished for trying to do their job The police regularly place themselves in danger in pursuit of their duties. They are allowed to speed through junctions or jump red lights while driving to an incident, risking their own safety and th...

Since 2023 it is wrong to say that emergency service drivers are driving carelessly "by definition". In 2022 the Road Traffic Act was amended as per the reply to this post below. A different test is applied to those with the required training. 1/2

uk.news.yahoo.com/police-offic...

Interesting to look at other jurisdictions.

A DUI driver has been sentenced to just over six years imprisonment for second degree manslaughter in Oregon. Also disqualified from driving for life.

So, likely lower prison sentence than here, but he'll never drive again.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/c...

Yes - I noted they didn't mention that last point.
I very much admire the work of social media 'influencer' Big Jobber who, as a former insurance claims handler, has a good grasp of the law and is very clear in communicating to his followers, esp. on this point!

I wonder about the usefulness of reports such as this. What is "irritating" or not "well-mannered" is very different to what is endangering. Is part of the problem that we don't distinguish between them?
Interesting also to read the "is it illegal" answers.

An admission.

I rarely cycle. I should cycle more: for my health; for the environment. However, I enjoy driving and took an advanced driving test to minimise the risk I pose to others.

But I don't understand the whataboutery of other drivers. And the polarisation of viewpoints gets us nowhere.

I'm disappointed that this report doesn't specify which disciplines have grown the most.

As well as the overall risks discussed, my feeling is there is a specific risk that the legal education bubble will burst.

How many of the additional students taken by these universities were on law degrees?

I did wonder if I was being over-sensitive in thinking this was verging on mansplaining.

He's kept going.

"What of cyclists who break limbs etc"

I'm going to stop there.

Summary of exchange with prof from another dept:

Him- great article. Driving standards in Leicester are v poor

Me - thanks

Him - but cyclists often just as bad

Me - but they don't kill 5 people a day. Or even a year.

Him - I'm not sure about that

Me - I am (link to road casualties GB)

🙄

Although 6 points is the norm, disqualification for a s.172 offence is discretionary. The magistrate must have been aware of her poor history, thankfully. She will have been sent an SJP notice and given the opportunity to attend a full hearing if she wanted to argue against disqualification.

A human driver is simply too fallible. Self-driving cars can’t come quickly enough Many of us are lazy, impatient and impetuous – autonomous vehicles have the potential to save us from ourselves

I'm ambivalent about AVs. In theory, the arguments carry weight. But only if AVs are properly regulated. I fear they are being introduced too quickly, driven by commercial, rather than road safety, interests.

www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/hu...

Nantwich driver jailed for hitting man with car in Talke Andrew Paul Whalley got into a fight with his victim minutes earlier, then returned in his car.

Car as weapon case. Charged with attempted murder, s.18 GBH with intent, affray and dangerous driving. Acquitted of attempted murder (very rare to get a conviction in such cases) and pleaded guilty to other charges.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

London police criticised over public transport crimes Figures show around 97% of hate crime or VAWG offences reported never result in a charge or summons

I try to take public transport as much as possible, and have never driven in London. But I don't live there. Those who do need to be able to feel safer on train and buses than in their cars.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Change to the headline online is welcome - although "UK laws" is a little problematic...

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Some police use this test. One former officer I know used it very effectively.

But there is a potential problem. What of those learner drivers on the roads? They may be safer than other drivers as their attention is fully on their driving, but by definition they've not passed their test.

He's coming up to his A levels now and I have noticed that his bag is much lighter, as he does seem to be set more homework online than when he was younger. But some of it is still in hard copy.
We have had some stressful mornings over the years when he's suddenly remembered something!

It's long been my view that we need to increase the penalty for the underlying behaviour. The point of my article is that the example you give is very unlikely to be charged as dangerous driving. Even less likely to result in a ban (unless points for speeding result in a totting disqualification).

I couldn't agree more, and there is psychological research to evidence that point.

But in recent years political points have been scored by simply ratcheting up the sentence for causing death; policy has not been informed by the point you're making.

Again, I agree.
Normative compliance is the goal. If the law can be used to change attitudes as occurred with drink driving, the roads would be far safer. But the problem with the current law is that the messaging gets lost. Hindsight bias sometimes (not always) dictates what is seen as dangerous

Behind the Headlines - Sentencing After Fatal Crashes - All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking

Sorry - the link to my report was on a different thread:

appgcw.org/resources/in...

I think you saw my link to the sentencing guidelines.
I'm aware of that case which is in the report I wrote last year. I agree it warranted a life ban. Only one case that year resulted in a lifetime ban - the prison sentence was 1 year longer than Anderson's.

The headline I sent was:

"A broken standard: how the law fails the victims of road violence"

Although, as others have commented, we need to address the underlying behaviour, whether or not someone is unfortunate to become the victim of it.

Never heard of this. But my son's school doesn't have lockers.

He's found it v difficult because he spends alternate nights at his dad's house, so has to remember 2 days of homework every day, and has nowhere to leave it.

Why do some killer motorists get short prison sentences? UK road safety laws are letting them off the hook | Sally Kyd Two court cases last month illustrate how confusion over legal definitions are feeding into a culture of poor driving standards, says law professor Sally Kyd

This is a good piece. We simply accept 1000s of unnecessary deaths because we won't force all of us who drive to accept we have a dangerous machine in our hands.

And then fail to enforce that fact as police have basically stopped policing the roads.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I don't have strong views on the charge (NB she had been racing at 100mph earlier in evening). I do think, though, that the case is an excellent example of the need for proper graduated driver licensing. It's what changed my son's mind about that. Limit ability to carry similar aged passengers.

I didn't actually say I thought the decision was wrong in her case, or the she deserved longer.
I was using it as an example of how the law is confusing to some (eg my son).
But not sure they were 'friends'. Worrying no mention of a breath test in court. Her behaviour was not good post charge.

Coming in 2028 (if I can find time to write it), to be published by Routledge:

Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation of Drivers: Licence to Kill