Posts Tagged ‘driving’
Illegal Speed Cameras Are Government Cash Machines
UK drivers have heavily criticised the government and authorities over the legality of many of their speed cameras. Although the devices are intended as a ‘deterrent’ from speeding to improve road safety, many dispute that they are simply intended as a revenue system for the government. speed cameras have generated over 100m in the UK In the past year alone.
Many consider traffic police and councils to be taking advantage of vague boundaries and there are many arguments against both fixed speed cameras and mobile units. Activists have also pointed out that new digital systems are open to tampering and citizens would have no leg to stand on when falsely accused.
One of the largest criticisms of fixed cameras is their placement and visibility to motorists. Many forward facing cameras are purposefully placed behind large street signs, trees or walls to avoid being spotted by motorists until they are in its range. This has been disputed as the law states cameras MUST be in place as a visual deterrent and not an entrapment device which cannot be possible if they are obscured from view. If the speed limit is 40mph or less, they must be visible from 60m, 100m over 40mph.
Mobile speed cameras have seen increasing use but despite a strict set of rules and regulations, there is much evidence that officers have been working unlawfully to increase revenue. Even if a driver is caught speeding and believes the camera which spotted them was placed illegally they cannot appeal without evidence and even if they do it probably wont get them anywhere. Many websites have popped up with pictures of camera vans parked on pavements with double yellow lines, hidden around bends, in the way of pedestrians and blocking entrances to properties, the aims is to fight against illegal entrapment.
Legislation put in place in 1992 announced that any new speed camera needed to be approved by parliament but reportedly none of the 6000 speed cameras set up since then have acquired the essential approval. Technically, every single speeding ticket issue in the UK since 1992 could be illegal and all evidence collected on the roads could be dismissed.
If you feel you have been wrongly accused of speeding or simply disagree with the use of speed cameras and you want to keep on driving then visit Freemankeepondriving.com for the best advice on speeding.
The Latest Car Bulbs Range: Which One Should You Choose?
Osram is the leading manufacturer of automotive lighting products, and their products are used as standard equipment by many of the major leading car manufacturers. However alongside their standard range of 12 volt headlight bulbs, Osram has also produced an upgrade range of headlight bulbs for drivers looking for improved lighting and styling performance from their headlight bulbs.
There are three improved styles for the headlight bulbs. These are Osram Silver Star, Osram Cool Blue, and Osram Night Breaker. Each of these bulbs has been determined as legal for the road and has the European testing standards E1 branding. These lights are designed to replace the standard equipment, thus they fit directly into the connectors and holders without need for a tool or modification.
To determine which of the new Osram headlight bulbs you want it is best to find out what light bulbs your vehicle already has. This information can be found in two different places. Your car’s owner manual should list the style and rating of your headlight bulbs. Your other option is to use the words “Car Bulbs Finders” in the Google search engine. It will then list online auto bulb dealers, which have car guides online for you to use.
The Osram Cool Blue light is for drivers who want to make an impression. The lights give a night time appearance. Cool Blue has filtered glass that provides a blue tint to the light. It is a lot like the xenon bulbs including the intensity of those bulbs.
With the Osram Cool Blue you will need to understand the ECE rules. There are limits to the amount of blue tint you can have on a headlight bulb. Osram ensures that their Cool Blue is within that limit. In fact it is the darkest street legal light you can have for your car.
Osram Silver Star lights help increase visibility for night time driving. They are also much better than halogen headlights that come standard in cars. The Osram Silver Star produces 50 percent more light on the road at the 50 to 75 metre range. This helps drivers react to dangers, obstacles, or road signs quicker.
The top upgrade from Osram is the Night Breaker series. The Night Breaker is made with xenon gas which is pressurised inside the glass. It also has an upgrade to the filament. The results of this change offer 90 percent more light. It also has a longer range by 35 metres in darkness, with 10 percent whiter light emitted.
The keen driver who wants the best visibility and product will want the Osram Night Breaker bulbs.
Upgrading your standard headlight bulbs is a great way to improve night time safety and visibility and with the Osram Cool Blue, Osram Silverstar or Osram Nightbreaker series there should always be a bulb to suit your requirements.
If you want better vision for driving at night you should fit new Headlight Bulbs so you can see and been seen more clearly. The latest range of aftermarket, retro fit Xenon Bulbs are designed for professional drivers who travel long distances, often in poor light or night time conditions when good forward vision is crucial.
All About Completing A Texas Defensive Driving Course
There are three reasons to take a Texas Defensive Driving Course. You have received a traffic ticket and want to have it removed from your driving record, you want to receive a discount on your insurance rates or you just want to educate yourself about driving safely. The course can be taken online, in a classroom or by taking home a video or DVD.
According to Texas state law, approved courses may not be less than twenty-five dollars. It must be approved by the Texas Education Agency and it must be six hours in length. You must attend all six hours to receive your certificate of completion. When taking the course for an insurance discount or for your own education, you can pay less than $25 but you will not be allowed to use the certificate to have a traffic ticket dismissed.
A court may only dismiss one violation for each class and you may only have a ticket removed from your record once every twelve months. The class must be taken after you received a citation in order for the ticket to be considered for dismissal.
Ask the court before you take the Texas Defensive Driving course to have your ticket dismissed. Most of the courts require that you get their permission first and it is up to them if you can take the course to have the citation removed.
According to Texas law, you will need to meet three requirements to be eligible to use a defensive driving course to have a charge dismissed. You cannot have a Commercial Drivers License, you must agree that you are guilty or give a signed statement verifying that you will not fight the ticket and if you were caught speeding, you must not have been driving more than twenty five miles above the limit.
If you live out of state but receive a traffic citation while in Texas, it is possible that you can take the Texas Defensive Driving Course and have the charge dismissed from your driving record. It is the judge’s decision whether or not to allow you to do this.
Ark your insurance company if they give a discount for the course if the only reason you are taking it is to reduce your rates. The discount is usually up to ten percent of the liability coverage and is usually valid up to three years.
Once your course is finished, the provider will mail you your completion certificate. As the providers do not have to reside in Texas, it is possible that the certificate will come from out of state. State law gives the course provider up to fifteen working days after you have finished all the requirements to mail your certificate to you. You will need to complete your course well ahead of your court day to allow time to receive the certificate.
Your course provider will send you 2 certificates. The first one will be for the court and the second is for your insurance company. Make a duplicate for your records in case you decide to switch insurance carriers before the three year time period is up.
If you keep this information in mind, time and money spent in the Texas Defensive Driving Course will not be wasted.
You can save on your insurance rates when you have completed a Texas defensive driving course. Find out the easy steps to get started today at http://www.funandsafedriving.com/texas-defensive-driving.html now!
Do I Have To Serve My Whole Driving Ban?
If you reach the highest number of penalty points allowed on a driving licence or have committed an offence that was considered by the courts to have put the lives of others at risk you will most likely lose your driving licence.
The length of a driving ban depends on the severity of the offence and can range from one year to ten years. In severe cases, a judge will ban an offender from driving for life, with the safety of the public at mind.
When the offence is less severe you may be required to serve a Short Period Disqualification (SPD) which is less than 56 days. You will need to give your licence to the court for the period of time and a permanent record will be made but it will not be surrendered, you will not be required to retake a test and you can start driving once the SPD has expired.
If you have served a full driving ban you can apply for your licence once it has expired which can be done by filling in the correct forms available online or at a post office. At this stage you will only receive a provisional driving licence so you can apply to re-take the theory, hazard perception and practical test.
Unless otherwise inculcated by a magistrate, the endorsements of a disqualification will remain on a licence for which you will need to appear and present your case to have them removed.
If someone has been disqualified they may apply for their licence earlier than the expiry of the disqualification. However, this depends on the individual circumstances of the driver and the length of the ban.
A court may allow a driver to only serve half their disqualification if they have undertaken drink driving rehabilitation courses or other steps to ensure safer driving once qualified. The court may also consider the effect of the ban on an individual’s family life or career.
Disqualifications longer than 2 years may be overturned after half the proposed disqualification period, for example for a ban of 6 years you can apply after 3. If you re-offended, driving or otherwise, since your disqualification the court will instantly dismiss your application. If you drive whilst banned you may face a custodial sentence and a hefty fine.
If you need advice on speeding, then visit Nick Freeman’s site if you believe you may experience exceptional hardship as a result of losing your licence.
The Most Expensive Private Number Plates
Those of you who have ever decided to splash out on a privatised registration plate will know that once you get beyond the obscure variations on barely relevant nicknames, things get pricey! But with the rich and famous, just exactly how much are they willing to spend on a piece of white plastic on the bumper of their supercars.
A great way to assert your importance when on the road would be to buy the worlds most arrogant number plate, ‘VIP 1′ was first used on Pope John Paul II’s popemobile. It is now unsurprisingly owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich who reportedly paid 285,000 for the privilege of being recognised as ‘the number one VIP’.
Liverpool born Mike McCoomb sold his mobile phone store to BT Cellnet in 2000 for 40m, this gave him the cash to splash out 330,000 on the number plate ‘M1′ which he apparently bought for his son’s sixth birthday. Not only will the poor lad not be able to drive for nine more years but he probably doesn’t even understand the significance of an expensive number plate.
Bradford entrepreneur Afzal Kahn broke McCoomb’s record by throwing 440,000 at his ‘F1′ which he suitably donned on his Mercedes SLR McLaren, a car half designed by the actual F1 McLaren team. Given the wealth surrounding Formula one racing, Kahn believes he was lucky to only pay that much as he believes it could have gone for much more.
The most expensive number plate ever sold was outside of Britain in the wealthy Arab state of Abu Dhabi. Billionaire Saeed Abdul Ghaffer Khouri broke the world record when he paid nearly 8m for a prized ‘1′ number plate. In Abu Dhabi’s car culture, single digit number plates are the most prized and obviously number one is the most sought after. Khouri has not made it clear which car he will be adorning with the number plate but it is certain that whatever he puts it on; the number plate will be worth many times more.
If you splash out on fancy cars and now need a speeding solicitorbecause you have been caught speedingwhy not check out Oliver and Co for the best solicitors of motoring law.