A man accused of drunk-driving after leading police on a high-speed chase explained to an officer that it was his dog, and not him, who had been driving the vehicle.

Reliford Cooper III, 26, blamed the pooch after his car had crashed into a ditch following the chase in Palmetto, Florida – allegedly telling an officer: ‘My dog was driving that car, I ran cause I wanted to. You ain’t gonna find no drugs or guns on me.’

A police report filed by the arresting officer told how after Cooper’s car crashed he escaped on foot before eventually being traced by sniffer dogs to a church.

He was said to have smelt of alcohol and marijuana but consistently denied driving the car. After throwing up, Cooper, who has previous convictions for armed robbery and burglarly, was taken to hospital for a check-up before being charged with drunk driving, aggravated fleeing and leaving the scene of an accident.

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As the weather gets colder around us and we find ourselves in the midst of autumn, we also slowly become aware of another danger on the roads at this time of year – The darkness.

Although many may write this off as not a hazard, driving in the darkness is an activity that needs to be approached with extreme caution – It is not enough to simply switch on the dipped headlights and assume you will be fine. You also need to drive slower than you normally would to accommodate for any unforeseen changes in road conditions that would otherwise have been perfectly visible in the middle of the day.

Awareness also needs to be at it’s peak when driving at night – Just because it is later in the day doesn’t mean you should be any less careful about pedestrians and other motorists.

Safe driving from Britannia!

A lot of people are being scammed by fake websites which impersonate official government sites and so individuals must be careful not to use them. Though there has been a crackdown it is still possible to be fooled by these websites.

A mother in Essex told of how her 17-year-old was almost scammed by website UK Licence Services. She had applied online for her provisional licence using her own debit card, but at the point of payment she called her mother into the room to tell her she was shocked to be asked to pay £108 where she had only expected £34. Luckily she had not completed the transaction otherwise she would have been scammed. The website apparently stresses that it is in no way affiliated with the DVLA however this is in small print.

There are similar websites which claim to book driving tests and overcharge those that go through their site.

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Recently we ran an article explaining the differences between driving in the summer seasons and in the winter weather – However the differences do not start and end with stopping distances – There is much more to take into account when driving in the autumn and winter months!

Another threat on the roads that is often overlooked is the danger of falling leaves on the ground – Whilst these can contribute to a lovely autumnal scene, it can cause havoc for road users, with slippy leaves littering the road meaning that motorists have to take extra care when driving to avoid losing control on the unstable road surface.

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Nearly a quarter of drivers have broken the law by talking to their families while behind the wheel, research from road safety charity Brake has revealed.

Almost a quarter (23%) of drivers have talked to family on the phone while driving while one-in-seven drivers (15%) have talked to friends on the phone while driving.

Meanwhile, one-in-six drivers (17%) have had a work-related call whilst driving. The survey showed that young drivers (17-24) were most likely to engage in phone calls with friends with more than a third (35%) of young drivers doing so whilst driving.

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All drivers love the summer seasons – With the dry weather and high temperatures, it’s no wonder all motorists want to get out in their pride and joy, with the windows or roofs down enjoying the glorious sunshine.

Unfortunately that time of year has to come to an end – We suddenly find ourselves in October, with nights getting darker faster and colder, wetter weather setting in. So what does this mean for drivers?

For starters, you need to adjust your driving habits. With stopping distances increasing in wet weather, you need to be more alert behind the wheel.

What other tips do you need to follow when driving in winter weather? Keep an eye here and find out on Friday!

Safe driving from Britannia!

A bear has been spotted travelling in the back seat of a car in Russia, but the driver of the vehicle will not face prosecution because the beast was restrained with the appropriate seat belt.

The brown bear stunned motorists after it was spotted in the vehicle. It even stuck its head out of the rear window of the Volga car to catch a treat offered by a fellow passenger.

The strange incident happened in the city of Yekaterinburg in central Russia and was recorded on video by a driver who was following behind.

The footage shows the bear’s head poking out of the window and then a man’s hand offering him a treat to keep the bear amused and happy.

At the time of the incident, the Filatov circus from Moscow, famous for its performances with bears was on tour in Yekaterinburg. However, the head of the circus insisted the bear had nothing to do with them as their bears are much bigger. The Yekaterinburg Zoo also denied any knowledge about the animal.

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