A former rugby league star has been banned from driving after he crashed into a car carrying a mother and her two daughters before driving off.

Keith Mason who played for Super League giants St Helens and Huddersfield wrote off a Mini Cooper with a head-on smash with his Nissan Qashi last August.

Court was told that he made no attempt to exchange details but walked away from the scene. He was later traced by police at which point he said he thought he was on the correct side of the road but was dazed after the smash from hitting his head on the airbag in his car.

Mason pleaded guilty to careless driving, leaving the scene of a collision and failing to exchange details. He was given a nine-month community order and will be under curfew between 7am and 7pm for two months. He was also ordered to pay a £60 surcharge and £85 costs.

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With many dangerous drivers on the roads nowadays, it is good practise to know how to drive defensively. Learning to drive in this way will help you to feel safer in your car (not to mention your passengers) and also help to avoid a collision, thereby eliminating any risk of an accident and the ensuing insurance claims, leading to increased premiums – So defensive driving really can save you money!

– Always check your mirrors. You need to know exactly what is behind you, to the sides of you and in front of you at all times, and use this information properly before making any manoeuvres.

– Make eye contact with other drivers and pedestrians. This helps to confirm that they have seen you, and acknowledges that you have seen them, and thereby ensures a minimum risk of an accident.

– Notice the details. Does a parked car have wheels pointed outwards? It may be about to pull out. Is there a driver sitting inside a parked car? He might be about to open the door.

– Assume the worst. Expect the worst standard of driving from all other drivers, and you won’t be unpleasantly surprised. Assume any driver will pull out in front of you, or overrun that red light, and be prepared to react accordingly.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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Smoking in cars that are carrying children will be banned in England from 1 October.

This law change was announced after 342 MPs voted in favour, with only 74 against. Those caught smoking with children in the car could face a £50 fine.

According to the British Lung Foundation, more than 400,000 children are exposed to second-hand smoke in their family car every week in England. Smoking just a single cigarette in a car exposes children to high levels of air pollutants and cancer-causing chemicals like arsenic, formaldehyde and tar.

However, a group which campaigns for the right to smoke, called the law “excessive” and said the Government should not be interfering in people’s “private space”.

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If you have been studying for your theory, you may have come across several mystifying terms that have baffled you. In fact, it is very common for pupils to admit to failing their theory test due to coming across an unfamiliar term in one of the questions and being forced to guess the answers.

Give yourself the advantage and brush up on your Driving Theory terminology:

ABS: Anti-Lock Braking System. This is a system designed to help the driver maintain control over their vehicle by improving the ability to steer whilst skidding.

Crosswind: This is a term used to refer to wind that comes at the driver from the side, rather than in front or behind. Those most in danger of crosswinds will by cyclists, motorcycle riders and high-topped vehicles such as lorries.

Aquaplaning: This refers to when a car is driving on a wet road surface, and the driver begins to skid due to the surface water. This is most often characterised by light steering.

Catalytic Converter: This is a device fitted to the exhaust of a car that helps reduce pollution by turning dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide into less harmful ones.

Have we missed anything? Let us know in the comments below!

Safe driving from Britannia!

Professional Cyclist Lance Armstrong has been charged with crashing into two parked cars in the Colorado ski resort town of Aspen, with his girlfriend initially telling authorities she was driving.

He was cited leaving the scene of an accident and driving too fast for the snowy conditions.

Police said a resident of the area called 911 to report a hit and run after hearing the crash and seeing two vehicles rented by his relatives were damaged. He said that Armstrong’s girlfriend quickly ran up from around a corner and apologised for hitting the vehicles, said she would pay for the damages, and left her contact information with him.

When questioned by the police Armstrong’s girlfriend said she had been driving because ‘Lance had a lit bit to drink’ and that she lost control of the vehicle on the icy road. The officer was suspicious who then checked with the hotel who said Armstrong was behind the wheel when the couple left the parking lot.

Armstrong is due in court on 17 March according to court records.

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A man who drove the wrong way for nine miles down the M25 has been sentenced to 14 months in a young offenders’ institute.

20-year-old Michael Lock from Kenley, South London was caught on CCTV cameras speeding down the wrong way in his BMW between junctions four and two of the M25 through Kent and onto the A2 road. Highways Agency CCTV operatives spotted him driving down the hard shoulder anti-clockwise on the clockwise carriageway close to junction four at sevenoakes.

People were calling 999 to inform that drivers were having to move out of the way of the ongoing car.  His ten-minute-long rampage finally came to an end when he smashed into two cars lawfully driving down a sliproad as he tried to get onto the A2 at Bean.

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More and more people are resorting to installing dash cams in their vehicles, especially cyclists. Some claim that the rise of drivers and cyclists using dash cams is a response to police resource cuts whilst other believe it is a response to a growing number of bogus insurance claims.

It has also emerged that very few police forces collated information about highway patrol hours. It was also confirmed that police forces are now using publicly-supplied footage to secure convictions.

A cyclist in Harlow in Essex arms his bike with three separate cameras and says his footage have led to more than 70 convictions for a variety of driving offences.  He said in the course of recording he has been driven off the road, sworn at, subjected to dangerously close passes and physically assaulted.

In addition to the peace of mind these dash cams offer, they can also save money on car insurance with a number of providers offering a reduction in your premium for having one. For example, Swiftcover offers a discount from 10%-12.5% if you install its recommended model.

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