We recently reported on the number of individuals that drive in what would seem to be ‘inappropriate driving footwear’, but what does the law say on wearing heels whilst driving?

There is no specific law dealing with the issue of driving in high heels; from a legal standpoint, drivers can wear any type of shoes. It is even perfectly legal to drive barefoot.

Rule 97 of the Highway Code states that before setting off on a journey in your car, you should ensure that ‘clothing and footwear do not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner’. However, if you get involved in an accident as a result of inappropriate footwear, this could amount to driving without due care and attention. There is no definitive list of actions that amount to careless driving and is very much open to interpretation.

Driving in unsuitable shoes, particularly high heels, can cause a variety of problems, including getting your heel stuck in the floor of the vehicle.

The best solution is to have a suitable pair of shoes in your car. So, should you need to drive, you do not run the risk of causing serious harm to yourself and others, as well action being brought against you.

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We are all surely feeling the oncoming effects of the slowly approaching winter – the drop in temperature, the darker mornings, the weather gradually becoming foggier and wetter as the days go on. And there is no place you are likely to feel the effects of the winter season more so than in your car (unless you are outside!)

It is important at this time of year to learn to adjust to driving in the Winter – this encompasses a range of different aspects, from altering your driving style to suit the wetter roads, learning to drive in snow, rain and hail and modifying your car and in-car behaviour to suit the colder season.

This means preparing for the worst, to ready yourself for any scenario. It is a good idea to keep your car stocked up with the essentials in the event of a break-down this winter. So keep some spare oil, fuel, windscreen washer fluid and water inside your boot, as well as preparing an emergency kit. This should include, but not be limited to, a spare phone with full battery, food and water, and even blankets – this may sound a little over-cautious, but you would be glad that you took the precautions if the worst should happen and you are left stranded in the snow!

Safe driving from Britannia!

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Drink-driving is a significant concern and being convicted of drink-driving will attract strict penalties as well as everyday consequences such as job loss and higher insurance premiums

Though this is a serious matter, there have certainly been some unusual stories involving drink-driving, the most amusing of which we have listed below:

– One man who was three times over the limit, fell out of his van whilst driving. After stalling, the van started to reverse and the driver fell out into the road

– An individual who was over the limit, took his mother’s car without her consent (he would both unlicensed and uninsured) and then bizarrely called his mother when the car broke down

– A drunk burglar fell off his bike seven times when trying to escape from police after breaking into a shop. He was caught after giving up on his bike and tripping again trying to run away from officers

– A woman was given 10 points after refusing a breathalyser when it was claimed she was drunk on her mobility scooter

The following examples had been heard by courts in South Wales, and are just a few of many bizarre drink-driving stories.

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A company based in Virginia, United States, have designed a gun which can detect the frequency of a text message, phone call or data transfer.

As the law stands in the UK, you can get an automatic fixed penalty notice if you’re caught using a hand-held phone while driving or riding. You’ll get 3 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £100. Your case could also go to court and you could be disqualified from driving and get a maximum fine of £1,000.

New drivers will lose their licence if they get 6 or more penalty points within 2 years of passing their test – that means only getting caught twice on the phone.

The device, named a ‘texting gun’, is currently in production although no release date or price has been announced yet. The device can even apparently work out which person in the car is texting, so it will not alert police to issue a fine if it spots frequencies from a passenger.

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The tax disc is set to be replaced by an electronic system on 1^st October. This has caused a clash between RAC and DVLA. The RAC has claimed that the change will result in extra tax evasion amounting to about £167million a year.

They recently conducted a survey which suggested that 36% of motorists were unaware of the scrapping of the paper disc, whilst 47% did not know when the change was due to take effect. The poll also showed that 63% feared that there would be a rise in the number of untaxed cars on the road.

The DVLA, however, disagree saying that the new system will make vehicle tax easy to pay but hard to avoid. Oliver Morley, chief executive of the DVLA, argued that there was no requirement for a TV licence to be displayed in a window at home, but the system was still policed, so the same theory would hold for car tax.

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The cost of starting to drive has been identified as a potential cause for putting new and younger drivers off getting behind the wheel, a new study suggests.

The rising costs of driving lessons, car insurance, tax, MOT, and of course the purchase of a car all combine to a hefty sum, one which experts suggest are likely to result in a reduced incentive for younger drivers to take to the roads.

Ways to prevent this are available, however – if you opt for a smaller car to begin with, this is likely to cost less to purchase and to insure. Also, make sure you shop around for your insurance – the premium one provider offers you may be available at a significantly cheaper rate elsewhere, so spend some time looking before jumping at the first quote you see.

Additional driving courses such as the Pass Plus are also good ways to help reduce the cost of Insurance, as is adding an older, more qualified and “safer” driver to your policy – as long as the person who drives the car most is listed as the “named” driver, to prevent the possibility of being penalised for Insurance fraud – which could end up far more costly than an expensive premium.

Safe driving from Britannia!

Many drivers, particularly those of a younger generation, are facing a new threat whilst behind the wheel – that of the distraction of technology.

Whilst elder drivers may have only had to deal with a limited number of friends and family in the passenger seats, it seems that drivers in more recent years have a whole new social circle to contend with when driving, via their mobile phones and social networking.

It is often reported how dangerous it can be to use your phone when driving, as this is likely to distract your attention and put yourself and others in danger, however this is mostly related to being on a phone-call or texting when behind the wheel. The more recent reality is that people with Smart phones are actually much more likely to spend longer on sites such as Facebook and Twitter than they do calling or texting any more – meaning that social networking whilst driving has become a much more dangerous threat.

When you are behind the wheel, you are responsible for the lives of not only yourself and your passengers, but other road users and even pedestrians around you. Using your mobile phone, be it for calling, texting, or social networking, will distract you and therefore make you dangerous to be on the road.

Safe driving from Britannia!

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With many mobile companies such as Samsung having introduced smart watches and Apple set to join the race with the iWatch, this poses a new problem for traffic law. Are these smartwatches legal to use when driving?

The introduction of iPads saw traffic regulators needing to adapt to this new technology and it is currently an offence to use an iPad or a similar tablet behind the wheel. What does this mean for the iWatch and similar devices? The iWatch, and similarly the Samsung Gear 2, allow the user to send and receive messages, make calls and surf the web much like smartphones. Therefore, it has the same uses as a handheld mobile phone.

The Department for Transport has confirmed that being caught using such devices will carry the same penalty as using a mobile phone. This means that being caught behind the wheel unsafely operating a smartwatch could carry a fixed penalty notice of £100 and three penalty points. In more serious cases, it could be taken to court where drivers face disqualification and a maximum £1,000 fine.

However, it is currently legal to use hands-free phones and sat-navs when driving – both functions that the smartwatches are capable of. Therefore, an officer could be hard pressed to tell if it’s being used illegally. The law does state, however, that if police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle they can still stop and penalise motorists.

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