Police officers who secretly filmed up to 500 motorists gathering for “street racing” in Birmingham, have identified over 400 drivers and fined around 200.

PC Paul Bieliauskas said: “Street racers have been making stretches of the A47…no-go roads on Sunday nights into the early hours.

The West Midlands force along with Birmingham City Council have issued around 120 injunctions against some of the motorists caught, prohibiting them from participating in or watching street racing.

Those that break their injunction will be banned from driving and could face fines of up to £5000.

The West Midlands Force wanted to come down heavy on these drivers, worried for the safety of spectators, motorists and innocent bystanders.

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The Institute of Advanced Driving (IAM) has called for British Summer Time (BST) to be changed to provide more daylight hours during the evenings in the later months.

Bringing the time zone forward an hour in both summer and winter would allow Britain to have lighter evenings in the hope that there would be fewer traffic accidents. Statistics from the Department for Transport show that the changing of daylight hours could potentially prevent 80 deaths and around 200 serious injuries on the roads each year.

With the arrival of the darker evenings, road casualty rates increase dramatically as shown by the 2011 figures:

• Pedestrians are 14% more likely to be killed or seriously injured in November compared to the monthly average.

• Cyclist casualties increase by 5%.

• The rate of motorcycle casualties per vehicle mile was 28% higher.

The chief executive of IAM said “Making evenings lighter would save lives. It would benefit all road users….We’d like to try doing a three year trial of the new daylight system. If the trial period proves the new daylight hours have a positive effect it becomes clear it is a system we should keep and continue with. With convincing evidence of the potential benefits, it is only right that we pilot a new system.”

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It is shocking that many people don’t wear seat belts. To put it simply: seatbelts saves lives.

Here is what the Direct Gov say about wearing a seat belt:

Always wear a seatbelt. In a crash you’re twice as likely to die if you don’t.
Not wearing a seatbelt can be a fatal decision even on short, familiar journeys and at low speeds.
Wear your seatbelt correctly so it can offer you the best possible protection in a crash.

Read More about what they say here.

Putting on your seatbelt takes a few seconds, so it is always worth doing. If you have passengers in the car make sure that they belt up to

France already has a lower drink drive limit then the UK, with it being 50mg per 100ml of blood. Along with the lower limits, France are desperately trying to reduce alcohol related accidents and have since introduced a new law requiring all drivers including motorcyclists to carry a breathalyser kit.

For any driver not carrying a breathalyser kit, they will be fined around 11 euros, the fine was due to be implemented from November 1st but has been pushed back until March 2013.

For those drivers travelling to France from the UK, you will be able to purchase breathalyser kits for around £2 and they will be available to purchase at ferry/tunnel crossings to France.

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The fact that the police are carrying out crackdowns shouldn’t mean you should start driving more cautiously – we hope that you already are driving cautiously. The police are on the hunt and going after bad drivers, but we are all – hopefully! – good drivers.

Some people however, just don’t think that the rules apply to them. Recently, as mentioned in this article, police carried out roadside checks on 320 vehicles. Four men were arrested. Some of the reasons were theft, driving with no insurance and for stealing from a charity shop.

What’s more shocking in the above article is that, of the all the people that were pulled over the police, one in three of them were not wearing a seatbelt.

One must always wear seatbelt. Even if you’re only getting in the car for a few moments. Seatbelts save lives, so please wear them.

Jane Hofmeister lost her 13-year-old daughter after she was knocked down in June last year. However, it has taken more than a year for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Leanne Burnell, 21 and Leonard Jones, 42 both left a pub in separate cars and played a game of ‘cat and mouse’ through Taunton Town Centre at more than twice the 30mph speed limit. Witnesses say they were overtaking, driving down bus lanes and speeding excessively.

Jones, admitted causing Amy’s death by dangerous driving and received a sentence of seven years in jail. However, Burnell denied the same charges and was originally handed an 18-month sentence.

After Jane Hofmeister campaigned to increase Burnell’s sentence, her sentence was reviewed and increased to three and a half years when three Court of Appeal judges agreed the first sentence was “unduly lenient”.

Ms Hifmeister said she felt Burnell showed “no remorse” for her involvement in her daughter’s death. She hopes that by fighting to increase the prison sentence it will not only teach Burnell a lesson but send a message out to other drivers that there can be terrible consequences getting behind the wheel after a drink.

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Skobbler a satnav app developer analysed over three million downloads by UK drivers between May and July and found that McDonald’s was the second most searched for destination.

Thankfully petrol stations were the most popular search, so drivers are at least thinking like drivers. However, it is thought that food is just as important a thought, with three out of the top four searches being food related.

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We spend so much time in our car and so it’s understandable why we take a big hit when we find that our car has been broken into or damaged.

You can though, by making a few small adjustments, help deter thieves from breaking into your car. The first and most obvious is to not leave anything on show. It’s tempting when you are just popping into the shop to leave your goods on display, but don’t – ever! Get a steering wheel lock, this takes seconds to put on and take off, yet it’s useful for putting off thieves. If you have a garage make sure that use it. If you are going to an area that you don’t know, take the time to find a secure car park. A secure car park is usually well lit and has cameras.

Hamilton Police started a campaign in February, on the look-out for drivers that are distracted whilst driving. Whether it is a mobile phone, iPod or other devise, anyone issued with a ticket for distracted driving will pay $155.

The Distracted Driving Law took effect in October 2009 when police saw an increase in traffic collisions and alcohol wasn’t the cause.

As a mark of the end of the nine-month campaign which saw more than 4000 drivers issued with tickets, the police set up a distracted driving simulator for the public. This highlighted the effect of taking your eyes of the road for just a few seconds and would jolt the simulator forward to emulate a real collision.

Steve Overend a driving instructor said: “They’re missing things like doors opening, cars in front. They’re not able to respond in time.”

Constable Wes Wilson said it is also important for drivers to know that the car doesn’t have to be in motion for it to be illegal. He said: “If you think about it, the car is still in drive. You’re driving your vehicle at a red light.”

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Yes guys, it’s happening again, the rain keeps coming and it never seems to go away!

What does that mean for us drivers though? Well a few things:

1) Your stopping distance will increase by at least double the amount so prepare well
2) Remember that your windows are mostly likely to steam up so have some good ventilation going, open your windows a touch
3) Be extra cautious. We all know the roads seem busier when it rains and everyone is in a rush so be prepared.
4) Always have an umbrella in the car. There is nothing worse than been wet. If you’re like me, you make sure you never forget your umbrella. However, for others, they lose umbrellas so often it makes sense to buy a few – they’re pretty cheap – and keep them in your car.

We hope these tips come in handy.