Scotland are set to lower the drink drive limit later this year, after the power to change them was handed to Holyrood under the 2012 Scotland Act.

The current limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood with Scotland wanting to reduce it to 50mg per 100ml.

Several European countries such as Spain, France and Germany amongst others already have the 50mg/100ml limit, with some countries dropping it even lower to 20mg per 100ml for learner drivers, newly qualified drivers or professional drivers.

Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Conservative deputy leader welcomed the proposals and said: “We believe that everything should be done to reduced road deaths caused directly by alcohol.”

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A survey conducted by Be Wiser Insurance has found that nearly half of UK motorists can’t or won’t carry out basic maintenance jobs on their car.

Jobs such as changing a wiper blade, topping up water, oil and coolant are all jobs that 46% of the drivers surveyed said they would pay someone else to do either because they didn’t know how or because they didn’t have the time.

Reassuringly, a fifth of those surveyed did say that would like to learn how to perform the basic tasks.

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With the Olympics 2012, the Euro 2012, the Jubliee and bank holidays all coming up, there will be plenty of reasons to be amongst friends and celebrate. This is of course a great thing, it is a time to be merry and to celebrate. It’s a time when many of us will feel proud to be British – and so we should.

One theme that does emerge though during times like this is: how we behave on the roads. When we get into our cars we must remember that we are in control of heavy machines, and if they are used without been focused tragic things can happen.

If you are going to be drinking during this period, remember to leave the car parked at home. Take advantage of public transport or car pool with your friends. It is never worth the risk. A little planning can be hugely helpful.

We must all remember that these are times when we should be celebrating together and sharing the joyous moments that these events bring. However,  this is sometimes not the case when accidents are involved that have been caused by drunk drivers.

You can still go out, celebrate it in a way you would want to and come back home without making life tough for others. This is the time to play our part and be part of the collective safety of everyone in this country.

We wish you a very happy summer.

Hertfordshire Council must refund £1.3m in bus lane fines after illegally placed restrictions.

The Traffic Penalty Tribunal has stated that the bus lane enforcement sign on Moor End Road in Hemel Hempstead was unclear and illegally placed.

More than 35, 000 drivers have been issued with a penalty notice and all that have paid are set to get a refund.

The council will now suspend the bus lane enforcement on this road and contact all drivers that have received a ticket.

The council are not obliged to refund those that have paid, but apologises to all drivers that have been issued with a penalty notice and states anyone that hasn’t yet paid does not have to and they will contact those that have in due course.

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“To market, to market” they say, but how do you get to the market? Before you say, “car,” we want to point out all the other alternative ways to get to market. Cars are great, we love them, they’re helpful. We can pack them with our bags, throw in our shopping, be covered from the rain, be warm and get from door to door. But so many of us are dependent on our cars. With the rise in fuel prices it’s worth looking at alternative ways to travel. And there are alternative ways, there are many. We just need to have a gander and see what we can find.
Walking more, using buses, jumping on a bike and taking the metro are all alternative options to jumping in your car. These are all  things that can be used more often. Not only will you get a bit more exercise using these things, you will be making a positive impact on the environment too. It’s always nice doing our part to help the environment. It’s worth noting that you can always find times of busses and trams quite easily. You can either look online or phone up your local companies and check with them.
Let us know what you’re doing to help the environment.

Southend-on-Sea saw the closure of their practical driving test centre back in 2008 when a new test centre in Basildon opened however, they have been given two days a week to sit their test in Southend again.

The new testing area will be situated at Tickfield Community Centre on Southend’s Tickfield industrial estate. Initially you will only be able to sit your test on a Monday or a Friday.

The DSA are continually trying to offer a more local service for candidates and areas with a high demand for tests will hopefully see tests introduced even if it is on a part time basis.

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An illegal immigrant known as Iqbal Singh absconded after being refused permanent leave to remain in the UK after arriving from India back in 2000. This chain of events lead to Mr Singh killing a father of four after falling asleep at the wheel in December last year.

Malcolm Anderson was travelling back from a wedding with his wife and son when Mr Singh struck his car which resulted in Mr Anderson suffering a fatal heart attack.

Mr Singh had no insurance or licence and claimed “I must have shut my eyes for a second or taken my eyes of the road.”

Mrs Anderson was cut free from the wreckage but suffered a punctured lung and cracked ribs. Her son suffered from a broken nose, a damaged ankle and bruises on his lung.

Mrs Anderson was shocked when the judge handed Mr Singh only a two year jail sentence, she said “Armed robbers sometimes get life because they use weapons. The van driven by Mr Singh was the weapon used to kill my husband”.

Judge Michael Cullum reduced his sentence to credit Singh for his early guilty plea. However, Mr Singh will be deported back to India at the end of his jail sentence.

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On her final seaso,n the multibillion dollar media personality, talk show host, actress and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, urged her viewers to sign a pledge to say they wouldn’t use their phone whilst driving. And we think we need to mention it again.

We all know the dangers of texting and driving and talking whilst driving. Most of us don’t do it. The temptation to use your phone usually comes when you are stuck in traffic and the lights seem like they will be on red for an age and you phone starts buzzing. You think that a quick 10 seconds won’t make a difference, but the thing is, it does.

When you are driving you need to alert all the time. There could be an ambulance approaching, the car in front may break down, there could be a cyclist coming up behind you. The lights may change faster than you anticipated. The problem is, when you make a mistake you can never turn the clock back. So please, never use your phone when driving.

The best thing to do is pull up in a safe and convenient place and take your call. If you’re on the motorway, the safest thing to do is go to a service station.

This article is not anti-mobiles. Mobiles are hugely useful, they connect us to our loved ones, work, emails, they allow us to call someone when we need to and that’s great. But, you can’t use phones when driving. Ever.

Radical changes are set to be made in Northern Ireland to the rules governing learner drivers.

At present new drivers for the first year after passing their practical driving test must display “R” plates (Restricted) which limits them to 45mph until the restricted period ends. However, Environment Minister Alex Attwood is considering allowing new drivers to travel at speeds of 70mph on the motorway.

Even more exciting for new drivers, is talks over lowering the legal age to obtain a drivers licence. At present, you have to be 17 years old in order to obtain a provisional licence however, they are considering reducing it to 16 years of age. There would be restrictions in place, such as you would not be allowed to take the test for a period of time, possibly up to a year. However, this still means that learners can start the learning process a year earlier at 16 and be ready to take the test at 17.

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We don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but we have to mention it. And ladies, we’re sorry but we are talking to you, mainly. The thing we are talking about and the issue that we want to address is with high (sometimes, very high) heels. Experts are urging women up and down the country, from Europe to Asia, Africa and beyond, to wear more sensible shoes when driving. It has been found that wearing the wrong shoes can at worst, cause you to loose control of the vehicle and cause an accident.

The thing is, the answer to the problem is really simple. It’s not at all difficult. All you really need to do is have a spare pair of shoes in the car. A pair of cheap pumps/trainers/flats will do. It really does make sense to have a pair, especially when they can make a difference on how you handle the vehicle. When it’s something as simple as this, it’s worth following through.

It is important to remember that it is our responsibility to drive safely. It is not worth taking a risk. The increasing rate of accidents taking place has called for immediate actions to be taken.

Gareth Kloet, the head of car insurance at Confused.com has said, “Wearing inappropriate footwear could cause the driver to lose control of the car”. It is a timely warning. So please, follow our guidelines and have a spare of comfortable shoes in the car.