Frank Lampard was given a 90-day driving ban, a fine of £850 and costs exceeding £2000 when he was caught speeding at 91mph in a 50mph speed limit area on the A3 in Surrey.

When sentencing for speeding offences under 85mph, courts have guidelines to follow however, for speeds over 85mph the fine to be given is ambiguous.

For drivers caught speeding at 85mph the courts would normally issue a 65 day ban.

Initially Lampard was given 90 days, which he went on to appeal on the 55th day of his driving ban. The Judge has since allowed the ban to be reduced to just 60 days.

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A sheriff has banned a driver for life – to add to the 99 years of disqualifications he already has.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis also jailed Andrew Winsborough for 10 months and complained he could not send him to prison for longer.

The 42-year-old, from Kelty in Fife, admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on the A822 Dunkeld to Amulree road on 12 May.

He has not been able to drive legally since 1989, Perth Sheriff Court heard.

Sheriff Foulis said limiting the maximum jail term for a banned driving offence to 12 months was “wholly inadequate”.

‘Inevitable’ conviction

He told Winsborough: “You can count yourself lucky that the appropriate government hasn’t seen fit to increase the maximum sentence for driving while disqualified.

“With your record, the maximum sentence of 12 months seems wholly inadequate. You have 15 convictions now for driving while disqualified. You have not been able to drive legally since 1989.”

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He is now coming up for 43 and has been disqualified since just before his 21st birthday. He has not been able to legally drive for 22 years”

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis

Winsborough appeared from custody and pled guilty at the first opportunity. The sheriff told him that would normally merit a three-month discount from the maximum sentence.

However, he knocked just two months off and told the accused that the circumstances of the offence meant that his conviction would have been inevitable even if he had gone to trial.

The court was told that Winsborough had been caught driving home from work in a friend’s car last week.

Solicitor Louisa Wade, defending, said her client had been working on a site near Aberfeldy and was asked to stay late at work three weeks into his new job.

She said he was afraid to tell his “strict” bosses about his existing driving bans, so he decided to take the risk to drive 60 miles home in his friend’s car which he had access to.

Ms Wade asked the court to limit the ban on Winsborough as an “incentive” for him to behave in future, but was told by Sheriff Foulis her client was in “no position to lay down conditions”.

The sheriff said: “He is now coming up for 43 and has been disqualified since just before his 21st birthday. He has not been able to legally drive for 22 years.

“On 14 previous occasions he hasn’t complied with that. We are talking about someone driving 60-plus miles from Aberfeldy to Kelty.

“That is not a particularly safe option for other road users. Wake up and smell the coffee, Mr Winsborough.”

The Disney film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang released in 1968, captivated children and adults alike with the iconic car which sprouts wings and a propeller and begins to fly.

The vintage car which is thought to be in good working order and has a three-litre V-6 engine is being auctioned in California this weekend.

The car is thought to fetch more than $2.5 million. This may seem expensive but for a car that evokes fantasy and dreams the lucky buyer should be pleased with their purchase.

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A busy stretch of the M6 motorway limited to 50mph for 2 years due to roadworks has amazingly attracted only 56 speeding tickets in that time.

A report by local newspaper the Express & Star reveals that the Police forces in the West Midlands, Staffordshire and West Mercia divisions covering the lengthy stretch issued just 56 £60 fixed penalty notices.

This is despite the section of motorway being used by 160,000 drivers a day, reports the paper.

It’s a staggering reduction that is even more eye-opening when you compare with figures for 2006, before the roadworks were in place: back then, 1,267 motorists were caught speeding through the Staffordshire section alone.

The Express & Star acquired the statistics under the Freedom of Information Act: the figures are from February 2009 to February 2011. In this period, West Midlands Police handed out six tickets, Staffordshire caught 28 drivers and West Mercia issued 22 tickets.

The dramatic fall in speeding fines is being attributed to the average speed cameras, that have been controlling speeds to 50mph through the roadworks section, that stretches from Junction 8 at Great Barr to Junction 10a.

RAC Foundation spokesman Phillip Gomm told the paper such a lack of speeding tickets being issued was “extraordinary.

“Government figures show that in free-flowing motorway traffic, half of all cars do above 70mph.”

Do you think the lack of speeding tickets is significant – and do you fear the success of the scheme could lead to more permanent speed-controlled sections of motorway in the UK?

A juvenile was arrested by police when he was caught driving whilst over the alcohol limit. He was breathalysed and taken to custody when it transpired he was only nine years of age.

Children under the age of ten are not considered to have reached an age where they can be held responsible for their crimes. Because they are under the age of ‘criminal responsibility’, they can’t be charged with any criminal offence. Therefore police had no choice but to release him without charge.

It is surprising that the child had access to alcohol but even more shocking that this young boy had access to a car and knew how to drive it.

Safety campaigners have stressed the need for road safety educations classes in schools from an early age to point out the dangers of getting behind the wheel when you don’t know what you are doing, especially if you are intoxicated.

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Dorset Police along with Dorset Council, surrounding boroughs, rescue services and the crown prosecution service have seen the lowest number of fatalities and serious injuries since they launched a new scheme called ‘no excuse’.

The message to drivers is that there is no excuse for drivers that pose a danger to themselves and others by breaking the law.
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20,000 motoring offences have been recorded since the ‘no excuse’ campaign began in January 2010 However, it didn’t mean drivers did not continue trying on their excuses, and here are a few of the best:

A driver stopped for not wearing a seat belt told officers “I just had a spray tan applied and I don’t want to smudge it.”

A driver stopped for having three children in the back without seatbelts told officers the reason they didn’t have seatbelts was because “They’re not my children.”

A man stopped for speeding told officers he was a stranger to Dorset and was confused by the road signs.

An older lady stopped for speeding more than double the speed limit stated “I have to get to the shops as I don’t have any bread at home.”

Finally a lady stopped for speeding was shocked that she was being issued with a ticket claiming that she was doing just over 30mph. The problem was she was driving at 48pmh.

There is a misconception that speeding a little won’t harm anybody but who defines a little. Speed limits are there for a reason and it is proven that travelling above these speeds could contribute to a serious accident.

Drivers may think that their offence is only minor and if they get caught it is their problem however, they are carrying out a selfish act that could cause a serious or fatal accident involving innocent victims.

‘No excuse’ was a one year scheme which due to the positive response and outcome is continuing for a second year.

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Despite impressive growth in quarter one of 2011, firms in the West Midlands including Jaguar Land Rover are trying to find ways to deal with a growing shortage of skilled labour and could turn to the public sector.

Manufacturing in the West Midlands is growing faster than in all other areas of the UK, according to reports from local engineering firms. Jaguar Land Rover for one, with its sites in Coventry and Warwick, has experienced a jump in sales so far this year. Figures released last month show a 25 per cent increase in Land Rover sales and a seven per cent increase in Jaguar sales year-on-year.

To consolidate this position, its Indian owner Tata has recently pledged to invest £5bn ($8.2bn) into the company in order for it to remain competitive in terms of quality with German car manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The investment will ses 40 new models launched over the next five years.

Richard Halstead, new director at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: “The (West Midlands manufacturing) sector is in growth mode – pretty much all the businesses that I see are seeing sales growth. They are seeing opportunities and a lot of that is export, which is good news.”

However, Halstead says the skills issue is “probably number one” in the list of challenges that companies face in terms of further growth.

With many former public sector employees now finding themselves without work, plans to retrain them for the manufacturing industry are being championed by the government and UK industry representatives alike. EEF says these workers could be retrained in areas such as shop and factory floor management.

Mr. Halstead said: “We would need to do gap analysis on the skills base but from a programme and project type capability; there are certainly people in the public sector who have some transferable skills”.

However, he made it clear that no plans had been concretely agreed upon as yet.

Other barriers to growth and available skills identified by EEF include a lack of historical investment in apprenticeships as well as limited access to finance. EEF pointed out that in order for firms to carry out contracts, they need investment from banks. This investment is not always so forthcoming, ass recession has shown. However, banks reluctant to release capital say that with no guarantee in the form of saleable assets, they are put in a precarious position.

Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to Tata, India’s biggest car manufacturer, in a £1.15bn ($2.3bn) deal in 2008. Tata Motors is famous for the design and production of the world’s smallest car, the Nano

Those that are caught speeding slightly over the speed limit now have a number of options rather than the usual fine of £60 and three points on the licence.

The National Speed Awareness Scheme which allows drivers to attend a workshop in place of a fine and points has been adopted by police forces across the country.

Drivers that have exceeded the speed limit slightly will be offered to attend the course however, the margins as to what speed is slightly over the limit differs between police forces.

The course is designed to address why drivers were speeding and the consequences of them speeding. This will include workshops, theory work and practical training sessions and lasts between 4-6 hours. The course costs anywhere between £60 to £100 and is hoped it will stop re-offending.

The course is not there to allow drivers to continually speed and not receive points on their licence and for this reason, you cannot attend this courses for a minimum of three years after attending.

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With experts fearing a gallon of fuel in the States could hit six dollars this year, these economical Fords prove that, while size still matters to US drivers, small can be as beautiful as big.

Ford’s European cars are now helping the firm to cement their recovery from their financial crisis in 2006. They posted a £1.57billion profit in the first quarter of 2011.

Selling British-designed and engineered cars in America is part of the “One Ford” master plan to sell the same models worldwide.

They believe a very good, well-priced car will sell in Britain, the States or even China with only minor modifications.

They also claim buyers now want fully-equipped models and will pay a higher price for smaller mainstream cars so long as they have the latest features.

Chief exec Alan Mulally, the architect of Ford’s revival and the decision to push small cars in America, told me: “We are seeing more and more people moving to smaller vehicles as they realise that in future they are going to pay even more for fuel. Our bonus is we have the right small cars at the right time in the Fiesta and Focus, with great fuel economy and great design.”

Melrose woman driver has been accused of causing a learner drivers death and date has been set for a trial.

Ms Aitken, denies driving dangerously, causing her vehicle to go on the opposite carriageway of the A6091 Melrose Bypass.

Ms Aitken has pleaded not guilty to the charge of her vehicle crashing into a car being driven by Miss Harkness, 22, killing her and injuring her driving instructor.

Suzanne Harkness was taking part in a driving lesson when the accident occurred.

She was taken to Borders General Hospital’s Accidents and Emergencies, but she died a short time later.

Mr Egan, her instructor, suffered a bad neck injury and was transferred to a specialist hospital in Glasgow.

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