Police take tough stance on anti-social drivers

Posted on May 9, 2011 by admin

A Scottish police force are assuring members of the public that they will not allow anti-social motorists to ruin the lives of law abiding citizens, as they crack down on rogue drivers. Forfar Community Council was given an update on the policing issues regarding anti-social driving during their latest meeting, where the local police force revealed they had seized 32 vehicles as part of the ongoing operation.

The behaviour of some motorists in one local area is constantly raised at community council meetings, with the antics of “boy racers” being the top complaint. The drivers are regularly being reported and nearby residents are also complaining about the amount of noise they are making.

At the meeting Constable Smith said: “Tayside Police continues to deal with numerous complaints of anti-social behaviour on the roads and car parks. A robust stance against this type of behaviour is taken. So far Tayside Police in Angus has issued 146 warnings in relation to anti-social behaviour driving, and 31 vehicles were seized as a result of a second warning.”

The Police scheme involves giving a warning ticket to anyone guilty of Anti-social driving and if they were caught again within six months, the police seize the vehicle. Tayside Police are also taking action against anyone caught drink driving as it continues to be a significant issue in Angus. Tayside Police have officers on the roads to carry out high visibility checks at peak times which it is hoped will provide reassurance to residents and make the areas safer.

The future prospects for a driver who is caught drink driving or a young driver who has their car seized or not good. Apart from a driving ban or points on their licence they can also expect a large increase in premiums when next getting a motor insurance quote. With young drivers already facing expensive insurance quotes, this could force them off the road completely.

Crackdown on noisy exhausts

Posted on September 1, 2010 by admin

It is a sound that makes a lot of people very annoyed, and in Wales both the originator of the noise, and the complaints about it is on the increase. It is of course the sound of a modified exhaust fitted to a car.

The exhaust makes a vehicle constantly sound as if it is racing along at 70 mph when in truth it is only travelling at 30 mph. Complaints have been rising to a point where the police now consider it an anti-social act. The legal noise limit for a car exhaust in the UK is 82 decibels, however, this is being superseded regularly, and during police checks the loudest exhaust measured by one police force registered an incredible 107 decibels. This is the same noise level as a chainsaw, a pneumatic road drill, or an aircraft taking off from 300 metres away. One area of Cardiff is to have a clampdown on the noise keeping householders awake at night.

PC Jonathan Edwards, neighbourhood beat manager, said “People like to have their 1.2 litre Corsa sound like a tiger. But purely and simply it’s affecting people’s quality of life. People are not able to open their windows in the summer because it’s waking their kids up. There’s a lady in the area that has two disabled children and sometimes they are woken up in the middle of the night. I’m hoping that this can be implemented in Cardiff and rolled out to other areas of South Wales and neighbouring forces.”

Drivers should always inform their insurance company when adding one of these exhausts in case their motor insurance quote will need amending. The police are using a handheld vehicle noise measurement kit during the month long operation. PC Edwards has so far tested 25 modified exhausts at the roadside, of the 25 tested, 21 had illegal decibel noise, and some of the vehicles even had exhausts designed for a racing car. Even though the legal level of noise is 82 decibels, the police used 90 to take into account wear and tear. To date no fines have been issued. Drivers seemed unaware it was an offence, so for the time being police are concentrating on educating the drivers.

End of the road for boy racers?

Posted on July 26, 2010 by admin

During a driving test, braking suddenly for no reason, revving the engine and even wasting fuel by pushing down on the accelerator pedal may well prove to be a costly error. This is because of EU bureaucrats who want to include “eco-driving” officially in the practical side of the driving test. The plans if successful would consign the “boy racer” driver to history and were unveiled this week by Siim Kallas, who is the European Unions Transport Commissioner and who hopes the plans will form part of an improved road safety strategy over the next 10 years. In Great Britain “eco-driving” has been part of the written test since September 2008. Making it an official part of the practical side of the examination would mean all learner drivers would have to be “clean” drivers as well as safe ones. It could even eventually lead to a cheaper motor insurance quote if everyone is classed as a safe driver.

Claire Armstrong of the motoring group Safe Speed said “This is absolutely ridiculous How is driving in an environmentally unfriendly manner posing a danger to other road users. In any case people want to drive in an economical manner, because keeping a car on the road is so expensive.”

Andrew Howard head of road safety at the AA also has some misgivings saying “My concern that somebody could be marked down twice for the same piece of bad driving such as accelerating too fast. I suppose there would be one benefit, the young say they are short of money and this would encourage them to save fuel.”

However the Campaign for Better Transport, gave the initiative the thumbs up. They say it is both common sense and a practical way to go. And if a driver is trained this way from lesson one they will save money in the long term and help save the planet as well. Eco driving is just one of a number of ideas aimed at improving the driving skills of the next generation of drivers.