The move came around after the PM answered questions regarding the death of a 14-year old boy who was killed by a drug-driver, and states that it’s important to take drug-use and mixing it with driving more seriously. Police will be given the equipment to test for drugs in the system of drivers, so that they can prosecute more accurately. The new law was mentioned back in March 2011, but will now come into play most likely after the Queen’s speech in the spring. The new legislation will make it illegal for drivers who get into their cars shortly after taking illegal drugs, in which around 3% of the population between the ages of 17-24 years old admitted to driving a car while being under the influence of drugs.

It’s noted that around 18% of road traffic accident victims are killed each year by drivers that have illegal substances within their bloodstream and with the most common drug being cannabis. The new law will be most likely implemented over the next few months, with police already being equipped with the new testing equipment immediately so they are ready to capture and test drivers that are using illegal drugs. They will have the power to stop them driving any further and can put cases forward for prosecution, in the same was as they do with drunk-drivers.

In another study, those drivers that were over the limit after a collision amounted to 7% of those at fault, which is more than the 4.1% who were tested during routine breath tests. Although there were fewer tests compared to 2010, this could be due to the intelligence that the police have now with targeting drink-driving hotspots and encouraging the public to text the police with tip-offs, and that has led to more arrests with less testing.

With the new drug-driving legislation being put into place this year, there were field tests on 540 people to check if the drivers were under the influence of drugs. Out of those tests, 91 were impaired with drugs and that led to their arrest. The results of drink driving showed that drivers under the age of 25 years old were 1.7% more likely (5.7%) to drive while under the influence compared to older people (4%). The Government also announced that they are withdrawing the drink-drive adverts, and instead will publish reports of the findings such as the ones listed here, as it has more of an impact. The Government also is insisting that health messages and anti-drink-drive messages be placed on the bottles, which will begin in 2013.

The new tax is causing mayhem between motoring circles as it’s seen as more of a revenue stream than ensuring the law is abided to. MPs hope to generate around £30million from the new taxation, but only half of the money will be paid into the compensation of the victims while the rest is used to boost the Treasury revenue and road safety schemes. Groups against the new tax aren’t happy as they feel that its only to collect an additional source of money rather than being used as a punishment against speeding. Giving victims money is backed but it’s the other 50% of the tax that is opposed against it as it is seen as simply filling the pockets of ministers.

There will be a sliding scale of fines from £15-120, depending on how serious the offence is, but at the moment the scheme only generates £10million and that figure is set to rise to £30million once the new fines are placed. The general consensus is that victims should be compensated for being on the receiving end, but taxpayers shouldn’t benefit from the same crime. In a similar revamp of the laws, victim statements might be used to influence the sentence of the criminal, which at the moment is not the case as it’s all up to the judge.

As around 60p in every pound we spend is tax, and the possibility of an extra 3p tax in the new year, which is still be talked about in the House of Commons, it seems that motorists are being priced off the roads by the Government that relies so much on those taxes to fund other things. The results only showed the money that was spent on taxation, rather than the total amount spent on fuel itself, which would differ as the wealthier tend to use more fuel than those with less of an annual income. The richer families spend around £1,062 while the poorer families only spend £365, but it’s the percentage of income that is the most draining for those less fortunate.

Richer families tend to drive further than poorer families, to visit holiday homes, attractions and other out of the way sights. With fuel costs rising and the job cuts, losses or uncertainty being present, the future looks worse for poor UK families. For example, the unemployment rates are at the highest level since 1996, at 8.3%. With the winter with us, gas and electric bills are higher also, and vehicles are more likely to breakdown in the winter, families around the country are snapping up breakdown cover from major suppliers and even supermarkets that offer roadside assistance as well as European cover.

Only 2% of women bought a car from a car auction which was meant to be environmentally friendly, proving that during the times of a recession, “green” is no use if you’re going to be the “red”. And, just 3% of women bought the car but admitted to not liking the colour after returning home with it. As with any major purchase, and especially cars, researching the type of car is key to buying the right one for your needs. Fuel consumption, insurance costs and average repair or servicing costs can be found just by researching before you purchase it.

A common mistake for many car purchasers is to steer clear from high mileage cars, but in reality, they are most likely well-looked after if they came from a fleet and mainly have motorway miles which is less stressful on an engine than city driving. They might even have the original warranty in place. For anyone looking to buy a car at an auction, pre-checking the car you want with an engineer’s report and checking the real valuation of the car online, as well as running costs and general insurance prices, is a good way of avoiding buying a costly car. As with most auction houses, one a sale is final there is no comeback even if the car breaks down soon after.

There are reports that campaigners for driver safety in the UK that they think the driving lessons new drivers take today are simply a means to a way of passing the test, rather than giving them the necessary skills to drive on their own. There are due to be more changes to the current driving test that will help negate that feeling amongst driving groups, the Government and ministers.

Driving instructors will be given the go ahead to allow their lessons to use motorways and those trainee instructors are banned from giving or offering lessons until they too have passed their full instructors’ license test. Ensuring that the instructors are sufficiently qualified is just as important as new drivers. The Government is putting an end to trainee instructors taking new drivers out, and will only allow it once they have their license.

Around 62% of young male drivers think they have more knowledge than average drivers, and yet, the statistics show that 17-24 year olds amount to almost 30% of the fatal road accidents. Young female drivers, between the ages of 17-29 are around half as likely to be seriously injured or killed compared to male drivers of the same age. With motorway instruction being added to the lessons and driving tests, the figures of the car-related deaths will hopefully be reduced and new drivers will have extra skills than before.

The cameras have been used for around 20 years in police cars to help them instantly check up on a car that is driving erratically, dangerously or suspiciously, listing the owner and most recent tax payment. The ANPR cameras in Royston will effectively monitor thousands of motorists each year that drive through the village and using the powerful software it can alert the authorities to illegal drivers and they will also act as a strong deterrent for any wrong-doing.

In the last three years, around 2,000 arrests have been made due to the information collected by the ANPR cameras, and although there is no monitoring or regulation of the system, the go ahead for the programme has been given. There has been no mention in Parliament about the proposed plan, and only months of testing will show the results in the little, sleepy village of Royston.

Anti-CCTV campaigners are worried of the effect of the cameras checking up on innocent car drivers’ cars, as the reports are only meant to detail 2% of the cars that are “thought” to be suspicious. The problem lies with the information collected of the other 98% of the car number plates, as it could be seen as a breach of privacy or cause problems with leaked information and identity theft. The results will be relayed next year once the cameras have had a sufficient enough time to collect the information on all of the cars that pass through Royston.

The results also showed that 12% of young drivers aren’t aware of the legal limit of drinking, as they thought that it was OK to have three units of alcohol and still drive, but 62% of the drivers knew that driving is affected even after one unit of alcohol. Communities and groups are calling for every driver, young, old and in between, to have a year-round zero tolerance on drink driving. The festive time especially is all about friends and family getting together and enjoying themselves, rather than risking their lives on the road.

In some cases, young drivers have caused drink driving-related deaths and the whole of the UK should promote not drinking and driving to avoid those inevitable accidents. Since 1979, the total number of drink-drive deaths has fallen by 75% but motoring groups and road safety campaigners still find it irresponsible that any motorist thinks it’s OK to drink and drive. The drivers that do so are putting their lives, license and freedom at risk, as many drivers have their license revoked and could be jailed for driving under the influence.

As with every New Year period, the authorities insisted that all drivers, particularly young men, should avoid drinking and driving completely, as spending time in a cell is not what the festive season is all about.

The worry from the Government is that the “accident management” industry is profiting from injury claims and inflated repair bills between insurers, which is having a direct effect on uncompetitive premiums. Those referral fees, replacement courtesy cars and main dealer repair prices are adding to the annual bill that claim-free drivers have to pay. Motorists are footing the bill for the referral industry which brings new customers to the insurers, instead of the commission being taken from the actual price, the cost is enhanced to absorb these new payments the insurers pay.

The Office of Fair Trading investigation will see if there is an uncompetitive nature between the insurance companies who are technically abusing other insurers when there is a claim made, from overcharging repairs and exorbitant courtesy cars, as well as an investigation into the personal injury claims industry, which adds literally adds insult to injury for motorists who have to foot the bill when their premium comes up for renewal.

With the average person aged 17-25 paying £2,400 annually and other drivers having a £921 bill for their car insurance, many are quitting owning a car, which means that less fuel will be sold, less jobs will be taken that are within commuter distance and this will affect the economy, hence the investigations.

The rise in the speed limit is supported by many as technology in the car industry has advanced so much since the speed limits were introduced and car safety is far greater, as well as driver skill and it is said that the increase would aid the economy. Although the ministers’ opinions are divided, because of a thought it would raise carbon emissions, and road safety campaigners reiterate that the 10% plus 2mph that is allowed as part of police guidelines is enough.

This news would mean that drivers travelling at less than 90mph would resist prosecution and although some think that the conditions, the type of road, car and driver all have an effect and shouldn’t be generalised across the nation is the reason for the slow decision in making a rise in the speed limit. There is a notion that more enforcement and safety standards would need to be in place before the speed limit was changed to stop people driving at higher speeds on inappropriate roads and poor conditions.

There has been thoughts on raising the speed limit for many years but only now is it a cause for concern. With traffic and congestion reaching dizzy levels, raising the speed limit would relax the problem but only if drivers are equipped with the awareness and skill that the extra speed requires. The concern now is that dual carriageways and trunk roads are occasionally in poor condition and raising the limits on these roads could be more harmful than good.