Government motoring regs - have your say!

Will they listen? I doubt it, but for the record.
Fuel Tax, what a rip off. If it's for the road then use the money for the roads. If for the pot then stick it on income tax not fuel!
Insurance. Another rip off. Car insurance should be for your car not personal injury. If you want cover for that then pay for it seperately.
Driving tests. One is enough and perhaps one that see's if you can drive and not perform tricks like a monkey might be an idea. Driving performance should be checked every 10 years, an assessment not a test with additional training if not up to scratch and re-testing only if standard is considered dangerous.
Highways. Lets have a realistic speed limit on the motorway and on country roads. I can go 60 on a one track windy 'B' road and 10mph faster on the motorway. It is 2011 and not 1911? 90mph for motorway and 40 for all 'B' and lower classed roads.
Repair the roads we pay enough I've have given up my bike as I was sick of never ending pot holes. All drivers from r/h drive countries should have compulsory training before being let loose on l/h drive roads, as we should for theirs.
Parking. You should have a right to park outside your house without concil duffers taxing you for it.
Rant over......................for now!

By rg1642 on 6 June, 2011, 12:04pm

Insurance

Completely overhall the way we pay car insurance by introducing policies for the driver and not the vehicle. Why can we not pay a fixed rate based on milleage, no claims and age that can cover you to drive any vehicle with full cover that you own. Multiple policies with your own name is pointless as you can only drive one at a time surely?

By T_kul88 on 6 June, 2011, 12:20pm

Tax doesn't have to be taxing.... when common sense is applied...

It's a complete farce that road fund licenses (tax) are linked to CO2 ratings. Here's why...
1. Many cars with high CO2 ratings are not driven as many miles as 'environmentally friendly' cars, so their total annual CO2 output cannot be quantified in this way.
2. Similar to the above, those cars doing high miles do more damage to the roads so therefore it should be miles covered not engine type/size that dictates payments towards road maintenance etc.
3. CO2 ratings are all superficial because, like fuel economy, the figures are based on tests that in no way represent real motoring. Most manufacturers spend more time trying to get the best figures for the spec sheet and tax band when they should be trying to create cars that are more economical in REAL WORLD conditions.

Here's what to do...
1. Flat rate for vehicle tax based on annual mileage (include vehicle mileage in the tax application and anyone who fiddles it will be caught up with when they MOT or sell the car)
2. Fuel duty, although astronomical, is a closer reflection of real mileage and CO2 output so leave this to cover the different engine sizes etc. You use more fuel, you produce more CO2 and hence pay more in tax... simples!
3. The total CO2 cost of designing, manufacturing and delivering a car should be made completely transparent and used as the tax (instead of VAT) when purchasing a car. This would end the farce that is 'hybrids'. "Cradle to grave" figures for all cars would show up some seriously embarrassing statistics!

This government should revolutionise the taxing system for motorists, by starting with the above.

By scoob on 6 June, 2011, 1:22pm

Better flow

Premis: Cheapest / easiest way to increase fuel economy

Potential Answer: reduce stationary time as much as possible

Acheived by: simple change traffic light system so that a flashing amber / green arrow indicates "treat junction as a stop sign for left turn only" (so left turners can go but they have to treat the traffic light as a stop sign)

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:28pm

Retest older people

Premise: Old people have bad eye sight and are dangerous

Potential Answer: Ensure people are able to drive only when they have the medical capability to do so

Achieved by: Regular re-testing on receipt of state pension, funded by the driver, to check competency / eyesight - at least make an eye-test prescription a required document for presentation during the road tax process (making it practically free to implement)

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:32pm

Multiple tax?

Premise: I can only drive one car at a time - why do I need to tax something that's sat on a driveway 9 months a year?

Potential answer: Allow tax discs to be transferred between vehicles.

Achieved by: 2 tax discs - #1 is per car and cheap to purchase - ensures that insurance / mot etc is enforced. #2 is as it is now, but not valid without a #1 disc and is transfer-able to any other vehicle of a equal or lesser c02 rating

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:36pm

prevent potholes @ source

Premise: Many potholes are caused by poor methods / workmanship where roads are patched by companies laying pipes / cables.

Potential answer: Enforce that ANY company that wishes to dig up a road makes good on the repair and is accountable for the aftermath.

Achieved by:

#1: councils enforcing a "bond payment" which is "per lane per metre" - so - the company pays a monetary value which the council holds for the upheaval, the council holds onto that value for, say, 2 years, no potholes: the company gets the cash back, potholes: company loses the entire lot.

or

#2: Companies are compelled to resurface the ENTIRE lane / side of the road that they disturb.

This can all be supported by the council acting as a match-maker for companies that wish to dig up the roads therefore coordinating the closure and spreading the risk / cost.

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:43pm

Speed limits out of hours

Why can't I go as fast as I deem safe when travelling down an empty road / motorway in the middle of the night?

Have yet to hear a sane explanation as to why....

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:45pm

Ban lorries during peak hours from the motorway

Premise: Lorries act as mobile chicane during rush hour. Being unable to keep up with the cut and thrust of commuting traffic, the end up being nothing more than lumbering hazards

Potential answer: the working time directives say that lorry / professional drivers must take a brake every so-many hours. Make them take that brake during the peak hours (0730-0900, 1600-1800)

Achieved by:
Enforcing a no-drive zone on the UK motorways during those hours.

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:49pm

@ traceline - Speed limits out of hours

The good reason not to enforce this is the following situation.

Normal car doing 70mph in central lane(incorrrectly i know) following vehicle doing 90mph goes to pull into outside lane. Idiot has taken his supercar out for a blast doing 170mph goes straight into the back of 90mph driver.

I understand maybe there should be higher thresholds out of hours but i dont believe they should be delimited.

By kendo on 6 June, 2011, 3:54pm

I could keep going.....

So - that's 6 very cheap, sensible, easy to implement ideas, all of which would improve motoring in this country......

I could keep going but I've got to go do my job rather than the governments.

Other ideas would include:

limiting cc / bhp of cars for new drivers (similar to the motorbike system)

compulsory training for motorways on a separate test

compulsory institute for advanced drivers training and certification for ALL that have been banned from driving before they can get their full licence back

(essentially a re-statement of the idea that driving is a privilege not a right....)

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 3:56pm

@kendo - Speed limits out of hours

Hi Kendo - see your point and agree to a degree - however I tend to think of that sort of thing as "legislating for stupidity" - the answer isn't to stop the chap in the 170mph monster, its to improve the training of everyone so situations like that don't occur (and don't occur when the 70mph limit is in force)

But - yeah - I do see your point.

By traceline on 6 June, 2011, 4:01pm

All of the above

Yes to regular testing - too many drivers seem to fall in to bad habits and/or become lazy.

Yes to nationalisation of insurance - only a small fraction of our premiums goes to the MIB, so there is no real reason for the crazy premium. It would stop exhorbatant prices and probable collusion within the industry.

BIG yes to switiching off traffic lights at night - whats wrong with give way when there is very little traffic on? If nothing else there will be environmental benefits with much less start/stop. While we're at it, why not introduce a system like the US where we would still turn left on a red?

Yes to mway training - I am so sick of middle lane hoggers! Please teach people they only need to pull out while overtaking. Another environmental benefit, and would free up miles of mway.

Yes to increased mway limits - or at least varied. All over europe there are varied limits for different weather conditions. Why not have a variation for night time use too?

By j_a_b on 6 June, 2011, 5:05pm

@traceline re ban hgv's

Have you gone completely mad? Don't you realise that if it wasn't for us hgv drivers, you wouldn't be wearing the clothes on your back, driving the car that you do etc etc. Us hgv's have every rite to use the roads as anyone else. In fact you can be the bain of our life. You cut us up, don't let us out, pull in front of us at the last moment and moan cos your stuck behind us. Don't you realise we pay alot for road tax, need plenty of time to stop and take a time to pull away. Need i go on! So next time think about what you say when your sitting in your car that was delivered by a truck wearing clothes that was delivered to a shop by a truck.

By hgvjonny on 6 June, 2011, 8:42pm

@traceline re ban hgv's

Have you gone completely mad? Don't you realise that if it wasn't for us hgv drivers, you wouldn't be wearing the clothes on your back, driving the car that you do etc etc. Us hgv's have every rite to use the roads as anyone else. In fact you can be the bain of our life. You cut us up, don't let us out, pull in front of us at the last moment and moan cos your stuck behind us. Don't you realise we pay alot for road tax, need plenty of time to stop and take a time to pull away. Need i go on! So next time think about what you say when your sitting in your car that was delivered by a truck wearing clothes that was delivered to a shop by a truck.

By hgvjonny on 6 June, 2011, 8:43pm

Motorway - use of all lanes

Motorways always get congested in the outside "overtaking" lanes while Mr Averages always sits in the middle lane leaving the near side mostly empty. Would it not be more sensible to allow all lanes to be used equally including overtaking? This would require less lane changing and could actually be safer resulting in less accidents and delays. The new lane on the M25 may actually have been a waste of money!

By J33PCX on 7 June, 2011, 7:59am

HGV's

Re:HGV's at rush hour.
Although I understand the importance HGV's play in our economy it cannot be denied that when traffic is heavy then to have one HGV overtaking another at 1mph is a pain, causes frustration in other drivers and is pointless. I like the inner lane only trials that have been going on the A14. This works well for cars and keeps the flow going.
Also over the last 30 years HGV driving standards have dropped through the floor. With so many foreign drivers flouting the laws, and British firms encouraging this,(I know this as a fact!) coupled with this lack of empathy for other road users,is it any supprise virtually all motorway / dual carriageway accidents have one or more lorries involved? Sorry HGV drivers but it is true, like it or not. :(

By rg1642 on 7 June, 2011, 8:16am

Motorway - use of all lanes

I'd like to support the note by J33PCX on the use of all motorway lanes. I drive in other countries on a fairly regular basis, and overtaking on either side is normal practice in many places outside the UK. Furthermore, I have never seen an accident caused by overtaking on the 'inside', simply because drivers are perfectly aware that it can occur. Any driver that does not wish to be overtaken on the inside can simply move to the slower lane. However, the net effect is that all lanes carry a full load of traffic, unlike the situation here in the UK, where the outside lane gets blocked solid waiting for the people in front to overtake, and then some smart-arse decides he/she is more important than everyone else so they drive by on the inside and then cut in at the front of the queue, thereby annoying everyone who has been trying to observe the law. If any driver is free to occupy any place on the road that there is space, the volume of cars carried by all three lanes is maximized, the road works at full capacity, and there is no possibility of any driver cutting to the front. Tailgating and weaving between lines of cars should continue to be illegal, as is the case in the UK and elsewhere.

By William_M_Cox on 7 June, 2011, 8:28am

Motorways

Agree with the others:
Sensible raising of the upper speed limit.
A motorway of dual-carriage way is already effectively a one-way street so overtaking either side - world in other countries so why not here.
Left turn at red lights if gap in traffic or nothing approaching
Insurance disc to be displayed and pay tax on miles covered not flat rate.

By stevesjs on 7 June, 2011, 9:01am

Overtaking on the inside

It's not illegal to overtake on the inside so you can use the inside lane to overtake whenever you want so long as you do it is a safe manner. Just look at any motorway in rush hour and it's happening all the time in a perfect safe way that keeps the road fully used and safe.

Overtaking on the inside can of course be considered illegal but only if it is done in a dangerous way - for example when the speed differential is high or maybe close to a junction where there will be extra traffic leaving or joining the road.

By SLKManiac on 7 June, 2011, 9:10am

Ban commercial vehicles at weekends

Unless they are carrying essential medical supplies then I don't see why the majority of commercial vehicles need to be on the road after say 6am on a Saturday until 6pm on a Sunday. They unnecessarily clog up the roads for the rest of us and it must be extremely difficult and inefficient for them to make progress when they're battling through weekend traffic. Surely better planning during week is what's needed.

By SLKManiac on 7 June, 2011, 9:15am

james

Scrap road tax and put duty on fuel, but as that's already over taxed, scrap road tax and scrap politician's expenses to cover it.
Flexible/variable speed limits depening on times and weather, with minimum limits for good measure. Are those trucks really only allowed to do 40 on this dual carriageway and why is this elephant race going on for 2 miles?
If your vehicle is in anyway defective, lights/tyres/excessive body damage/illegal plates, it's OFF the road until it's rectified. Get caught again and it gets impounded. That's a revenue earner in itself.
Spend ALL motoring taxes on the road infrastructure, and if mr gasman digs up the road, he resurfaces it CORRECTLY.
Insurance is a ripoff. It needs a complete overhaul, with the evryday motorist adequately represented on the committeeeeee.
Sensible parking restrictions, sensibly enforced and scrap the private thug enforcers.
Better driving instruction and testing, to include bad weather, night and motorway driving. It may take longer to get your licence but if it makes you safer......
Penalties for the crims to reflect the crimes and more plods to enforce them. A habitual car thief should be banged up for life not 3 months. Having said that, if I get the scrote who stole my car, he gets a wheel chair!
In the event of an accident, get plod of his bott and away from the doughnuts to attend, investigate and apportion blame. NOT the current trend of not attending, but contacting witnesses to write a statement asd asking the witness to apportion the blame.What training in this has joe public had to make him an authority?
End of rant, tea to drink

By jimbowles2003 on 7 June, 2011, 9:22am

Just my thoughts....

I used to do alot of driving, especially in Europe, and find positives and negatives an all systems, however, here are some of my ideas.

Insurance: In most European countries its the car that is insured, not the driver. The car has a policy which says that for example any driver over 25 can drive the car. In Germany the registration plate does not go with the car, it goes with the owner. This is renewed every year, if there is no insurance you are unable to renew your licence plate!

Road/fuel tax: Scrap road tax and make it a pay as you go system by increasing fuel duty by a few pence per litre. I pay £155 a year for road tax on my 320d, and do about 15k miles a year (about average). I use about 1800 litres of diesel a year. An 8.6p / litre increase would cover my £155 road tax. This system has +ve and –ve’s, and for me it would serve another purpose. I also own a Ford Galaxy people carrier. Its 10 years old and worth very little. The road tax is £215 a year. I only use it when I really have to (carrying more than 5 people or towing), and do less than 1500 miles a year in it. Why should I pay £215 to tax a car that spends most of its time on the drive?

Speed limits: My experience of driving abroad has seen many good idea’s which could work here. In Germany lorries are not allowed to overtake on certain stretches of motorway in peak times. They have unrestricted sections of motorway, but on a variable limit, so again, in peak times the speed limit is 100 or 120km/h, but it can be made higher or removed. It should be increased to at least 80mph in the UK. However, the biggest problem on UK motorways is driver awareness..... and so:

Training: Make motorway driving part of the driving test. Again, in Germany you have to go through a strict test program which includes high speed driving. Re-tests after 5 years would certainly help this as it is very annoying when people don’t use the inside lanes (take the new 4 lane sections on the M25, everyone sits in lane 3 & 4 at 65mph and lanes 1 & 2 are clear... !!). As someone who tows a car trailer sometimes, its very annoying when people use the middle lane at 55mph and don’t allow you to pass as they don’t realise you can’t use the outside lane while towing.

MOT: 1 year testing is fine. Some cars do 30, 40, even 50k miles a year, making it every 2 years will increase the amount of unsafe cars on the road. My 5 year old 320d has done 182k miles, and it passed the MOT without any issues recently, but I do take care of my cars, in the wrong hands it could be a death trap with 2 year testing.

Punishment: the current system doesn’t punish those who need it most. Jo public goes through a speed camera in a 50 limit at 58 and gets 3 points / £60 fine. Asbo boy takes his uninsured car through the same one at 85mph, but its not registered to his address and get away with it. Eventually he gets stopped, goes to court and gets slapped a £200 fine and banned from driving for a year. 2 weeks later he’s back on the road.. illegally!! I know new rules have been set to give higher tolerances for those just over the speed limit, but I think that there should be higher penalties for those who drive dangerously, without thought to other users and driving without due care and attention (that includes smoking, eating, mobile phone use and simply driving along the middle lane of an empty motorway)

By npturner on 7 June, 2011, 9:33am

Just my thoughts....

I used to do alot of driving, especially in Europe, and find positives and negatives an all systems, however, here are some of my ideas.

Insurance: In most European countries its the car that is insured, not the driver. The car has a policy which says that for example any driver over 25 can drive the car. In Germany the registration plate does not go with the car, it goes with the owner. This is renewed every year, if there is no insurance you are unable to renew your licence plate!

Road/fuel tax: Scrap road tax and make it a pay as you go system by increasing fuel duty by a few pence per litre. I pay £155 a year for road tax on my 320d, and do about 15k miles a year (about average). I use about 1800 litres of diesel a year. An 8.6p / litre increase would cover my £155 road tax. This system has +ve and –ve’s, and for me it would serve another purpose. I also own a Ford Galaxy people carrier. Its 10 years old and worth very little. The road tax is £215 a year. I only use it when I really have to (carrying more than 5 people or towing), and do less than 1500 miles a year in it. Why should I pay £215 to tax a car that spends most of its time on the drive?

Speed limits: My experience of driving abroad has seen many good idea’s which could work here. In Germany lorries are not allowed to overtake on certain stretches of motorway in peak times. They have unrestricted sections of motorway, but on a variable limit, so again, in peak times the speed limit is 100 or 120km/h, but it can be made higher or removed. It should be increased to at least 80mph in the UK. However, the biggest problem on UK motorways is driver awareness..... and so:

Training: Make motorway driving part of the driving test. Again, in Germany you have to go through a strict test program which includes high speed driving. Re-tests after 5 years would certainly help this as it is very annoying when people don’t use the inside lanes (take the new 4 lane sections on the M25, everyone sits in lane 3 & 4 at 65mph and lanes 1 & 2 are clear... !!). As someone who tows a car trailer sometimes, its very annoying when people use the middle lane at 55mph and don’t allow you to pass as they don’t realise you can’t use the outside lane while towing.

MOT: 1 year testing is fine. Some cars do 30, 40, even 50k miles a year, making it every 2 years will increase the amount of unsafe cars on the road. My 5 year old 320d has done 182k miles, and it passed the MOT without any issues recently, but I do take care of my cars, in the wrong hands it could be a death trap with 2 year testing.

Punishment: the current system doesn’t punish those who need it most. Jo public goes through a speed camera in a 50 limit at 58 and gets 3 points / £60 fine. Asbo boy takes his uninsured car through the same one at 85mph, but its not registered to his address and get away with it. Eventually he gets stopped, goes to court and gets slapped a £200 fine and banned from driving for a year. 2 weeks later he’s back on the road.. illegally!! I know new rules have been set to give higher tolerances for those just over the speed limit, but I think that there should be higher penalties for those who drive dangerously, without thought to other users and driving without due care and attention (that includes smoking, eating, mobile phone use and simply driving along the middle lane of an empty motorway)

By npturner on 7 June, 2011, 9:38am

Some Good Points

I have to say initially, I agree with the general ideas discussed here but I think a few are also falling few of realistic. Undertaking is not safe, changing the ruling on this would cause a dangerous and difficult driving situation. Undertaking forces drivers to concentrate to hard, and in fast pace traffic causes drivers to panic resulting in a potentially disastrous manoeuvre.

I spent years studying the effects of traffic interaction through model simulations and real world observations as part of my scientific studies. The underpinning problem with the development of slow or jamming traffic is that speed/distance is not maintained and people who run amber lights cause a backlash in traffic. Traffic signal's are well designed algorithms that permit particular flow rates over designated times. When a car runs the lights as the generally want to get somewhere faster, they take up an allocated space in the system are become an additional one. As the next set of traffic enters the lane, one car less cannot enter the traffic flow. As this develops over time and with the continuous introduction of vehicles, the traffic builds up until no further vehicles enter the chain.

I know that's a bit long winded but the simplest way to imagine it is on the motorway. A real problem that occurs is a phantom traffic jam. If someone brakes on the motor, the car behind slow's down to be travelling slower than the braking car. This ripples back through the traffic and will continue to a stop if vehicles continue to jam the situation. It is only circumvented by no additional vehicle's entering the flow. A brilliant study was done some Japanese a few years ago, can be seen here http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13402-shockwave-traffic-jam-recreated-for-first-time.html .

Finally points to change;
1. Speed limits
2. Insurance, put it on the vehicle not the person (or just decide which is best as are current policies are useless to determine)
3. Scrap road tax and put it on the price of fuel, you drive further you use more fuel hence pay more tax.
4. Ignore Co2 emissions, as this is a false figure when it comes to alternative harmful waste by products generated by engines, specifically diesels.
5. More comprehensive training for drivers, including a better standard of driving, dealing with adverse situations, motorway driving as standard and anything more realistic parking situations. (I believe in some European countries it can take nearly 7 years to obtain a full license having faced many driving conditions)
6. Put money back into repairing the infrastructure of road networks and develop more conducive traffic calming measures that do not hinder critical times of traffic.
7. For consideration, a policy for removal of older vehicles from the road that do not comply to modern safety standards. The best way in which to entice the idea of faster speeds on our roads to impose a restriction to vehicles that are capable of them safely.

By mtunreal69 on 7 June, 2011, 9:43am

Hasselblad

The ability to drive in an unencumbered stress free manner seems a common desire of many of us.
It is not often JUST a matter of speed. Be considerate,act safely and learn patience.

It would greatly help free flow if we legalised undertaking. If an empty carriageway is available,why not use it?

Increase speed limits on Motorways and also set a minimum speed............works well in the USA on many highways.

Consider a tax and insurance system similar to the USA. You buy a new plate each year and to do so you have to have a valid license, insurance and cash. A false plate, or no plate on the vehicle and it puts flashing blue lights in your boot!

Stay with the existing very varied speed limits outside National limits. There are numerous 'unseen' problems on so many roads. I live near one that is twin lane, super visibility, limited to 50mph, no junctions or houses or pedestrians and yet drivers and riders are steadily being killed!

Stop ALL extra charges that relate to anthropogenic global warming. There is no evidence that there is such a problem, so concentrate on preparing for whatever climate change Nature might put our way.

Further encourage heavy vehicles to drive through the night(many do anyway) and reduce their road tax when their tachys show they do. They should be rewarded for being considerate.

Have ALL politicians and Council management trained to realise that road transport for all of us is an absolute essential.
Therefore, act to improve it and never to penalise it.
Having said that, we will then have to accept that our other taxes will increase.......don'y moan about it, we have spent the Trillion pounds of debt and now have to pay it back!

None of the above is an easy answer for everyone as that is impossible to find but if we can sort out a few basic principles and correctly apply them, at least we should move forward instead of always back biting.

By Hasselblad on 7 June, 2011, 9:50am

Just my thoughts....

I used to do alot of driving, especially in Europe, and find positives and negatives an all systems, however, here are some of my ideas.

Insurance: In most European countries its the car that is insured, not the driver. The car has a policy which says that for example any driver over 25 can drive the car. In Germany the registration plate does not go with the car, it goes with the owner. This is renewed every year, if there is no insurance you are unable to renew your licence plate!

Road/fuel tax: Scrap road tax and make it a pay as you go system by increasing fuel duty by a few pence per litre. I pay £155 a year for road tax on my 320d, and do about 15k miles a year (about average). I use about 1800 litres of diesel a year. An 8.6p / litre increase would cover my £155 road tax. This system has +ve and –ve’s, and for me it would serve another purpose. I also own a Ford Galaxy people carrier. Its 10 years old and worth very little. The road tax is £215 a year. I only use it when I really have to (carrying more than 5 people or towing), and do less than 1500 miles a year in it. Why should I pay £215 to tax a car that spends most of its time on the drive?

Speed limits: My experience of driving abroad has seen many good idea’s which could work here. In Germany lorries are not allowed to overtake on certain stretches of motorway in peak times. They have unrestricted sections of motorway, but on a variable limit, so again, in peak times the speed limit is 100 or 120km/h, but it can be made higher or removed. It should be increased to at least 80mph in the UK. However, the biggest problem on UK motorways is driver awareness..... and so:

Training: Make motorway driving part of the driving test. Again, in Germany you have to go through a strict test program which includes high speed driving. Re-tests after 5 years would certainly help this as it is very annoying when people don’t use the inside lanes (take the new 4 lane sections on the M25, everyone sits in lane 3 & 4 at 65mph and lanes 1 & 2 are clear... !!). As someone who tows a car trailer sometimes, its very annoying when people use the middle lane at 55mph and don’t allow you to pass as they don’t realise you can’t use the outside lane while towing.

MOT: 1 year testing is fine. Some cars do 30, 40, even 50k miles a year, making it every 2 years will increase the amount of unsafe cars on the road. My 5 year old 320d has done 182k miles, and it passed the MOT without any issues recently, but I do take care of my cars, in the wrong hands it could be a death trap with 2 year testing.

Punishment: the current system doesn’t punish those who need it most. Jo public goes through a speed camera in a 50 limit at 58 and gets 3 points / £60 fine. Asbo boy takes his uninsured car through the same one at 85mph, but its not registered to his address and get away with it. Eventually he gets stopped, goes to court and gets slapped a £200 fine and banned from driving for a year. 2 weeks later he’s back on the road.. illegally!! I know new rules have been set to give higher tolerances for those just over the speed limit, but I think that there should be higher penalties for those who drive dangerously, without thought to other users and driving without due care and attention (that includes smoking, eating, mobile phone use and simply driving along the middle lane of an empty motorway)

By npturner on 7 June, 2011, 9:55am

Just my thoughts....

I used to do alot of driving, especially in Europe, and find positives and negatives an all systems, however, here are some of my ideas.

Insurance: In most European countries its the car that is insured, not the driver. The car has a policy which says that for example any driver over 25 can drive the car. In Germany the registration plate does not go with the car, it goes with the owner. This is renewed every year, if there is no insurance you are unable to renew your licence plate!

Road/fuel tax: Scrap road tax and make it a pay as you go system by increasing fuel duty by a few pence per litre. I pay £155 a year for road tax on my 320d, and do about 15k miles a year (about average). I use about 1800 litres of diesel a year. An 8.6p / litre increase would cover my £155 road tax. This system has +ve and –ve’s, and for me it would serve another purpose. I also own a Ford Galaxy people carrier. Its 10 years old and worth very little. The road tax is £215 a year. I only use it when I really have to (carrying more than 5 people or towing), and do less than 1500 miles a year in it. Why should I pay £215 to tax a car that spends most of its time on the drive?

Speed limits: My experience of driving abroad has seen many good idea’s which could work here. In Germany lorries are not allowed to overtake on certain stretches of motorway in peak times. They have unrestricted sections of motorway, but on a variable limit, so again, in peak times the speed limit is 100 or 120km/h, but it can be made higher or removed. It should be increased to at least 80mph in the UK. However, the biggest problem on UK motorways is driver awareness..... and so:

Training: Make motorway driving part of the driving test. Again, in Germany you have to go through a strict test program which includes high speed driving. Re-tests after 5 years would certainly help this as it is very annoying when people don’t use the inside lanes (take the new 4 lane sections on the M25, everyone sits in lane 3 & 4 at 65mph and lanes 1 & 2 are clear... !!). As someone who tows a car trailer sometimes, its very annoying when people use the middle lane at 55mph and don’t allow you to pass as they don’t realise you can’t use the outside lane while towing.

MOT: 1 year testing is fine. Some cars do 30, 40, even 50k miles a year, making it every 2 years will increase the amount of unsafe cars on the road. My 5 year old 320d has done 182k miles, and it passed the MOT without any issues recently, but I do take care of my cars, in the wrong hands it could be a death trap with 2 year testing.

Punishment: the current system doesn’t punish those who need it most. Jo public goes through a speed camera in a 50 limit at 58 and gets 3 points / £60 fine. Asbo boy takes his uninsured car through the same one at 85mph, but its not registered to his address and get away with it. Eventually he gets stopped, goes to court and gets slapped a £200 fine and banned from driving for a year. 2 weeks later he’s back on the road.. illegally!! I know new rules have been set to give higher tolerances for those just over the speed limit, but I think that there should be higher penalties for those who drive dangerously, without thought to other users and driving without due care and attention (that includes smoking, eating, mobile phone use and simply driving along the middle lane of an empty motorway)

By npturner on 7 June, 2011, 10:08am

Just my thoughts....

I used to do alot of driving, especially in Europe, and find positives and negatives an all systems, however, here are some of my ideas.

Insurance: In most European countries its the car that is insured, not the driver. The car has a policy which says that for example any driver over 25 can drive the car. In Germany the registration plate does not go with the car, it goes with the owner. This is renewed every year, if there is no insurance you are unable to renew your licence plate!

Road/fuel tax: Scrap road tax and make it a pay as you go system by increasing fuel duty by a few pence per litre. I pay £155 a year for road tax on my 320d, and do about 15k miles a year (about average). I use about 1800 litres of diesel a year. An 8.6p / litre increase would cover my £155 road tax. This system has +ve and –ve’s, and for me it would serve another purpose. I also own a Ford Galaxy people carrier. Its 10 years old and worth very little. The road tax is £215 a year. I only use it when I really have to (carrying more than 5 people or towing), and do less than 1500 miles a year in it. Why should I pay £215 to tax a car that spends most of its time on the drive?

Speed limits: My experience of driving abroad has seen many good idea’s which could work here. In Germany lorries are not allowed to overtake on certain stretches of motorway in peak times. They have unrestricted sections of motorway, but on a variable limit, so again, in peak times the speed limit is 100 or 120km/h, but it can be made higher or removed. It should be increased to at least 80mph in the UK. However, the biggest problem on UK motorways is driver awareness..... and so:

Training: Make motorway driving part of the driving test. Again, in Germany you have to go through a strict test program which includes high speed driving. Re-tests after 5 years would certainly help this as it is very annoying when people don’t use the inside lanes (take the new 4 lane sections on the M25, everyone sits in lane 3 & 4 at 65mph and lanes 1 & 2 are clear... !!). As someone who tows a car trailer sometimes, its very annoying when people use the middle lane at 55mph and don’t allow you to pass as they don’t realise you can’t use the outside lane while towing.

MOT: 1 year testing is fine. Some cars do 30, 40, even 50k miles a year, making it every 2 years will increase the amount of unsafe cars on the road. My 5 year old 320d has done 182k miles, and it passed the MOT without any issues recently, but I do take care of my cars, in the wrong hands it could be a death trap with 2 year testing.

Punishment: the current system doesn’t punish those who need it most. Jo public goes through a speed camera in a 50 limit at 58 and gets 3 points / £60 fine. Asbo boy takes his uninsured car through the same one at 85mph, but its not registered to his address and get away with it. Eventually he gets stopped, goes to court and gets slapped a £200 fine and banned from driving for a year. 2 weeks later he’s back on the road.. illegally!! I know new rules have been set to give higher tolerances for those just over the speed limit, but I think that there should be higher penalties for those who drive dangerously, without thought to other users and driving without due care and attention (that includes smoking, eating, mobile phone use and simply driving along the middle lane of an empty motorway)

By npturner on 7 June, 2011, 10:38am

Traffic Lights

1. Remove the red+amber phase from traffic light sequence. Just go from red to green.
2. Remove speed cameras. Implement traffic light cameras for all traffic lights.
3. Switch traffic lights to flashing amber outside peak hours on roads with 30mph speed limit or less. Traffic from right has priority once on the junction.

By pafarmer on 7 June, 2011, 10:59am

Just my thoughts....

I used to do alot of driving, especially in Europe, and find positives and negatives an all systems, however, here are some of my ideas.

Insurance: In most European countries its the car that is insured, not the driver. The car has a policy which says that for example any driver over 25 can drive the car. In Germany the registration plate does not go with the car, it goes with the owner. This is renewed every year, if there is no insurance you are unable to renew your licence plate!

Road/fuel tax: Scrap road tax and make it a pay as you go system by increasing fuel duty by a few pence per litre. I pay £155 a year for road tax on my 320d, and do about 15k miles a year (about average). I use about 1800 litres of diesel a year. An 8.6p / litre increase would cover my £155 road tax. This system has +ve and –ve’s, and for me it would serve another purpose. I also own a Ford Galaxy people carrier. Its 10 years old and worth very little. The road tax is £215 a year. I only use it when I really have to (carrying more than 5 people or towing), and do less than 1500 miles a year in it. Why should I pay £215 to tax a car that spends most of its time on the drive?

Speed limits: My experience of driving abroad has seen many good idea’s which could work here. In Germany lorries are not allowed to overtake on certain stretches of motorway in peak times. They have unrestricted sections of motorway, but on a variable limit, so again, in peak times the speed limit is 100 or 120km/h, but it can be made higher or removed. It should be increased to at least 80mph in the UK. However, the biggest problem on UK motorways is driver awareness..... and so:

Training: Make motorway driving part of the driving test. Again, in Germany you have to go through a strict test program which includes high speed driving. Re-tests after 5 years would certainly help this as it is very annoying when people don’t use the inside lanes (take the new 4 lane sections on the M25, everyone sits in lane 3 & 4 at 65mph and lanes 1 & 2 are clear... !!). As someone who tows a car trailer sometimes, its very annoying when people use the middle lane at 55mph and don’t allow you to pass as they don’t realise you can’t use the outside lane while towing.

MOT: 1 year testing is fine. Some cars do 30, 40, even 50k miles a year, making it every 2 years will increase the amount of unsafe cars on the road. My 5 year old 320d has done 182k miles, and it passed the MOT without any issues recently, but I do take care of my cars, in the wrong hands it could be a death trap with 2 year testing.

Punishment: the current system doesn’t punish those who need it most. Jo public goes through a speed camera in a 50 limit at 58 and gets 3 points / £60 fine. Asbo boy takes his uninsured car through the same one at 85mph, but its not registered to his address and get away with it. Eventually he gets stopped, goes to court and gets slapped a £200 fine and banned from driving for a year. 2 weeks later he’s back on the road.. illegally!! I know new rules have been set to give higher tolerances for those just over the speed limit, but I think that there should be higher penalties for those who drive dangerously, without thought to other users and driving without due care and attention (that includes smoking, eating, mobile phone use and simply driving along the middle lane of an empty motorway)

By npturner on 7 June, 2011, 11:40am

Motorways

For too long this has been mulled over - the current limit for motorways is too low for vehicles these days; it should be increased to 80mph, though dual carriageways should stay at 70mph and single to 60mph. However, there should be a tightening up of residential speed limits, where the bulk of accidents happen. I would be in favour of reducing some areas to 20mph

By redcell51 on 7 June, 2011, 1:14pm

Ban all so-called front "fog "lights!They are a complete waste of time and do very little except dazzle.
Please also ban the equally idiotic led daytime running lights
recently imposed by the stupid European Union twerps.
Cost of driving should be linked to how far you drive,not on how
"eco-friendly" your car is.Do away with road tax,just pay via fuel usage.
Impose vehicle insurance stickers for front screens-if no sticker
is shown-impund or scrap the vehicle.

By williamsdjp on 7 June, 2011, 2:14pm

Cheaper fuel please

before we all go bloody bankrupt just trying to get on with our daily lives.....

By cousins11 on 7 June, 2011, 2:15pm

Driver training and re-testing

I'm not sure if driving standards are actually decreasing or with more cars on the road there are more examples, but I'm certainly noticing greater amounts of poor judgment and accidental or deliberate driving acts that contravene the rules of the road.

I would recommend a 10 year driving license which can only be obtained (initially) after a more extensive driver test - including motorways. Re-tests should be short and not too inconvenient and can be taken up to two years before the license expiry date.

Whilst re-tests would not remove deliberate bad or aggressive driving from the roads it would help motorists remember the basic rules and remove natural bad habits that we all pick up relatively quickly after passing our tests.

I would also link (given the ability of data communication) insurance companies and the DVLA for driving licenses. Any person listed as a named driver should have their valid license number recorded on the policy document and, if on an annual policy, only to the expiry date of the license if there is less than one year remaining.

By hm9ax on 7 June, 2011, 2:49pm

Lights in daylight

when will the government see sense and ban the use of lights in daylight . We used to have a book called the Highway Code to give us guidelines on the way to use or lights and other safe driving laws and tips. I am surprised how stupid people must be to drive with headlights on in daylight. I can guarantee every time I go out I will be dazzled done;nt they see how dangerous this is, and these daylight running lights are possibly even more dangerous. There is plenty of studies available off the internet to prove beyond any doubt how dangerous bright lights in daytime are. I suppose with more people driving with lights on and the accident rate goes up as it will, maybe there will be a u turn by the Government .

By Dieselman on 7 June, 2011, 2:50pm

INDICATOR STALK the opposite side of the steering wheel to the gear knob

Put the indicator stalk the opposite side of the steering wheel to the gear knob like they do in the rest of the world so it is possible to indicate when negotiating a roundabout.
Bet they won’t, it is easier for the law to harass the individual rather than the corporation who put indicator stalks in the wrong place for profit.

By tjetters on 7 June, 2011, 6:46pm

Undertaking is just plain dangerous.

Undertaking is extremely dangerous, and the notion of having the ability to undertake in quiet situations does not justify it. One rule with no exceptions is the only way to a faultless system, whereby judgement to whether rules are enforced or not is simply better.

Overtaking only, allows drivers to view traffic situations more comfortably and make correct decisions. A clear example of why undertaking is wrong, if a car is the middle lane you should be able to overtake and pull in front with worrying about hitting the vehicle. If undertaking is allowed and another vehicle undertakes whilst you overtake, it will end in disaster. Both cars won't be able to see each other and if they pull into the middle lane, its probable all 3 cars will crash. More importantly the driver likely to come of worse in this situation is the vehicle in the middle.

To add the concept of removing the amber light is also not conducive of a relaxed motoring situation. The principle of the light is to warn drivers of the pending traffic change, allow drivers to adjust accordingly. This reduces panic and people plowing on the brakes and causing possible accidents.

Traffic signals and laws have had substantial scientific investigation over the years and have developed into a sophisticated network that works very well. The only problem with the roads is the drivers who don't know how to use them correctly. 99.99% of traffic problems are due to drivers.

By mtunreal69 on 8 June, 2011, 12:52pm

hgvjonny - Banning HGV's

If banning HGV's from roads at certain times is such an issue, why does it work so well on the Continent? Trucks are banned from over taking in Germany, banned from the roads on bank holidays. I don't see their economy coming to a grinding halt because 'they have no clothes on their backs'.
Get a grip, not everybody needs things 'now', some of us are happy to wait that few extra hours.

By Jontyb on 8 June, 2011, 12:58pm

I Don't Drive!!!!

By koupekid on 8 June, 2011, 5:32pm

Motorways, taxation and insurance

I don't tend to drive on motorways on a regular basis but do know how to drive on them. I always try to keep left unless overtaking wherever possible.

The current driving license test should not include motorway use and this be a separate test going forward.

Motorway Active traffic management systems work well from what I have seen so far for peak periods but a sensible speed off peak limit of 90mph given the advancements of today's cars and not the 70mph limit set when the Ford Anglia had it's hey day!

Road fund license aka road tax should be put onto Fuel duty the more you drive the more you pay. And a specified amount of tax is to go to maintaining and improving infrastructure of the road network.

Insurance - insure the car not the persons statistics.

By RJames on 8 June, 2011, 7:25pm

peter diet

An environmental assessment of all these chicanes and speed bumps. Apart from the huge increases in fuel consumption , the the amount of prematurely aged parts must use a vast amount of CO2 .
Whats with these idiotic new crossings without a "red man" across the road, I've nearly run people over and nearly been run over myself
Turn off or turn the brightness down on those moronic signs on the motorway .
We need service stops on the motorways ,similar to Germany and France, a place where you can turn off every 5 miles or so just to park , instead of having to drive 40 miles to get ripped off in some sort of shopping centre
Why since the popularity of diesel cars , has the price risen above petrol? Diesels use about a third less fuel so the price should reflect that
Divert the road painting, traffic light erecting, and fiddling about putting up stupid obstacles on pavements and kerbs budget, into actually maintaining the roads
Make the MOT should be every 2 years , cars are manufactured to higher standards nowadays

By araldite on 9 June, 2011, 8:33am

1) Make cyclists pay for their cycle lanes.And make them register and insure their bikes. 2) Get rid of ALL bus lanes.
3) Stop the excessive taxation of 4 x 4, some people need them for their every day life. During the heavy snowfalls and floods of the last few years, who was asking 4 x 4 drivers to deliver food, midwives etc.!? 4) Make ALL off road parking free, this will slow the decline of the High Street! (Why make people pay to keep the roads clear!?) 5) Make all A roads free from parked vehicles at any time. 6) Insist that Euro NCAP test vehicles for rear end collisions. 7) Remove all speed cameras from straight rural roads and put them in villages. 8) Put more mobile Police Patrols out, this will save lives and prevent and detect crime.
AND if you need to change gear and indicate at the same time you are doing it wrong.
Bring in harsher penalties for drunken drivers hit and run drivers and those who deliberately crash to make insurance claims.

By hedgehopper on 9 June, 2011, 9:30am

tacksed

Change road fund licence (RFL) putting all costs onto petrol/diesel/LPG. I know that classic car enthusiasts will moan but how much fuel do they use, most classic cars cover less than 2000 miles.Then anyone using a petrol/diesel/gas powered vehicle HAS to pay tax. The more you use the more you pay, the heavier your vehicle the more fuel you use so the more you pay. If you use the vehicle infrequently then you pay less, an encouragement to leave the car and go by other means. The Government should support this as they are keen for us to produce less CO2. It could be easily worked out as the Government has access to MOT records to determine annual mileage and could easily access liters of fuel sold each year.

In addition it would free up a lot of personnel dealing with RFL that could be used for other government issues and no waiting at Post |Office to get RFL.

By wheelz1951 on 9 June, 2011, 3:56pm

tacksed

Make HGV use roads at night say between 20.00 and 07.00 then deliveries can be done for the most part at night utilizing empty roads. That should please truck drivers. Those companies expecting deliveries of large loads can employ additional personnel to receive the loads at night so giving some unemployed a chance to have a job.

By wheelz1951 on 9 June, 2011, 4:01pm

PARKING

Local councils moan about the demise of the high street BUT they are to blame by either not planning for car parking spaces or by charging too much. When was the last time you went to a superstore and had to pay to park or could not find a place to park. But go along most high streets and you cannot park or get charged a fortune.
The Government should make Local Councils plan for cars so that people can get in to shop. Ever tried to take a TV or microwave on park & ride. Total lack of planing

By wheelz1951 on 9 June, 2011, 4:07pm

tacksed

Anyone know how much tax is paid by motorists? Car sales tax, road fund licence, fuel duty and VAT, VAT on servicing, tyres and other parts. Parking charges. Wonder how much that all comes to?
Probably pay for all the roads to be completely resurfaced with all underground services placed at the side of the road so they could fiddle as much as they wanted without stopping traffic flow.

By wheelz1951 on 9 June, 2011, 4:12pm

traffic lights v roundabouts

I live in York and have asked the council to look at the pollution and cost of mainteance of traffic lights as against roundabouts .where there is room ,and there is I propose to do away with the lights in favour of lights . It is annoying when the lights change to red and no one comes the other way . The huge advantage of roundabouts is all the traffic is moving all the time . Some say what about the pedestrians crossing the road
quite simple , Zebra crossings ! at each junctoin . The largest queues would have the priority . Save on pollution and cost of light maintenance. Keep it simple

By mikeandeddie on 9 June, 2011, 6:44pm

a few more thoughts

Amber in traffic lights is needed when going from green to red. When going from Red to green it is pointless.

If a junction is broad enough, allow traffic to turn left through a red light.

No amount of driver training will stop the drivers cruising in lane 2 despite an empty lane 1. Allow safe overtaking on either side of the middle lane hog.

Police to be allowed to make on the spot fines for drivers using their mobiles and drivers not wearing seat belts. I can't believe how much of the latter is still happening.

Roadworks: Force all contractors to work round the clock on repairs and end the experience of driving past miles of cones with no workers in sight.

Introduce those sharp road humps on entry to small roundabouts to stop drivers treating them like their personal chicane.

Ban "Baby/Princess on Board" signs. They don't change anyone's driving style.

Paint more yellow box junctions on main roads where side roads join on the left. Do this so traffic can keep flowing in and out of the minor road when traffic on the main road is queuing.

Authorities should make it easy to report bad roads/cars/drivers etc.

By sanghanip on 11 June, 2011, 4:28pm