Motorists can now plea against minor fines on-line

A new service referred to as “Make a Plea” is being rolled out across the UK this month and it means that motorists now have an option to submitting their plea against motor fines by way of the post or possessing to go to court.

This service is for individuals who have committed minor or low-level driving offences such as driving with no the suitable insurance or speeding. They will be capable to use the site to respond to their charge in a bid to modernise the way some of our systems work.

The Courts Minister, Shailesh Vara stated: “This is bringing the courts and tribunal service to the modern day technological era.

“This is some thing that will imply there is going to be less paper around, less use of people, significantly less use of office space, and a complete variety of items that will truly save true funds, and that cash can be utilised elsewhere.

“Digital technologies give us an opportunity to make the justice system easier, clearer and more rapidly – and part of this indicates reducing or removing the unnecessary movement of paper and individuals around the technique.”

Not only could the new method save funds but also save time which in turn saves money as well. This is since it will decrease the quantity of time that the police and courts take to approach all the minor driving offences that go by means of the technique each year (estimated to be about 4.5 million). Hopefully, if the new service does totally free up the time of the courts and the police this time can be far better spent dealing with much more complicated cases which is a single of the factors many motoring groups are backing the new service.

A spokesman for the RAC, Simon Williams, stated: “Our courts deal with a large quantity of minor motoring offences every single year, so it tends to make absolute sense that in the 21st century we use safe internet technology to relieve some of the pressure.

“Make a Plea should speed things up for motorists and the courts alike, freeing the latter up to deal with the much more severe motoring offences such as unsafe driving.”

The service will be available to defendants 24 hours a day and will allow them to respond to their charge through the safe site utilizing any compatible device i.e. smart telephone, tablet or desktop.

The Ministry of Justice has stated that the service will let for the defendant to get the maximum amount of credit for responding to a charge promptly as effectively as make the process a lot easier than it has been in the past.

The programme has currently been trialled in Greater Manchester where 1,200 drivers utilized the service to register their pleas against their charges. The new technique not only provides them the selection to register their plea but also lets defendants see their case information as nicely as view all the proof.

All round, digitalising the technique tends to make sense for motorists specially when it will make the procedure for registering a defence considerably simpler. Let us know your thoughts under!

Photo by Pixabay

The post Motorists can now plea against minor fines on the web appeared very first on 1st Insurance coverage Blog.

Motorists can now plea against minor fines on-line

Why do we warn against overloading a passenger vehicle?

On the Arrive Alive road safety website we often warn against the overloading of vehicles. We would like to share a few of these reasons:

Overloading a vehicle will pose the following risks:

• The vehicle will be less stable, difficult to steer and take longer to stop. Vehicles react differently when the maximum weights which they are designed to carry are exceeded.


• Overloaded vehicles can cause the tyres to overheat and wear rapidly which increases the chance of premature, dangerous and expensive failure or blow-outs.


• The driver’s control and operating space in the overloaded vehicle is diminished, escalating the chances for an accident.


• The overloaded vehicle cannot accelerate as normal – making it difficult to overtake


• At night, the headlights of an overloaded vehicle will tilt up, blinding oncoming drivers to possible debris or obstructions on the roadway


• Brakes have to work harder due to ‘the riding of brakes’ and because the vehicle is heavier due to overloading. Brakes overheat and lose their effectiveness to stop the car.


• With overloading, seat belts are often not used as the aim is to pack in as many persons as possible into the vehicle


• The whole suspension system comes under stress and, over time, the weakest point can give way.


• By overloading your vehicle you will incur higher maintenance costs to the vehicle – tyres, brakes, shock absorbers and higher fuel consumption


• Insurance cover on overloaded vehicles may be void as overloading is illegal

For more on these dangers view: Overloading and Road Safety

Are we really guilty of overloading? You be the judge!

Why do we warn against overloading a passenger vehicle?

Louisiana AG Files Suit Against State Farm Over Auto Repair Practices

Alleging “a culture of unsafe enterprise practices” in its handling of car repairs, Louisiana’s lawyer basic has filed suit against insurance coverage giant State Farm.

Lawyer General Buddy Caldwell’s lawsuit, filed Aug. 19 in the 19^th Judicial Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, alleges State Farm has “engaged in a pattern of unfair and fraudulent business practices aimed at controlling the auto repair sector and forcing unsafe repairs on vehicles without having the understanding or consent of Louisiana customers,” according to information released by the AG’s office.

In his announcement, Caldwell mentioned the company’s practice is to make certain that “consumer car repairs are performed with cost-savings as the principal purpose rather than safety and reliability.”

The suit accuses State Farm of violating Louisiana’s Unfair Trade Practices Act and Monopolies Law by “using scare techniques to steer Louisiana buyers to State Farm’s preferred repair shops and forcing shops to execute vehicle repairs cheaply and quickly, rather than in accordance with customer security and vehicle manufacturer performance requirements.”

Caldwell alleges that the company steers claimants to repairs shops that have partnered with State Farm beneath signed agreements that call for them to comply with repair standards set by the insurer, such as how extended the repair should take and what parts may be employed.

“In some situations, we’ve discovered that these components are nothing at all much more than used junk yard parts. In other folks, we’ve discovered them to be foreign knock-off parts of questionable top quality,” Caldwell stated in his written statement.

In an emailed response to a query from Insurance coverage Journal, State Farm Public Affairs Director Phil Supple stated the “description in this lawsuit is not in line with State Farm’s mission to serve the demands of its consumers, and our long, proud history of achievements in advancing vehicle security. We are reviewing the lawsuit and will have much more to share quickly.”

Supple pointed to State Farm’s lengthy-term involvement with the Insurance Institute for Highway Security and the insurer’s part in helping facilitate safety improvements such as car airbags and child passenger security seats, as nicely as fostering research and education aimed at defending young drivers.

In 2012, State Farm wrote a single-third of all private passenger, commercial auto liability and physical harm policies in Louisiana, with premiums totaling far more than $ 1 billion, according to the document filed with the court.

Louisiana vs. State Farm

Louisiana AG Files Suit Against State Farm Over Auto Repair Practices

Motorists advised to guard against theft from vehicles at shopping centres

The incidents of theft out of motor vehicles are staggering with a disturbing increase in cases recently in Bloemfontein as thieves are striking at parking lots in various shopping malls around the City. According to situational analysis it is revealed that most of the incidents are due to negligence and sheer carelessness of some motorists. It has also been noted that an absence of vigilance exists with regard to criminal element that lie in wait.

As a result the police would like to issue warnings to the motorists to be extra careful when locking their vehicles and ensuring that they are in fact properly locked before they walk away. The police have also discovered a new trend and tactic that gives the thieves the opportunity to steal valuables out of various makes and models of vehicles without having to gain entry forcibly. Their modus operandi is that those criminals fool motorists into thinking that they have locked their vehicles simply by pressing the button on a gate remote to block the signal sent simultaneously from the vehicle`s keys by its owner which interferes with the locking mechanism frequency on your vehicle remote and your vehicle do not lock. As soon as you are out of sight, they then help themselves with any valuable items they want from your car without forced entry.

As it is a common knowledge that most people who are having vehicles with remote controls sometimes just press their remotes and turn away without looking or checking whether their vehicles are locked. These criminals are out there waiting and watching when you press your remote to lock your vehicle. They walk around in the parking bays as if they are ordinary people and nobody suspects them.

It is with this that we want to create public awareness so that people make sure that their vehicles are locked regardless of where a vehicle is parked even in the yard, make doubly certain that the central locking system is fully and properly activated, both visually and audibly. If you suspect that someone disturbs you during this procedures report the incident to the nearest police station.

At this stage we have increased police visibility at all identified hotspots and this resulted in arresting number of suspects and this showed that our strategies are paying dividends and therefore appealing to the motorists to start doing their part by protecting their properties.

These types of thefts are regarded as opportunistic crime and to avoid them the motorists are advised to take note of the following safety measures that must be adhered to at all times;

 Make sure that all doors and windows are properly locked when you park your vehicle.
 Motorist to physically ensure that doors are properly locked after activating the alarm.
 Valuable items such as laptops, cameras, cell phones, wallets and handbags should be put in the boot of your vehicle.
 Do not place valuables in the boot whilst people are watching and there is a tendency of suspects breaking rear windows and stealing such properties from the boot.
 At night park at well-lit street.
 Remove detachable radios or radio faces when parking your vehicle
 Parking lots with parking attendant or someone patrolling are the best.

Advice via SAPS

Also view:

Motorists warned of increase in car theft through immobilizer jamming in Johannesburg 

Caution is required to protect from “immobilizer” and “signal jamming” thieves

Vehicle Theft and Car Insurance

;

Motorists advised to guard against theft from vehicles at shopping centres

Motorists advised to guard against theft from vehicles at shopping centres

The incidents of theft out of motor vehicles are staggering with a disturbing increase in cases recently in Bloemfontein as thieves are striking at parking lots in various shopping malls around the City. According to situational analysis it is revealed that most of the incidents are due to negligence and sheer carelessness of some motorists. It has also been noted that an absence of vigilance exists with regard to criminal element that lie in wait.

As a result the police would like to issue warnings to the motorists to be extra careful when locking their vehicles and ensuring that they are in fact properly locked before they walk away. The police have also discovered a new trend and tactic that gives the thieves the opportunity to steal valuables out of various makes and models of vehicles without having to gain entry forcibly. Their modus operandi is that those criminals fool motorists into thinking that they have locked their vehicles simply by pressing the button on a gate remote to block the signal sent simultaneously from the vehicle`s keys by its owner which interferes with the locking mechanism frequency on your vehicle remote and your vehicle do not lock. As soon as you are out of sight, they then help themselves with any valuable items they want from your car without forced entry.

As it is a common knowledge that most people who are having vehicles with remote controls sometimes just press their remotes and turn away without looking or checking whether their vehicles are locked. These criminals are out there waiting and watching when you press your remote to lock your vehicle. They walk around in the parking bays as if they are ordinary people and nobody suspects them.

It is with this that we want to create public awareness so that people make sure that their vehicles are locked regardless of where a vehicle is parked even in the yard, make doubly certain that the central locking system is fully and properly activated, both visually and audibly. If you suspect that someone disturbs you during this procedures report the incident to the nearest police station.

At this stage we have increased police visibility at all identified hotspots and this resulted in arresting number of suspects and this showed that our strategies are paying dividends and therefore appealing to the motorists to start doing their part by protecting their properties.

These types of thefts are regarded as opportunistic crime and to avoid them the motorists are advised to take note of the following safety measures that must be adhered to at all times;

 Make sure that all doors and windows are properly locked when you park your vehicle.
 Motorist to physically ensure that doors are properly locked after activating the alarm.
 Valuable items such as laptops, cameras, cell phones, wallets and handbags should be put in the boot of your vehicle.
 Do not place valuables in the boot whilst people are watching and there is a tendency of suspects breaking rear windows and stealing such properties from the boot.
 At night park at well-lit street.
 Remove detachable radios or radio faces when parking your vehicle
 Parking lots with parking attendant or someone patrolling are the best.

Advice via SAPS

Also view:

Motorists warned of increase in car theft through immobilizer jamming in Johannesburg 

Caution is required to protect from “immobilizer” and “signal jamming” thieves

Vehicle Theft and Car Insurance

;

Motorists advised to guard against theft from vehicles at shopping centres

Motorists advised to guard against theft from vehicles at shopping centres

The incidents of theft out of motor vehicles are staggering with a disturbing increase in cases recently in Bloemfontein as thieves are striking at parking lots in various shopping malls around the City. According to situational analysis it is revealed that most of the incidents are due to negligence and sheer carelessness of some motorists. It has also been noted that an absence of vigilance exists with regard to criminal element that lie in wait.

As a result the police would like to issue warnings to the motorists to be extra careful when locking their vehicles and ensuring that they are in fact properly locked before they walk away. The police have also discovered a new trend and tactic that gives the thieves the opportunity to steal valuables out of various makes and models of vehicles without having to gain entry forcibly. Their modus operandi is that those criminals fool motorists into thinking that they have locked their vehicles simply by pressing the button on a gate remote to block the signal sent simultaneously from the vehicle`s keys by its owner which interferes with the locking mechanism frequency on your vehicle remote and your vehicle do not lock. As soon as you are out of sight, they then help themselves with any valuable items they want from your car without forced entry.

As it is a common knowledge that most people who are having vehicles with remote controls sometimes just press their remotes and turn away without looking or checking whether their vehicles are locked. These criminals are out there waiting and watching when you press your remote to lock your vehicle. They walk around in the parking bays as if they are ordinary people and nobody suspects them.

It is with this that we want to create public awareness so that people make sure that their vehicles are locked regardless of where a vehicle is parked even in the yard, make doubly certain that the central locking system is fully and properly activated, both visually and audibly. If you suspect that someone disturbs you during this procedures report the incident to the nearest police station.

At this stage we have increased police visibility at all identified hotspots and this resulted in arresting number of suspects and this showed that our strategies are paying dividends and therefore appealing to the motorists to start doing their part by protecting their properties.

These types of thefts are regarded as opportunistic crime and to avoid them the motorists are advised to take note of the following safety measures that must be adhered to at all times;

 Make sure that all doors and windows are properly locked when you park your vehicle.
 Motorist to physically ensure that doors are properly locked after activating the alarm.
 Valuable items such as laptops, cameras, cell phones, wallets and handbags should be put in the boot of your vehicle.
 Do not place valuables in the boot whilst people are watching and there is a tendency of suspects breaking rear windows and stealing such properties from the boot.
 At night park at well-lit street.
 Remove detachable radios or radio faces when parking your vehicle
 Parking lots with parking attendant or someone patrolling are the best.

Advice via SAPS

Also view:

Motorists warned of increase in car theft through immobilizer jamming in Johannesburg 

Caution is required to protect from “immobilizer” and “signal jamming” thieves

Vehicle Theft and Car Insurance

;

Motorists advised to guard against theft from vehicles at shopping centres