With the Easter holidays just a week away, the South African Police Service (SAPS) will be heightening its crime-fighting efforts with the launch of ‘Operation Paseka’. This safety campaign has a duel focus of clamping down on opportunistic crime and road safety during this period.
The Easter weekend is a peak season when people embark on road trips to annual religious pilgrimages across the country or to visit friends and relatives. Traffic is at a maximum on all national routes and road fatalities peak during this time due to a range of factors. These include reckless and negligent driving, speeding, fatigue, unroadworthy vehicles and driving under the influence of alcohol and other intoxicants. This has necessitated the SAPS, in conjunction with other role players in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster, to launch high visibility operations to safeguard road users and communities.
“As part of Operation Paseka, we will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that criminals have nowhere to hide. We have identified an increase in certain categories of crime and our men and women in blue will be out in full force to ensure that these Easter holidays are as safe and crime free as they can be,” says Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega. Motorists are urged to observe the rules of the road and to exercise patience and courtesy to fellow road users.
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.
The Arrive Alive website received an alert which was sent in social media to members of an anti-truck hijacking group:
“High Risk Area report: Kindly note that – there has been an increase in vehicle attacks on the R300 highway in Cape Town.
If you have operations in the area, consider alternative routes at night. While most attacks seem to be aimed at light motor vehicles, the risk could easily extend to commercial operations. In the latest attack, last night, a huge rock was thrown through a car’;s windshield, striking the driver and dislocating his shoulder.
He initially stopped but had to grit and bear it and drive off when 3 suspects came running towards him.”
We would also like to share the photos referred to in this alert:
Wesbank anticipates positive vehicle sales in 2015
Despite an apparent slow start to new vehicle sales in January, WesBank anticipates industry growth this year. The latest new vehicle sales data from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa) reflects a small decline in vehicle sales, compared to January last year.
Industry new vehicle sales totalled 52 306 units for the first month of 2015, a year-on-year decline of 1.2%. Of this, passenger cars accounted for 36 982, down 3.6%, while Light Commercial Vehicles increased 6% to 13 460 sales.
A closer examination reveals that the decline in sales of new vehicles can largely be attributed to a 9.7% drop in activity in the rental market.
“Rental companies seem to be shifting their replacement cycle to the second half of the year – as we saw in the last 6 months of 2014,” said Rudolf Mahoney, head of research at WesBank. “Sales in the rental market were down 11% at the start of 2014, but ended the year with double-digit growth.”
At a dealer level the drop is a mere 0.1%, year-on-year.
“In December 2014 dealer sales increased by 10.5%, suggesting that consumers brought forward their vehicle purchases to avoid January’s annual car price increases,” said Mahoney.
WesBank’s Mobility Index indicates that the monthly mobility costs for consumers are lower now than at the same point in 2014. The Mobility Index tracks all of the associated costs for owning and operating a car, including instalments, fuel, maintenance, and insurance. Compared to August 2014 consumers are now paying R3.99 less, per litre, which equates to a saving of more than 28%
“With interest rates remaining stable and manufacturer marketing incentives helping to drive sales the environment is conducive for marginal growth in the new vehicle market,” said Mahoney. “However, consumers would do well to not budget against savings at the pumps. Should the rand weaken or oil prices increase monthly household budgets will be under even more stress.”
It’s getting on for 2 years since the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) Gender Directive kicked in.
This ruling, which took effect on December 21, 2012, bans insurers from charging men and women different prices purely on the basis of their gender.
But we’ve found that the ambition of creating a level playing field between male and female insurance buyers has not been fulfilled, at least as far as car insurance is concerned.
And it’s young male motorists who are still being hit hardest when it comes to premiums.
Pain in the pocket
The latest analysis from MoneySuperMarket’s number-crunchers has found male drivers aged 17 to 19 are paying 26% more for cover than their female contemporaries.
The figures reveal that, while female motorists in this age group pay an average of £893 a year for car insurance, male drivers in the same demographic pay £1,129 – that’s £236 more!
And although it’s young male motorists who are being hit hardest in the pocket hit, it seems this is part of an overall trend that sees men paying more for cover, no matter what their age.
Gender on the agenda
Women historically paid less for car insurance than men because, as a demographic, they made fewer claims – and those they made were generally of a lower value.
The gender ruling sought to put an end to insurers making gender-based assumptions on all kinds of insurance, including car, life and health insurance plans, as well as annuities.
You can see why this was controversial. The stats proved that women deserved to pay less. And there’s no evidence that anything has changed in recent months as far as women’s driving habits and capabilities are concerned. So they still deserve to pay less.
Shift to neutral?
Now we’ve found that, despite the introduction of gender-neutral price-setting, men are still paying 22% more for their car insurance than women, having seen premiums rise by 3.2% to an average of £439 over the last 12 months.
Women, on the other hand, have seen premiums rise by just 1.8% over the same period and now pay an average of £360 for a year’s cover.
Underwriting under scrutiny
But how can this be? Why isn’t the ECJ crashing down on motor insurers like a ton (sorry, tonne) of bricks in pursuit of its beloved level playing field?
That’s a tough one to answer. There’s no suggestion that insurers are sneakily using gender (they know if from the application form) to determine how much they’ll charge. And yet the price differentials are pretty much what you’d expect if they did.
Spooky, non?
Insurance underwriting – the process of determining how risky something is and charging a certain premium as a result – is a complex science. Motor insurance underwriters take all manner of things into account, including the type of car, the driver’s occupation, driving record, where s/he lives and his or her age.
So all we can assume is that insurers are relying on whatever information comes to hand about claims and charging more for the sorts of cars and drivers that are involved. And the net effect – you could even call it an unintended consequence – is that things have stayed pretty much as they were, at least as far as gender differentials are concerned.
All round bad news
That’s not to say car insurance premiums generally aren’t on the move. After a couple of years of falling premiums, the bad news for all motorists is that car insurance prices are up right across the board in recent weeks, with overall premiums rising to an average of £401 – the first price increase of 2014.
Although this is still considerably lower than this time 3 years ago, when annual premiums hit a high of £512, it highlights the need to shop around and compare quotes when renewal time rolls around.
Premium inflation
Kevin Pratt, Car Insurance Expert at MoneySuperMarket said: “Premium prices do fluctuate, and while we’ve been in a deflationary market for car cover for the last few years, costs are now creeping back up.
“What is surprising is that despite the fact that gender neutral pricing has been in place in the car insurance market for several years now, the battle of the sexes is still raging on. It seems men are still falling foul of car insurer’s risk profiling systems – but a raft of factors will influence this, including postcode, profession, make of vehicle and points on a licence.
“For car insurance, the bottom line is always to keep an eye on your renewal premium, to always shop around and therefore seek out the best possible deal for your circumstances – keep calm and compare.
“With premium prices currently trending upwards, it is even more important to make sure you aren’t paying over the odds on your renewal.”
Motoring organisations say that new guidelines on tax refunds when cars are sold privately will generate a substantial windfall for the DVLA – at our expense.
Motoring organisations say that new guidelines on tax refunds when vehicles are sold privately will create a substantial windfall for the DVLA – at our expense.
Drivers will drop out to the tune of millions of pounds a year as a result of the abolition of automobile tax discs, motoring organisations claim.
This is due to new rules on what happens when automobiles are purchased and sold privately.
Tax no longer transferred
At present, when a auto is sold from one person to yet another, the purchaser advantages from any tax – or vehicle excise duty (VED) – remaining on the car.
But the new program obliges the purchaser to arrange their own tax to apply from the start off of the month the purchase is produced.
Sellers, meanwhile, will get a refund only for any full calendar months of unused tax.
This indicates that on the vast majority of private sales, the DVLA will successfully be collecting tax twice for the month in which they take place.
The RAC estimates that this could cost motorists as considerably as £38 million a year.
‘Law-abiding motorists penalised’;
The RAC has primarily based this on 2.73 million annual private sales, and an average monthly automobile-tax figure of £14.
RAC chief engineer David Bizley stated: “It appears extremely harsh that law-abiding motorists are the ones being penalised beneath the new rules.
“Although the typical quantity of monthly automobile tax is not that excellent it nevertheless appears incorrect that motorists should drop out and the DVLA need to benefit.
“Certainly in the 21st century we have the technologies to operate out the alter of ownership to a specific date and then calculate the exact refund and new tax to the day, meaning that motorists don’t drop out and the DVLA receives the correct amount of tax, and no a lot more.”
Both sides lose out
If a vehicle which is taxed until the finish of the year is sold on the 15th of the November, say, the seller will get a refund of just one month.
The 15 days of tax the seller has paid to cover the rest of November will be lost.
At the identical time, the buyer will have to tax the automobile from the begin of November – tax can not commence mid-month – which implies they will also spend for 15 days’ unnecessary tax.
Bizley added: “Inevitably, the DVLA will claim that they have to carry out added administration in order to refund unused tax to sellers, but certainly this does not equate to £38 million a year.”
‘Computer systems can not cope’;
Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA, said his organisation had warned ministers of this concern.
“Sadly the DVLA’s computer systems can only deal with tax that starts at the starting of the month,” Watters said.
He added that a lack of physical proof that a auto was taxed could produce further issues.
“If I drive an individual else’s auto and they say it is taxed, how can I be sure?” he said.
This could apply to hire automobiles or courtesy vehicles from garages, Watters added.
Prospective £50 fines
Motorists face a fixed-penalty notice of £50 if they are caught driving an untaxed auto, no matter whether they realise it or not.
The DVLA’s current alterations imply that any driver who taxes a vehicle following 1 October 2014 will not get a disc to show in its windscreen.
Tax records are now held solely online by the DVLA, and it is no longer an offence not to show a disc, even for vehicles taxed just before 1 October.
The DVLA stated it anticipated the abolition of the paper disc and reduction in attendant postage and administration costs to save around £10 million a year.
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A new report shows there hasn’t been significantly ground gained in the battle to reduce the quantity of uninsured motorists on the road, and there’s nowhere experts can point their fingers to as an explanation of the pervasive dilemma.
From a percentage point of view the nation’s uninsured motorist dilema is on the decline, but the undesirable news is that the price of uninsured motorist claims has risen dramatically in the previous decade, according to a report from the Insurance coverage Study Council.
The report, “Uninsured Motorists, 2014 Edition,” shows the percentage of uninsured motorists in the U.S. fell to 12.6 percent in 2012 from nearly 15 % 9 years earlier.
Even so, the report estimates that $ 2.6 billion was paid to cover uninsured motorist claims in 2012. That is a 75 percent boost more than the 2003-2012 period studied, and that figure requires into account only bodily injury payments and not property harm.
“So these are quite low estimates,” stated Patrick Schmid, the author of the report.
Stricter laws and regulations haven’t had a noticeable impact, and while there’s a temptation to blame the economy for a greater or fewer quantity of motorists buying auto insurance, there’s no clear hyperlink there either, Schmid said.
Leading up the most recent recession, researchers noted that a 1 percent jump in the nation’s unemployment price seemed to lead to a roughly .5 percent enhance in the quantity of insured motorists. Yet throughout the last recession the ratio of uninsured motorists to bodily injury claim frequencies continued trending down slightly.
“There’s absolutely some aspect of that, that is certainly relevant here,” Schmid stated, offering his opinion that economics do come into play where the uninsured motorist difficulty is concerned.
He added, “It’s some measure of the economy, whether or not it is the unemployment price or some other measure, it definitely is involved right here.”
The report shows that in some states where unemployment tends to be greater the reported uninsured motorist to bodily injury claim frequency ratios have been higher. Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, Michigan and Tennessee were all above a 20 % ratio.
Oklahoma had the highest ratio of any states at 26 percent, whilst Massachusetts had the lowest at 4 %.
Of course, some of the most populous states had the highest numbers of uninsured motorists, such as California (4.1 million), Florida (3.2 million), Texas (1.6 million), Ohio (1.3 million) and Tennessee (1.2 million), the report shows.
The report estimates that there are practically 30 million uninsured motorists in the U.S., which represent roughly 1-in-8 drivers.
Penalties for driving without insurance vary by state, but according to Schmid there’s no apparent correlation between stiffer penalties and a reduction in the percentage of uninsured motorists.
He reasoned that could be an concern where regulations could be tougher, but enforcement is not.
Regardless, with far more motorists acquiring behind the wheel as the nation’s population continues to grow, the difficulty is become a higher concern, the report states.
“Motorists who forgo purchasing insurance coverage develop a difficulty that is of fantastic concern to auto insurance coverage policyholders, insurers, regulators, and the basic public,” the report states. “In addition to paying for insurance that covers their own actions, insured drivers pay a portion of the expenses incurred by drivers without insurance coverage through uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. For insurers, costs associated with UM claims can be substantial.”
Thanks to rising healthcare costs, count on paid claims due to uninsured motorist accidents to rise, Schmid stated.
Adding a little fuel to fire up concern over the issue, Schmid noted that the decline in uninsured motorist prices could be a trend that’s becoming driven by an escalating number of motorists receiving reduce-price insurance.
“While we’ve seen that the percentage has been declining, if it is correct there are less uninsured motorists, is it feasible that the number of underinsured motorists have been increasing,” Schmid said. “May be much more folks are obtaining low-limit coverage, and that’s making the percentage of uninsured motorists fall. And some of the regulations out there might enhance the uninsured motorists difficulty but worsen the underinsured motorists issue. We’ve truly seen there’s a tiny of a tie in there.”
As several as 60% of motorists believe there are not adequate police officers on the road to enforce driving laws, according to an RAC survey.
Much more than half (51%) of drivers consider it is unlikely that motorists will ever get picked up for texting whilst stopped in visitors.
And 40 per cent reckon they stand tiny possibility of getting stopped by police for aggressive driving, the poll of 1,526 drivers identified.
The analysis also showed that only 29% believe drivers will get into difficulty for texting on the move although 42% feel it is unlikely.
24% think tailgaters will be pulled over
For the new offences of tailgating and middle lane-hogging only 24% and 22% respectively think motorists are most likely to be pulled up by a site visitors officer.
The only offences motorists believe are dealt with successfully are the ones that are enforced by way of cameras such as speeding and targeted traffic light violations.
A total of 45% reckon drivers are most likely to get caught for speeding, while 46% believe those operating red lights will get caught.
Of those motorists questioned who have speeding points on their licences, 49% said they have been trapped by a speed camera, even though only 24% have been caught by a police officer.
67% break 70mph motorway limit
The survey, the 26th annual poll of its type by the RAC, also showed that 34% are concerned about other drivers speaking on hand-held mobile phones and 22% are worried about other motorists breaking traffic laws normally.
In addition, 75% of motorists reported regularly seeing other men and women talking on mobile phones, with 44% saying they see this taking place during most of their vehicle journeys. However only 8% of drivers admit to employing a hand-held phone on most journeys.
On speeding, around 40% admitted breaking the speed limit on non-motorway routes, even though as many as 67% owned up to exceeding the 70mph limit on motorways. A total of 70% of drivers supported raising the motorway limit to 80mph.
Potholes have been a be concerned for 41% of motorists in this year’;s survey, compared with 36 per cent final year, even though 47% place the price of fuel as their principal motoring concern despite reductions in rates at the pumps of late.
31% worried young children could be distracted by smartphones
As several as 69% reckoned young children have been as protected, if not safer, on the roads than when they were young but 31% had been worried that kids could get distracted by smartphones although utilizing roads.
4 in 5 motorists felt uncomfortable driving on icy roads, with almost all (96%) avoiding driving in the snow if at all attainable. Younger drivers have been more concerned about driving in wintry conditions than older ones.
RAC technical director David Bizley mentioned: “Our analysis shows that millions of law-abiding motorists are frustrated with the reduction of site visitors police and believe that the possibilities of drivers becoming pulled up for breaking the law are now minimal.
“Motorists are tired of continually seeing other drivers breaking the law and obtaining away with it so it is hardly surprising that they want to see a greater police presence on our roads to enforce motoring legislation much more successfully, which would also act as a genuine deterrent.”
As several as 60% of motorists think there are not adequate police officers on the road to enforce driving laws, according to an RAC survey.
More than half (51%) of drivers consider it is unlikely that motorists will ever get picked up for texting whilst stopped in traffic.
And 40 per cent reckon they stand little likelihood of becoming stopped by police for aggressive driving, the poll of 1,526 drivers identified.
The investigation also showed that only 29% think drivers will get into trouble for texting on the move even though 42% think it is unlikely.
24% consider tailgaters will be pulled more than
For the new offences of tailgating and middle lane-hogging only 24% and 22% respectively believe motorists are most likely to be pulled up by a targeted traffic officer.
The only offences motorists believe are dealt with effectively are the ones that are enforced by means of cameras such as speeding and traffic light violations.
A total of 45% reckon drivers are likely to get caught for speeding, even though 46% consider those running red lights will get caught.
Of these motorists questioned who have speeding points on their licences, 49% stated they had been trapped by a speed camera, although only 24% have been caught by a police officer.
67% break 70mph motorway limit
The survey, the 26th annual poll of its type by the RAC, also showed that 34% are concerned about other drivers talking on hand-held mobile phones and 22% are worried about other motorists breaking traffic laws generally.
In addition, 75% of motorists reported often seeing other people speaking on mobile phones, with 44% saying they see this taking place throughout most of their vehicle journeys. Yet only 8% of drivers admit to making use of a hand-held phone on most journeys.
On speeding, around 40% admitted breaking the speed limit on non-motorway routes, even though as a lot of as 67% owned up to exceeding the 70mph limit on motorways. A total of 70% of drivers supported raising the motorway limit to 80mph.
Potholes had been a worry for 41% of motorists in this year’;s survey, compared with 36 per cent last year, whilst 47% place the expense of fuel as their primary motoring concern in spite of reductions in rates at the pumps of late.
31% worried young children could be distracted by smartphones
As a lot of as 69% reckoned kids have been as safe, if not safer, on the roads than when they have been young but 31% have been worried that youngsters could get distracted by smartphones whilst making use of roads.
4 in 5 motorists felt uncomfortable driving on icy roads, with practically all (96%) avoiding driving in the snow if at all feasible. Younger drivers had been far more concerned about driving in wintry circumstances than older ones.
RAC technical director David Bizley stated: “Our research shows that millions of law-abiding motorists are frustrated with the reduction of site visitors police and believe that the chances of drivers getting pulled up for breaking the law are now minimal.
“Motorists are tired of continually seeing other drivers breaking the law and getting away with it so it is hardly surprising that they want to see a greater police presence on our roads to enforce motoring legislation a lot more successfully, which would also act as a genuine deterrent.”
As many as 60% of motorists believe there are not enough police officers on the road to enforce driving laws, according to an RAC survey.
More than half (51%) of drivers think it is unlikely that motorists will ever get picked up for texting while stopped in traffic.
And 40 per cent reckon they stand little chance of being stopped by police for aggressive driving, the poll of 1,526 drivers found.
The research also showed that only 29% think drivers will get into trouble for texting on the move while 42% think it is unlikely.
24% think tailgaters will be pulled over
For the new offences of tailgating and middle lane-hogging only 24% and 22% respectively think motorists are likely to be pulled up by a traffic officer.
The only offences motorists believe are dealt with effectively are the ones that are enforced via cameras such as speeding and traffic light violations.
A total of 45% reckon drivers are likely to get caught for speeding, while 46% think those running red lights will get caught.
Of those motorists questioned who have speeding points on their licences, 49% said they were trapped by a speed camera, while only 24% were caught by a police officer.
67% break 70mph motorway limit
The survey, the 26th annual poll of its kind by the RAC, also showed that 34% are concerned about other drivers talking on hand-held mobile phones and 22% are worried about other motorists breaking traffic laws generally.
In addition, 75% of motorists reported regularly seeing other people talking on mobile phones, with 44% saying they see this happening during most of their car journeys. Yet only 8% of drivers admit to using a hand-held phone on most journeys.
On speeding, around 40% admitted breaking the speed limit on non-motorway routes, while as many as 67% owned up to exceeding the 70mph limit on motorways. A total of 70% of drivers supported raising the motorway limit to 80mph.
Potholes were a worry for 41% of motorists in this year’;s survey, compared with 36 per cent last year, while 47% put the cost of fuel as their main motoring concern despite reductions in prices at the pumps of late.
31% worried children could be distracted by smartphones
As many as 69% reckoned children were as safe, if not safer, on the roads than when they were young but 31% were worried that children could get distracted by smartphones while using roads.
4 in 5 motorists felt uncomfortable driving on icy roads, with nearly all (96%) avoiding driving in the snow if at all possible. Younger drivers were more concerned about driving in wintry conditions than older ones.
RAC technical director David Bizley said: “Our research shows that millions of law-abiding motorists are frustrated with the reduction of traffic police and believe that the chances of drivers being pulled up for breaking the law are now minimal.
“Motorists are tired of constantly seeing other drivers breaking the law and getting away with it so it is hardly surprising that they want to see a greater police presence on our roads to enforce motoring legislation more effectively, which would also act as a genuine deterrent.”
Speeding motorists could locate themselves slapped with a £10,000 fine as element of a government crackdown on motoring offences.
The proposals just before Parliament would give magistrates the power to hand out heftier fines – but there are query marks more than whether or not this is a genuine attempt to deter drivers from breaking the speed limit or a cynical ploy to quit the appeals procedure.
A real speed trap?
Speed is 1 of the principal aspects in fatal road accidents and, just final month Brake, the road safety charity, named for a dramatic rise in the level of fines issued to motorists who commit the far more common, however no less dangerous, motoring offences of speeding and mobile phone use at the wheel.
And that is specifically what the government has completed by proposing a 4-fold improve in the maximum fines for speeding as nicely as placing up the maximum fine for using a mobile while at the wheel.
The probably government reforms imply magistrates can now issue fines of up to £10,000 to motorists caught speeding on motorways, although fines for breaking the limit on dual carriageways and other roads will increase to a maximum of £4,000, as will the maximum fine for making use of a mobile whilst driving.
It ought to be noted that the normal fixed penalty for speeding will stay £100 plus 3 penalty points. You’re only going to be hit with a larger fine if you discover your self located guilty in court.
Unlimited fines
For the first time ever, magistrates will also have the power to impose unlimited fines for a lot more critical ‘level 5’ offences such as careless driving or driving with out insurance.
Jeremy Wright justice minister , stated: “Financial penalties set at the right level can be an powerful way of punishing criminals and deterring them from further offending. Magistrates are the cornerstone of our justice method and these changes will offer them with greater powers to deal with the day-to-day offences that effect their neighborhood communities.”
But are these penalties set at the right level to deter offenders or to deter the appeals method?
A way to repeal motorists’ appeals?
As noted, beneath the present rules, a common speeding allegation can be dealt with by a fixed penalty notice of a £100 fine and 3 penalty points on your licence.
All motorists have the proper to appeal against the fixed penalty notice, but a failed appeal will see the fine enhance to £1,000, or £2,500 if caught speeding on a motorway, and the quantity of penalty points double to 6.
And it’s reasonable to assume that this would act as adequate of a deterrent to any spurious appeals and appears fairly in proportion to the crime committed – speeding offences have been in decline for a number of years, and the newest Department for Transport figures show the number of fatal or critical accidents on significant roads (motorways and A roads) fell by 7% in 2013, and by 4% on minor roads.
On roads with speed limits more than 40mph in non-built up places fatal accidents fell by 6% and on roads with speed limits up to and like 40mph in constructed up areas they fell by 5%.
Money maker?
So given that the number of fatal and significant accidents is on the decline, is this an ill-timed move from the government, or is it a way of bringing in more funds from motorists?
It is simple to be cynical when you think about magistrate fines collected (for all offences) at the finish of 2012/13 reached a record high of £284 million and continued to improve during the last financial year.
One thing’s for positive, it will certainly place the brakes on the appeals procedure. Who in their correct thoughts will appeal against a fixed penalty notice, no matter how convinced they are of their own innocence, if it could end in a £10,000 fine?
And even though those who break the law need to have to bear in mind the consequences of their actions, the level of punishment also has to match the crime.
What do you consider? Do we want the larger fines to deter speeding motorists? Or are these new fines a way to deter the appeals process? Let us know…
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
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
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
