Tag: #vaninsurance

Why Proper Vehicle Compliance Is Crucial For Road Safety

Posted on by News Desk

Road safety..

Wilts specialist ops #RPU stopped this van on M4 as it appeared overloaded.

The van was over 20% overweight, the driver had no insurance, and held a license for automatic vehicles only.

Furthermore, this van was definitely a manual!

As a result, the driver was fined and reported.

There are several reasons why this incident is important.

Road Safety

Overloading a vehicle can cause significant safety risks for the driver and other road users.

Consequently, it is crucial to address this issue to ensure road safety.

It can affect the handling of the vehicle, therefore increasing the stopping distance.

Moreover, it can potentially damage the brakes and suspension.

Insurance

Driving without insurance is illegal and can result in significant fines and penalties.

It’s important for all drivers to have appropriate insurance coverage to protect themselves and others in the event of an accident.

Licensing

Driving a vehicle that is outside the scope of a driver’s licence can result in fines, penalties, and potentially legal action if an accident occurs.

It’s important for drivers to ensure they have the appropriate licence for the vehicles they are operating.

Enforcement Of Road Safety

This incident highlights the importance of enforcement efforts by the police .

They ensure that drivers are complying with the law and not putting themselves or others at risk on the road.

By stopping this van and taking appropriate action, the police are helping to improve safety and reduce the risk of accidents on the road.

Conclusion

This incident involving an overloaded van driven by an unlicensed driver with no insurance highlights several important issues related to road safety.

Firstly, overloading a vehicle can pose significant safety risks to both the driver and other road users.

Moreover, driving without appropriate insurance coverage or a valid license is illegal and can result in substantial fines and penalties.

By taking appropriate action, the police are helping to improve safety and reduce the risk of accidents on the road.

Why Get Fined? Just Pay Up And Avoid The Hassle

Posted on by News Desk

It really isn’t worth the effort some people will go to, trying to avoid paying fines.

One recent example follows.

A van driver had been speeding in a 60mph zone (doing between 72-74mph).

He received a rather grainy image of the white transit van, since he was the registered owner.

This was accompanied by a request for details of the driver at the time,

along with a notice of intended prosecution.

Honesty Is The Best Policy

The easiest (and most honest) option of course would have been to own up and pay the fine.

Not forgetting the three points on his licence.

Sadly, this van driver decided he would try quite hard to avoid paying anything at all.

Even though he knew he was behind the wheel at the time.

He decided to go to some extreme measures to avoid prosecution.

He bought black and red stripes to stick on the vehicle, a GB number plate, and a 60mph limit sticker to go with it.

300 Hours Of Investigations!

After some 300 hours of following and investigating, officers actively compared earlier photographs of the van to those taken after they issued the fine.

They determined definitively that the registered owner had been speeding

Of course, this was a costly exercise for the local constabulary.

Things Were Not About To Get Any Better

The 62-year-old had to finally appear in court.

He was told that he was in a much worse position than had he just owned up and paid the fine.

The extent he went to in order to avoid the fine had used up a considerable amount of taxpayer’s money and time spent investigating.

Ouch!

The driver had six previous convictions and points on his licence.

The judge sentenced him to four months in prison (suspended for 12 months) and banned him from driving for six months.

Finally, he had to pay a £500 fine towards costs.

Hopefully, he has learned a lesson in honesty!

Delivery Driver Woes

A couple of teenage boys surprised a female delivery driver in Coventry by opening the van door and threatening her with a machete.

The pair, aged 14 and 15 at the time, demanded the van keys.

Thankfully, the delivery driver didn’t hand over the keys but instead bravely managed to take the machete away from them.

Not before they had stolen her mobile phone though.

Once she grabbed the machete, the pair ran off, which is hardly surprising. However, police with sniffer dogs later caught them.

Police arrested them on suspicion of robbery and possession of a large knife, and they continued questioning them while in custody.

The police have issued a warning to delivery drivers to be aware of potential robberies, especially with the run-up to Christmas and the usual increase in parcels in their vans.

 

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Food for thought

Posted on by News Desk

How many drivers have messy vans? It probably didn’t start off that way, but after a while, you’re too busy and will tidy up “next time”. We all know next time rarely comes and before you know it, you’ve got a pile of cans, bottles, coffee cups, wrappers, and fast food containers building up inside the cab.

It’s not really a problem, is it? Well, actually yes it is. You might not think it could happen, but what if something is on the floor and rolls over to the driver’s compartment?

What could happen?

One of two things is bound to happen in this scenario. You need to brake but can’t because there is something lodged under the pedals OR you decide to try and move it – you are no longer in full control of your van. Both of these could have serious consequences.

If your van is considered to be overly messy, you might just find yourself with a fine and points on your licence.

Whilst there isn’t actually a law against having a messy van or vehicle, you could be in breach of Rules 117-121 and 144 of the Highway Code.

If you are unfortunate enough to be followed by a law enforcement vehicle and they spot you struggling, depending (as always) on the severity of the situation you might end up with a fine of up to £5000.

If a fatality is caused by lack of care and attention, then a prison sentence will be handed down.

Apparently, millions of drivers are guilty of leaving some rubbish in their vehicles, but if it is looking a little bit like your local skip, it really is time to clean up your mess!

Take it home

Please don’t forget though, don’t throw rubbish out of the window. That is also a breach of Rule 147 which states you shouldn’t throw anything out of your vehicle. This includes cigarette ends and all the other rubbish mentioned at the beginning.

It’s all about being considerate towards other road users, especially motorcyclists and cyclists.

Now might be a good time to make sure your insurance is all up to date and in order. It only takes a few minutes to check for the cheapest online by using our quick 3-minute form.

Stuck in the middle with you

Posted on by News Desk

Well, actually it was more like stuck in the sand for one unlucky AA driver. After receiving a call to rescue another driver and their vehicle that had got stuck in the sand at Porth Beach in Newquay, the unfortunate AA driver also became stuck.

Locals tried to come to the rescue and were seen attempting to free both vehicles, alongside the AA driver (and we would hope, the driver of the original vehicle that caused all the bother). Apparently, it took nearly an hour to free both vehicles but this is not the first time it has happened and not the first time the AA has been called and ended up stuck as well. The last time it happened, a tow truck was needed to rescue both!

Over Easter, a Transporter Van and a Mazda car were both in need of rescuing after becoming stuck in the sand. This same story is repeated down the road at Great Western Beach with over a dozen cars having to be rescued in the last year.

Why are people driving onto the beach? You may well ask. Who knows? Perhaps they didn’t feel like walking – let’s hope they take more care on their next visit though.

Bridge Over Troubled Water?

Talking of being stuck, another unfortunate van driver found themselves stuck not in sand but under a bridge. The road had to be closed as the van had become lodged under the bridge; despite the wording and warning that it is a LOW BRIDGE, written above the bridge in nice, bright luminous yellow letters (so you can’t miss it?) along with a warning sign letting drivers know of the height restriction. How many times do we read about bridge strikes?

Didn’t  you see the signs?

Even with signs before the bridge, bright yellow writing, more signs, height restrictions and more signs, some folks seem to think they can just squeeze through (or maybe they just don’t see all those signs). They no doubt realise very quickly that no, a van with a height of 7’3” will not fit under a bridge with a height of 7 feet. No matter how much you want it to. That’ll be 4 flat tyres then to get you out; if you’re lucky.

Better check your insurance to see if it covers getting stuck in unusual places then. Luckily for you, it won’t take long at all with our quick 3-minute form.

Sorry for the ear worms this week folks!

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