Safety drivers to be held criminally responsible following 2018 fatality in USA? Driverless cars – or autonomous vehicles – are a reality. What was once the preserve of science fiction are now on the roads in certain countries around the world. While this does not include the UK yet, it is surely only a matter…
1st time offenders hung out to dry by the DVSA Many facets of our lives have been impacted severely by the effects of COVID-19. Many of these are well-known, from school closures to restrictions upon travel. Much of what the Government and other public bodies have done to help mitigate the effects of this global…
The effect of COVID-19 and the accompanying lockdown has been profound in all walks of life. The legal profession is no exception. Like most criminal defence lawyers, particularly those practising road traffic law, we have experienced a massive downturn in business as local courts close and hearing dates get delayed. And we assumed that, with…
A article published in the Glasgow Herald on 14 August has stated Scotland “has been found to have the highest levels of distracted driving offences in the UK”. Asked to comment on the findings, a spokesman for our moral guardians at Brake stated: The number of distracted driving offences in Scotland is cause for concern…
The correct answer, of course, is the Sheriff Appeal Court (SAC) is not on anybody’s side. It approaches each case neutrally, favouring neither the prosecution nor the defence. But that is not always how it feels, certainly not from a road traffic perspective. The recent decision in the successful Crown appeal against Kevin Coulson certainly…
There are currently various Speed Limits in Scotland. They range from 20mph “zones” (including much of Edinburgh) up to 70mph on most motorways and certain dual carriageways. A bill seeking to make 20mph the new “default” speed limit has been rejected by Holyrood’s rural economy committee reports the BBC. So what is the current “default”…
Dangerous Driving in Scotland if prosecuted on summary complaint currently carries a potential jail sentence of up to 6 months in prison. Current proposals by the Scottish government are intended to provide against such “ineffective” short term sentences. So does this mean the end of jail sentences for Dangerous Driving in Scotland? Probably not but…
It has been widely reported recently that David Beckham has been disqualified for 6 months for driving while using a mobile phone. The Sun newspaper, with its usual flair for a good headline proclaimed: BANNED IT LIKE BECKHAM: David Beckham banned from driving for 6 months for using mobile phone at wheel of £100k Bentley…
I get a news feed sent to my phone every morning. It contains the legal issues of the day, everything from commercial and property stuff (too complicated), Brexit (too “oh god not again”) and updates on important cases (which saves me from having to read the actual case). I give it a perfunctory glance and…
It used to be I could not visit a news site without been reading about police crackdowns on motorists disguised as “raising awareness”. In the dark days of Stephen House, these were not really about raising awareness or “keeping people safe” (Police Scotland’s strap line). They were, in my opinion, little more than cynical revenue-generating…