Car accident insurance claims

Car clamping, even from those who are law abiding in their business, never fails to provoke rage amongst motorists, so news that five men who used a car clamping operation as, in the judge s words, a licence to print money and who were sentenced to a total of nearly eight years, will have been welcomed by many.

Worcester Crown Court heard that their firm, Midland Parking Contracts, had specifically targeted vulnerable members of society and the men all pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud. Their targets had included people holding blue badges for parking and an NHS worker transporting blood samples. The court heard that the company s warning signs had not been easily visible and had often been obscured by parked cars.

The court also heard that the company s staff had been often offensive and intimidating and had caused fear as well as distress.

Have you been a victim of clamping, if so do you feel that new stricter laws should be applied to such companies, making it harder for them to strike fear into the more vulnerable? We d appreciate your comments on the whole issue of car clamping.

http://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/five_jailed_over_car_clamping_fraud_1_3544559

It may be a surprise to hear that some of those charged with serious drink driving offences are not banned from driving immediately with even some involved in fatal accidents being able to keep their licence and keep driving until the case comes to trial.

There is now pressure being applied on the government to make a change and remove someone s licence immediately after the offence is committed. A campaign was launched by the family of Jamie Strong, a 16-year-old boy who was killed in a drink drive accident on New Year s Day 2010. Though the man who knocked down Jamie eventually received a four-year jail sentence, before the case came to trial he had been on bail and allowed to continue driving for eight months.

The Leeds MP Greg Mulholland says that the law should be changed so that driving licences are automatically suspended, as part of a person s bail conditions, on those cases where a driver has twice or more the legal limit of alcohol in their blood. The road safety charity Brake has also said that the government should take action and Prime Minister David Cameron has written to the Strong family, saying that he will look into the matter.

With MPs and road safety charity s pointing to the absurdity of the present law, surely it has to be changed. The thought of a man killing a child on one day being allowed to drive again the day after and for eight months or even longer before a trial, is ridiculous and the law must be changed. Let me know what your views are.

http://www.wharfedaleobserver.co.uk/news/9521424.PM_hears_of_Otley_family_s_drink_drive_law_change_campaign/

With the winter finally emerging after months of relatively mild weather, the forecasters say the rest of February will be cold with possible snow and ice, so those on the UK s roads should take extra care.

The RAC said that the first weekend in February saw 41% more calls than normal and though the snow may have been cleared, the problem of black ice is just as great with motorists advised to drive smoothly and steadily while trying to avoid sudden braking and steering. It said it was also taking calls from people who were having trouble starting their car after such a cold weekend and advised drivers to take time to start their car up for a little while to get the engine running if the car has been inactive for any length of time.

Those having to undertake journeys at this time should always carry a shovel with them in case they have to dig themselves out of trouble, and should also carry warm clothes, boots, food and drink and a fully charged mobile phone.

So, be prepared before you venture out, especially at this time of year. Any more tips to make winter driving more bearable? Let us know.

Recent figures suggest that more people are shunning the traffic congestion of four wheels and prefer getting about on two, and surely the fact we have more cyclists on the roads is a welcome feature of modern Britain.

It seems that the figures are especially impressive in London which has seen an increase in cyclists during the past 10 years of about 50%. However, with this trend comes its own dangers of course; the threat of more cyclists killed or injured on the nation s roads.

Although it is widely held that more cyclists on the roads generally means safer cycling, it is still a fact that there are over 30 cyclists a year killed on British roads, a higher number than found in the perhaps more bike-friendly countries on the Continent.

Is enough being done to reassure would-be cyclists that it is safe to take to the roads? The Department for Transport says that it has already committed 11m on Bikeability cycle training and that it is taking seriously the issue of cycle safety. Are they right and is enough being done to keep cyclists safe? We d love to hear from any budding cyclists among you to hear what you think.