How to respond to emergency vehicles

 

Emergency Vehicles

Loud sirens and flashing blue lights can often send many motorists into a panic. This is usually because they have not been taught to deal with approaching emergency vehicles properly. Here we will explain how to respond to emergency vehicles when driving so you can help to facilitate a safe and quick route for them to take.

The key is to keep calm when you see or hear emergency vehicles approaching so you are in the right frame of mind to make a quick and safe decision.

Don’t panic

If you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching, it is important to keep calm. If you have music on turn it off, as this will aid your concentration whilst you plan your next move. Working yourself up into a panic could lead you to making the wrong move and delaying the emergency vehicle further.

Look for somewhere you can pull over to safely and indicate that you are going to do so. This will tell the emergency vehicle driver that you are aware of their presence and intend on getting out of there way. Only pull over it is safe to do so. Avoid pulling onto kerbs, pavements and verges as you may put yourself or pedestrians at risk.

Even after the emergency vehicle has passed you, it is important to remain aware. There may be more emergency vehicles heading your way, so listen out for other sirens and keep in mind that you may need to pull over again.

Look for indicators

If you are approaching a junction or roundabout, check your mirrors to see if the emergency vehicle is indicating, so you know which direction they need to go in. This will help you plan your next move. Be aware that the driver behind you may not have the same view of the emergency vehicle as you, so do not brake suddenly.

If there is not a safe place to pull over, do not slow down as this will hinder the progress of the emergency vehicle. Instead keep driving and indicate that you intend to pull over when possible. You should never pull over on the brow of a hill or if you are approaching a bend. Simply keep driving at the speed limit (if it is safe to do so) and then indicate and pull over when you have a better view.

UK Government motorist advice specifically says “In slow-moving traffic motorists should leave enough space to be able to manoeuvre if an emergency vehicle needs to get past.”

Emergency vehicles on the motorway

Never overtake an emergency vehicle on a motorway or dual carriageway. This will prevent you from getting caught up in the accident it is attending. Make sure you give the blue light vehicle plenty of room and that you follow it at a safe distance.
Unless a uniformed police office directs you to do so, never go through a red light to facilitate an emergency vehicle.

Relevant laws

The laws still apply even when emergency vehicles are present. Unless you are directed to do so by a uniformed police offer, you will be breaking the law and could be fined if you move into a bus lane or go through a red light to make way for an emergency vehicle.

If you are travelling on a solid white line road, the emergency vehicle will only be permitted to pass you when you have completely stopped. Keep driving at the speed limit (if it is safe to do so) and only pull over when you are out of the solid white line area. It is likely the emergency vehicle driver will turn the sirens off whilst you are on the solid white line road and back on when you reach the point where they can safely overtake.

Conclusion

Responding to emergency vehicles on the road is not something that you should worry about. As long as you keep your cool and behave in a safe, legal and predictable manner, you will be able to facilitate emergency vehicles in their mission to get to the emergency quickly and safely.

Image credits: kenjonbro & mezzoblue

How many points am I allowed on my driving licence?

How many points am I allowed on my driving licence?

In the UK, the majority of driving offences result in punishments consisting of fines and penalty points. Most offences have a fixed number of penalty points, which you can find on the Gov.uk website, however points for some offences may be determined in court and will depend on the circumstances of both the driving offence and the defendant. Here we will provide a guide to penalty points and their implications on your future as a driver.

If you are caught speeding you will be issued a fine and penalty points.

How do penalty points work?

Each driving offence has a special code and is given penalty points on a scale from two to ten. The more serious the offence is, the more points you will receive. In some cases immediate disqualification is mandatory.
If you are caught committing a driving offence, you will need to hand over your licence to the police, a fixed penalty office or when you appear in court. The penalty points will be put on your driver record and written on the counterpart document of your driving licence. The points on your licence will be effective for three years from the date of conviction and remain there for a minimum of four years.

After four years have passed since your Fixed Penalty Notice was served, you will be able to apply to the DVLA to have the points removed from your licence. If you commit a serious driving offence, the points can remain on your licence for up to eleven years.

Penalty points for new and experienced drivers

If you have held a full driving licence for more than two years, you can accumulate up to twelve penalty points in any three year period before being banned from driving. If however you have held a full driving licence for less than two years and accumulate six penalty points, your licence may be revoked under The New Drivers Act.

Disqualification

If you have accumulated the maximum number of points (outlined above) via several completely separate offences or you commit a serious offence that is deemed worth twelve points or more then you may be disqualified from driving. The time you are disqualified for will be dependent on the seriousness of your offences. If you are disqualified for less than fifty six days (for speeding or a similar offence) your licence will be returned to you at the end of the disqualification period and will be deemed valid, without any further testing.

If you have totted up twelve penalty points in any three year period, disqualification is mandatory. There are however some exemptions, which may lead to you retaining your driving licence. For this, you will require legal representation in court and must be able to justify a submission of exceptional hardship.

Exceptional hardship

Some individuals are able to retain their driving licences in the case of disqualification through proving exceptional hardship. There is no statutory definition of exceptional hardship, with conclusions being based on individual circumstances in court. In order to prove exceptional hardship, the consequences of you being banned from driving must be beyond what would be reasonable foreseeable. For example, whilst loss of job would not automatically be deemed as an exceptional hardship, the implications that arise from the loss of employment may amount to it.

Defendants are required to present their case in court and will require legal representation. See this article by Motor Lawyers for more information.

Impact on car insurance

If you have a motoring conviction, insurers will see you as being a higher risk driver. This will usually result in more expensive car insurance quotes. According to this article by Go Compare, how much your premium will increase by will depend on your insurance company’s conviction policy, the type of conviction, the type of vehicle and your age.

In some areas of the UK you may be able to take a driving awareness course for speeding and red light offences.

Alternatives to penalty points

In many areas of the UK, driving awareness courses can be taken in exchange for receiving penalty points for motoring offences. These courses are designed to educate drivers in hope that they will not make the same mistake again, rather than punishing them. If you are eligible to attend a speed awareness course or red light camera course you will be invited via a letter from the police.

Courses are usually expensive (in the region of £60.00 to £90.00) so either way, committing a driving offence is going to cost you money that you could avoid paying, by simply taking a little extra care on the roads.

How to get your driving license back after a ban

 

 

 

 

 

How to get your driving license back after a ban

If you’ve been disqualified from driving for any reason and are wondering how to get your driving license back at the end of the ban, this guide will help you find out what you need to do and how. Being excluded from driving a car is tough, but needs to be done if you broke the rules. By following the process accurately, you’ll be able to get back on the road once your disqualification is over.

Are you a high risk offender?

Disqualification from driving can occur for a number of reasons, including dangerous driving, accumulation of points and, most commonly, for drink driving. To work out how to get your driving license back, you’ll need to determine whether you fall into the group known as ‘high risk offenders’, or HRO. You will fall into the HRO category if any of the following apply:

•You were disqualified for drink driving with an alcohol level of more than 87.5mg per 100ml of breath, 200mg per 100ml of blood or 267.5mg per 100ml of urine.

•You have been disqualified twice within the last ten years due to an alcohol related offense.

•You were disqualified because you refused to give a breath, blood or urine sample for testing.

•You were disqualified because you refused to allow analysis of a blood sample to go ahead due to incapacity.

The courts may not have told you if you are a high risk offender, so it’s up to you to determine which category you fall into. This will affect how you get your license back.

Non high risk offenders

If you think you are not in the HRO category of offenders, you should receive notification from DVLA around 56 days before your ban is lifted. This will contain an application to renew your license with them, known as a form D27P. If you do not receive this from DVLA, you can apply through the post office using a form D1, or can request your D27P via theDVLA website.

If you are a photocard holder, you will need to send off your D27P along with the payment required to renew your license. The form should be sent to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1AB. If you need to renew the photo on your license, there will be notification of this on the D27P form.

IF you are a paper license holder you will need to send in the D27P form as above, but will also need to enclose a passport type photo for your new photocard license. You can use the Post Office ‘Check and Send’ facility before you send it in to make sure everything is correct. Lorry, bus or minibus drivers will need to fill in a form D2 which is available from DVLA or from the Office of Traffic Commissioners.

High risk offenders

If you think you are in the HRO category, there is a bit more work to do in order to get your license back. DVLA require confirmation from a doctor that you are medically fit to drive again. This means you will need to undergo a medical assessment including blood tests before your license will be reissued.

DVLA will send you the application form for reinstating your license around 90 days before your disqualification ends. If you do not receive the form, you can ask at the Post Office for a form D1, or can request your D27P is resent from DVLA directly. Bus, minibus and lorry drivers will need to fill in the form D2 also.

The medical examination for HRO’s

Before DVLA will reissue your license, they need to be sure you are fit and well enough to drive. This means you will have to attend a medical assessment with one of DVLA’s own appointed doctors before you can send in your application. The assessment will usually include:

•Blood tests

•Urine tests

•A physical examination of your health

•A questionnaire about your health, any medical problems you may have had and your use of alcohol in general

There is a fee to pay for this process which needs to be covered by you. If the medical shows dependence or misuse of alcohol to be an ongoing problem, you may not get your license back. If you know you have a problem with alcohol, a medical condition or a mental health issue, you should wait to resolve this before figuring out how to get your license back.