Maximum motorway speeding fine set to rocket to £10,000

[JPB]

As things stand, it's only an offence if the phone is handheld. BT or a windscreen holder are still allowed in England & Wales. But it makes you wonder whether the 999 operators are trained in spontaneous comparative risk assessment.

[TerryG]

Most of them aren't trained in speaking English if the last 2 operators I spoke to are anything to go by.

[Martin Evans]

I was told that the higher fines will be means tested. If this is the case, then there are no doubt some, who could afford the odd £10000, for a bit of over induldgence in their 14 plate Ferrari. It is probably also true that their specialist solicitors (Who probably charge best part of that per hour) will get them off anyway.

I wish they would clamp down on hand held mobile use, so that like drink driving, it would involve an automatic ban. Aggressive driving should also be curbed and I include people in your boot in that In Phil P's case, where he got done for doing 35mph, I suspect he was being pushed along by someone behind. Had he stuck to 30, it may well have increased the chances of an accident, when said wally came into the back of his car. It might also help if they banned the sale of certain makes of car....mentioning no names aber you know vot ich mean I am of course joking but they say many a true word is spoken in jest.

[rich.]

i was a very polite audi driver!!
yesterday while walking on a zebra crossing i nearly got run down by a cyclist why dont the police crack down on them

[Martin Evans]

Did you step out when they were within the zig zags or before

[rich.]

i was on the middle of the crossing... i should point out the french car drivers are just as bad.. crossings are a game of chance here

[Martin Evans]

I'll bear that in mind when I visit Le Mans and Angouleme this year. I haven't been to France since 1986 (Le Mans again) and on that occasion, I passed through Paris (Which I am told is regarded by French people, outside Paris, as Paris and not France) and there the driving was shocking. Trying to cross the road, on wet cobbles, was tricky and I shall never forget the poor sod, who was knocked off his small motorcycle or moped. He was trying to start the thing, having picked himself, up whilst the traffic was going either side of him and missing him by inches (Or should that be cm); some even blew their horns at him A case of never a Gendarme about when you need one.

As I have said, you don't need to be a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, motorist, van, lorry or bus driver to be stupid; you just need to be human for that. Of course the anonymity of no number plate (Sometimes farmers with trailers) allows some to assume they are beyond the law.

[rich.]

very true mate, some people are just so inconsiderate...i was second on scene of a bike accident last year i parked my car in front of the body & people were driving around my car & nearly hit the body... she recovered shorly after but it scared the crap out of me
let me know your route & dates for the trip to Angouleme, you might be passing withing 25 minutes of my place.. if you are lucky you might get to see the grand prix retro at le puy notre dame or at the very least i can pour you a cup of tea

[Martin Evans]

Funnily enough, a local caveman walked across the road, without looking, this morning .

I don't yet know how my trip is going to work out. I am sailing to Caen and then driving to Le Mans, for the historic races. I am meeting friends there, who now live at Charroux, near Civray, so between there and Le Mans, I can follow them (On the way back it's down to my Michelin map, my compass and me). I have a degree of apprehension about the trip, though I have driven in Germany, Austria and into northern Italy before. On that occasion I was in a hire car, which was left hand drive (Yes I did once get into the passenger side) and I wonder whether (Overtaking apart) being in my own car will be easier. We shall see

I haven't seen my friends' new place or met Archie, the new cat (Snoopy, their old cat emmigrated with them but died last year - she was about 20), who decided to adopt them. By all accounts they have storage space to die for

[mr rusty]

On that occasion I was in a hire car, which was left hand drive (Yes I did once get into the passenger side) and I wonder whether (Overtaking apart) being in my own car will be easier. We shall see

........it's a lot easier to drive your own car abroad than it is to adapt yourself to LHD. Overtaking can be a bit of a stresser however unless you're on a dual carriageway it's a lot easier if you have a sensible passanger who drives regularly and knows when it's safe to go or not.