RED's Instructor Blog

Looking beyond the sensationalism of the term ‘on-the-spot fine’, we feel the most positive aspect of the new powers will be the opportunity to address some of the problems through education. We believe that for those less serious offenders who make genuine mistakes, education and not punishment is the way forward and therefore the most encouraging news announced within these measures is the intention to make much greater use of police approved education courses as an alternative to penalty points and fines.

The new powers will effectively be a fixed penalty notice, bringing it in-line with the way speeding offences have been dealt with for some time. Looking at the strategy as a whole, it provides the police with the powers to deal with what is a serious and persistent offence that endangers all road users, including pedestrians.

Unfortunately we worry that, yet again, this is all about headlines rather than substance – this strategy relies on detection and with the huge reduction in the numbers of road traffic police on the road over the last ten years, plus further reductions of traffic officers announced recently through the government funding cuts, the practicalities of policing this will be extremely difficult. However, if these can be overcome and it leads to better drivers, we believe this can only be a good thing.

Photo by net_efekt

You wouldn’t think it now with spring in the air, but if you think back to just a few months ago, we had heavy snow, rain and ice and you have probably noticed the resulting increase in potholes and damaged roads.

Some good news is that the Department for Transport announced yesterday that councils will be given double the funding to repair the roads of Britain! Local highway authorities across the country will receive their share of a £200m opposed to the planned £100m to improve the conditions of the roads.

Of course you should be aware that there are likely to be more roadwork’s around and so when taking pupils out, you should make sure you know where the hold ups will be.  But it will make your journeys a lot smoother and more comfortable as well as reducing the chance of damaging your tyres!

So you can enjoy your weekend drive around the countryside knowing that there will be far less potholes on our roads in the near future.

photo by pixelrobber

It has been widely reported that the motorway speed limit could be reconsidered for the first time since 1965! The Transport Secretary, Phillip Hammond, has recently discussed that there could be economical benefits to increasing the motorway speed limit to 80mph.

It is discussed that whilst Britain’s roads are the safest in Europe, there are other factors to consider when deciding the speed limit, and this is where the re-evaluation will be focussed. In comparison to other countries in Europe, speed limits are already at 80mph, and in Germany some roads have no limit at all!

Photo by Robert A Stanford

On the flip side, in many places, 30mph speed limits could be lowered to 20mph, so while you may be able to go much faster on the motorway, driving in towns could become much slower.

As well as safety and economical effects of a change in speed limit, there are environmental impacts too! The most fuel efficient speed of a car can vary depending on make, model and age, but the average speed is usually in the 50s for the most efficient fuel consumption. Therefore a higher speed limit could make driving even more expensive!

With these potential changes looking likely to alter the driving conditions on the motorway, it could be more essential for pupils to complete a pass plus course and get motorway experience.

This is quite a controversial topic and we would love to get your opinions! So pop onto Facebook and tell us what you think. Should the speed limit be increased on the motor way? Should the speed limit be reduced down to 20 in town centres? Let us know!