A report in the Daily Telegraph of 25 janaury 2010 reveals that the Sustainable Development Commission is calling on the Government to introduce average speed cameras to all motorways in order to ensure that motorists observe the 70 mph limit.

The government is considering making motorists legally responsible, even where they are not at fault, for any accident involving a cyclist or pedestrian. The proposed change to the law would make the most powerful vehicle in any collision liable for insurance and compensation purposes and is a move which is in part intended to encourage more use of environmentally friendly modes of transport.

A cyclist who knocked down a child in Oxford and was convicted of careless cycling under the Road Traffic Act 1988, section 29 demonstrates that, whilst cyclists are often vulnerable, they are also capable of causing harm to others and are most certainly subject to road traffic laws.

Smart cars fitted with CCTV masts and parked at junctions to monitor traffic, are now being piloted by Greater Manchester Police in a bid to drive down accidents caused by driver distraction.

In what has been described as an “historical clerical error”, the Dorset Strategic Safety Camera Partnership is having to track down all of the drivers who have been caught by a particular speed camera over a period of ten years and inform them that their fines are to be refunded and any penalty points rescinded.

Research published in the British Medical Journal has suggested that seats which face away from oncoming traffic could be up to 75 per cent safer for children carried in cars.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have set out tough new restrictions on the release of vehicle keeper information. Under the proposals any car parking company requesting information from the vehicle record in order to issue a parking charge notice will be required to be a member of a DVLA Accredited Trade Association (ATA), and abide by that ATA’s Code of Practice.

From 1 May 2009 the road tax rates will changed so as to reflect the government’s plan to move towards a CO2-driven rating system for vehicles.

In a move designed to cut road deaths by a third, the government has announced plans to cut the speed limits on many A-roads and to introduce a whole new raft of measures designed to make the job of policing our roads easier and more effective.

Under new laws introduced this week, drivers (both private and commercial) who live outside the UK will no longer be able to escape the penalties faced by UK offenders. The Police and examiners from the Vehicle Operator and Services Agency (VOSA) can now collect on-the-spot payments from alleged offenders who cannot provide a satisfactory UK address.