American Reacts to UK Driving Offences and Penalties
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- In this video I react to UK Driving offences and the penalties for breaking them. While I knew UK driving laws are somewhat different than I'm used to, I was shocked to discover some of the things that are considered a driving offence in the UK and the penalties associated with them.
For example, using your phone, even while stopped in traffic is illegal, and someone could be charged with careless driving and fined £5000 for eating or drinking water while driving. Most of the driving offenses and penalties make total sense to me, but a few are a bit of a head scratcher.
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To use a handheld phone, you must be parked with the engine off and keys out of the ignition. Any other time, either in traffic or at a stop sign, you are in charge of the vehicle.
Not if you keep it on your lap and wear sunglasses so they can't see you looking down. 😎
And even on private property
I got done for this but weed lol
This wording seems a little out of date. What about keyless ignition? Or auto stop/start systems that almost all modern cars have? What about many electric cars which are effectively ‘switched on’ by just unlocking them?
this also applies for using your phone to pay at a drivethru
With all respect Steve, you have never visited Britain or driven on our roads. They are very different from US roads. They are much narrower, very windy and very congested. Also motorways are always extremely busy all the time. You have to be alert ALL the time. When you visit you will understand why we have such strict rules.
Spot on.....
Yep! And some countries with much worse roads therefore have much stricter driving laws (eg Norway).
Exactly! It ONLY takes a fraction of a second to get distracted and have a head-on collision.... SO many people have died just because they took/made a call or read a text! I stick the phone in the glove compartment and forget it. 🤔😎
This is why we have some of the safest roads in the world
I was in Greece recently and thought the roads seemed quite dangerouse, so i checked and yes for every 10,000 people 6.5 die on the road, but in the uk the number is only 2.9, less than half as month. I went on to check what the figures were for the US, its 12.9 almost twice that of Greace and nearly 5 times that of the UK.
Well you know what they say about driving in Greece. The Brits drive on the left, the Germans drive on the right and the Greeks drive in the shade. I lived and worked out there and it's true!
I've just come back from Spain, specifically the mountain area of Comares.
Driving on those roads is really something else. In the UK i'm a quicker driver (driving to the limit) but over there the roads are constantly left/right/left/right twisting and winding roads, there were no more than a handful of "straight roads" and when there were they were only about 50-100m before you hit a long series of bends again. Not to mention the sharp literal hairpin turns that the area we stayed in had plenty of, you honestly couldn't do more than about 15-20mph around them.
Then there's the huge drop off the side of all of the above roads, if you go over the edge, it's at least 100metres to the bottom, sometimes higher. Most of the roads have a guardrail but some parts had a few small rocks and some parts had no protection at all. The speed limits were a bit lower (highest being 60km/h around 45mph) on these roads, but the locals still sped around the bends and constantly tailgated me. I'd never driven abroad before, the last time I went abroad I wasn't old enough to drive as it was nearly 10 years ago. Getting used to driving the car from the left side and changing gear with the right hand took a good day or to, but once you're used to it it's fine. I drove to the airport on the way back early hours of the morning and the motorways had a speed limit fluctuating between 60km/h and 100km/h, that said everyone pretty much ignored them and blazed past me at probably in the region of 90 and 130+ respectively.
@@thefiestaguy8831 I've driven some of those winding hairpin roads in Spain mainly in Asturias/ Basque country. I've had cars come around the bend on my side. And I was worried about driving on the right...phew
He's talking about the maximum possible penalty. No copper is even gonna look twice at you for eating a Snickers bar or drinking a 500ml bottle of Pepsi UNLESS you're weaving or looking like you're struggling to control you car. They seriously won't. It's just an excuse to pull you over in case they want to check something else like drink and other drugs or if you're having a medical emergency.
Even if you do get pulled over for eating a snickers you can claim it wasn't you driving because you are not you when you are hungry...
In the UK - they don't need a reason to pull you over, it's not like the USA where "probable cause" is required.
I've stopped plenty of cars. I always have a reason for doing so but legally I can stop any car I want without a reason.
@@urbanshadow777😂😂
I wouldn't like to put that to the test too regularly.......
They absolutely will if they don't have anything else more important to do...
I remember seeing a motorway police show where a lorry driver was on phone and had crashed into the back of something like a BMW or Jaguar. When they pulled them apart there was a tiny citroen or similar crushed in between. Was a young lady's first day at work or uni. It was tragic and possibly why the fines are strict.
There's one where the truck driver was eating a massive bowl of soup, steering with his knees. Police ended up buying orris themselves so they can see into the cabs
ruclips.net/video/93w7TA8Px9Y/видео.html This is the episode you are referring to. Traffic Cops "Fatal Distraction" The young lady was called Trinity Taylor.
About using your phone at a red light vs a stop sign it's no different you are in charge of a motor vehicle and your concentration is not on the road so it doesn't matter. If you need to use your phone then you need to pull over and then check it or set up sat nav.
I watched one recently where a Polish bloke, think his name was Ion or something like that, he was fiddling with his phone and ploughed into a line of stationary traffic, I know an older couple and their dog died at the scene but there may have been others
They interviewed the polish driver from jail, he was devastated by what he'd done but he was totally at fault and deserved more time than he got.
@@riversdiaryhave you seen the episode 'Dicing With Death'? That one was very surprising.
The Black Belt Barrister is a gentleman and a scholar, he is for the people. He's Masterful at what he does on his channel. Really good to see him on your channel, thank you 👊
Seems like a great guy to learn UK law from.
@@reactingtomyroots The best on RUclips for UK law information and advice.
The dude is based.
I love that one of your thresholds for 'careless driving' was 'taking off my shirt' I mean jeepers dude, that means a period of time where you are blind
quick note the video is older, in 2022 the max sentence for death by dangerous driving was increased to life so not limited to 14 years now
Death by dangerous driving should be same as Manslaughter.
@@geoffbentley8774more like murder, considering the size of weapon used.
@@jenniferfox301 Murder requires intent to kill, manslaughter is when you've killed but you didn't specifically intend to kill someone, rather your actions led to their death.
If you intend to kill someone, it's murder, regardless of whether you use a knife, a gun, a car or high explosives.
@lloydcollins6337 if you get behind a wheel drunk as a skunk I'm sure most Brits will be happy to say you intended to kill someone and maybe even yourself because that's an inevitable outcome to driving drunk.
Even as a student in uni a group of friends of mine had to literally fight keys off a drunk friend and we were drunk too and the distance he would have driven wouldn't have even been a mile and it was dead at night when almost no one was on the roads. We have a very zero tolerance approach to drunk driving here and little empathy for anyone who does because there's no justified reason for driving drunk. If you kill someone in that state you're a careless murderer.
It shows a difference in attitude that you seem surprised that it is considered careless driving to be distracted by eating or drinking while you’re meant to be concentrating on driving, particularly on the motorway where you’re driving at a maximum of 70mph.
to be fair most people in the UK would be surprised to find eating and drinking careless driving to. Also it's never really enforced either
@@GamerBullyI know somebody who was fined sat in his car on a red light eating a sausage roll.
@@GamerBully I'm not saying it's common but it can happen.
@@AlainnCorcaighI don't think most would. Only an idiot does either whilst driving.
@@GamerBully
Only the other day, a guy in front of me got 'pulled over' on the A406 (part of the North Circular as you filter off towards the M1) for, what seemed to me, eating a sandwich (or similar?). He appeared to be getting a warning, but then I realised he also had two kids in the back (in child seats) and was ALSO on his mobile... Sorry, he deserved to get done!
On the dangers of mobile phone whilst stationary or in traffic queues, look up the case of Mary Bowers, a Times Journalist who in her mid-30s was put in a care home for life by a phone using lorry driver who pulled up next to her whilst on his phone, then turned straight over her into a side-road without even noticing she was there.
What happens with 'statioary' phone using drivers is that they are locked away in their bubble, notice 5s too late that everyone has moved, and start off without paying proper attention. That is dangerous.
Wikipedia lists that he ran over her twice because he forgot to put the brake on.
How would he be using a phone driving a lorry in the 1930s?
@@steveaga4683lol. Corrected.
Look it up, though.
Mid 30's references her approx age. 🙄🙄🙄
Having your car keys in your pocket while drinking is only if your suspected of going to drive, like opening the car door. Not just having them in your pocket in the bar, they don't come in and tell you to empty your pockets to look for keys
@@GamerBully Yes, I think the point the presenter was trying to make was that you can be arrested for being drunk in charge of a vehicle without literally driving it -- the officer doesn't have to wait until you drive away and onto the road. I'm willing to bet there are some cases on record where the person tried to use "I wasn't driving it yet" as an excuse.
@@robertadavies4236know a guy who was done for drink driving by simply putting his keys in the glovebox after getting in to sleep it off.
@@robertadavies4236 thats true on one of the north isles i know one lad came out of the local a bit the worse for wear he climbed into the back seat and fell asleep he woke to the local officer and lost his license
@@TheGiff7 Doubt it. That's not "Drinking driving"... that's an entirely separate offence called "Drunk in charge". Usually used when a person is so plastered they fall asleep in their car in a lay-by or something and have the keys on their person or in the ignition. Ultimately nowadays the court usually have to believe that you intended to drive the vehicle but by the letter of the law it's an offence just to be intoxicated in the vehicle whilst in charge of it.
IF you somehow fell asleep in your car without having the keys on your person or actually in the car at all, and were intoxicated, it wouldn't really be an issue.
@@thefiestaguy8831 I mixed the charges up. Regardless. This was back in the late 80’s when there wasn’t so much a stigma but the police would still take a dim view of drink driving and being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence. My friend lost his license and got a big fine for his trouble.
I was caught speeding (entirely my fault) and when I was stopped and asked what I was doing... I told the officer that I was being twat and that I know I should not have been doing it. He looked at my, asked for my documents, looked them over and then told me I was very lucky and that I was only gong to get a verbal warning. I should have got a ticket, but I didn't and was very greatful for that fact. In UK, reacting to the police with genuine respect often works in your favour.
Bravo, same similar happened to me. Be the big person, admit your error & not waste each others time.
It does here in the USA as well. Being respectful instead of an idiot helps.
@@caroleannbrunnock8793 Good to know. I can only speak for the country I live in.
Used to happen a lot where the local police would exercise significant discretion based on road conditions, time of day and type of road etc. I have been pulled over at 1am doing maybe 60 in a 40 and have been given words of advice. Being polite, respectful and apologetic used to go a long way. Telling an officer one night that I should have looked at the speedometer more often, but I had only just bought the car and it was a lot quieter than my old one went no further than an admiring walk around and being told to enjoy the car without crashing it.
"I'm not driving".... by being sat at a stop sign, behind the wheel of a car, you ARE driving.
Essentially the definition of driving under the road traffic act is to be in control of the "steering and propulsion of the vehicle". So by being sat behind the wheel of a car with the engine running, you have control of both the steering and the propulsion (accelerator and brake) and thus are deemed "Driving", regardless of whether the car is moving or not. Many people think you actually have to be moving for the offence to be committed but this isn't the case.
There are also "in charge of" offences, such as "using a mobile phone whilst in charge of a Motor vehicle" and "drunk in charge of a motor vehicle".
It's also worth bearing in mind that the quoted points and fines are MAXIMUMS, and in reality you are likely to get a lot less unless there is a high severity factor (i.e phone use behind the wheel, at speed, on a rainy day in built up area with pedestrians and traffic around).
Drink driving also applies to driving to work the next morning if there is still alcohol in your system. Often this is a problem in December time when many people have Christmas parties and drive to work the next morning. The same rules apply if you are caught
Yep it's totally possible to be caught & charged for drunk driving without actually having a drink at Christmas, thanks to boozy desserts like Christmas pudding
This is an issue all the time in Scotland as we have a lower rate for breath than the rest of the UK. We could blow over after 1 drink now. I don't know anyone who would consider driving after anything now. My workmate will call me for a lift in on a Monday morning if she's had a few drinks on a Sunday night.
@@Jinty92 Even more of an issue in Norway where the drink-drive limit limit is less than half that of Scotland. I've seen the Norwegian Police stop a whole section of road in the morning (rush hour), and walk down the line of cars breathalysing every second or third car.
We were always told that when in Norway, if you have more than one glass of wine in the evening, don't drive the next morning (which may have erred greatly on the side of caution, but we ended up doing car shares each day with different drivers who would have not had anything to drink the night before).
BTW Norwegian roads in the winter are even harder to drive on than Scottish ones!
The mobile phone one I’m guessing is because you should be in control of your vehicle at all times.
If you’re sitting in traffic and say the car in front rolls back, you have to be able to react quickly and might not do so if you have something in your hand.
I’m glad we have such strict rules on the road and it keeps both drivers and pedestrians safe
Equally, it’s so that people don’t immediately look up and see that the lights gone green and pull off when there might be a pedestrian about to walk across. You are supposed to maintain full awareness of what is going around your vehicle while you’re in control of it.
The UK police, have a police lorry. so they are higher up to catch the lorry drivers on mobile phones, because they are to low in a police car.
they travel in their lorry cab, with a police car far behind, and radio the car when they see a lorry driver on a mobile phone.
@@seanmc1351 I've seen a video from Australia (I think) where there was an undercover cop sat on a bus during rush hour. He was looking into the cars going in the opposite direction as the bus passed them and radioing another cop on a motorcycle to let him know about anyone who was using their phone or not wearing a seatbelt. Even if the drivers saw the bike approaching and put their phone away it was too late as the cop on the bus had already seen them.
@@CiaraOSullivan1990 in london, i lived there 10 years and we all know what the traffic it like, where you have 2 lanes at lights or a roundabout, they use a motor cylce, to go down the middle of the lane looking into cars, because there are so many people, when they stop, pick a phone up and look at it
The law is absolute so there is no way people can weasel out of it. Otherwise things become subjective and can lead to danger situations.
Another consideration for why things are so strict is the fact that our roads aren’t generally straight and can sometimes have obstructed views. Additionally, much more attention is paid when fatal incidents happen, so the government has the incentive to keep these laws strict to remove dangerous drivers. There are also many more pedestrians, necessitating safer road laws.
As for the snickers bar example, you’re probably okay if it’s not affecting how far your vehicle moves towards the edge of your lane. But, generally, use time at stop-lights or, preferably pull over at a service station. There’s plenty of safe places to stop. It’s not like the US, where I have previously had an eight hour drive with only two roadside places to stop, minus towns. Over here, you generally will only drive an hour at maximum before finding a safe roadside stop. I’m sure most people can last that long.
The keys in pocket thing is only if there is reasonable cause to believe that you intend to drive the vehicle after going over the limit. For you to be caught and charged with it, there would have to be no alternative travel plans/or they had proof of intent, such as a time-limit on how long your car can be parked there. You’d be fine if you simply passed the keys to the sober designated driver or said you’re getting a taxi and explained that to the police. It’s rarely ever enforced, and only is if people actually witness intent to drive under the influence.
But, all these are maximum penalties only.
These laws & penalties are why the UK has just about the safest roads in the world - (We tend to swap places with Sweden)
On paper maybe. The actual enforcement is not really there most of the time.
@@nojsanger1it depends on the law. Mobile phones are always cracked down on. You might get away with going 35mph in a 30 zone if seen by a copper, but that is dependent on the situation. (By getting away with I mean the copper just telling you to get a grip and behave). Oddly enough, the traffic law I often see broken the most (excluding speeding) are police flashing their blues and twos to jump red lights or to quickly go up somewhere they shouldn't. I live near a police station and Everytime I'm at the lights and see a cop car heading towards it they do it.
@@piecewisefunctioneer Although it's not legal to have a phone in your hand whilst driving to hold a conviction in court they have to be caught using it for a period of time to prove they were distracted and being either convicted of careless driving or dangerous driving which apparently are two different things. The police may choose discretion to ignore or just give a warning, probably the extra paperwork and all! It's a really bad habit of motorists I personally really hate the casualness of people using them whilst driving!
@@nojsanger1 yeah I disagree with the use of mobile phones, except as satnavs and music sources but even then I always have mine placed to the side on a phone stand.
It is legal to have a phone in your hand while driving, it is illegal to be using it, at the same time it is legal for ham radio operators and CB radio operators to use their hand sets while driving.@@nojsanger1
Usually when watching film or t.v shows from the USA, drivers/passengers are rarely seen wearing a seat belt, hence our thinking that seat belts are not compulsory
In a sudden stop collision, an unrestrained rear seat passenger has twice the possibility of injury. Also, they are very likely to cause death or injury to the driver or passenger in front of them.
I've noticed that & seen people using their mobiles regularly in their cars, too.
It’s done state by state. I remember my in laws leaving Illinois, where seat belts were compulsory, and entering Wisconsin, where they weren’t , and immediately unbuckling the belt. This was even after my husband’s aunt was killed in a car crash.
@@grahvisI remember the road safety advert where the son killed his Mum by not wearing a seat belt. I won't allow anybody to be in my car without a seat belt on.
My husband was fined £75 for being drunk in charge of a bicycle. He was pushing it home over 30 years ago
He got robbed I knew a guy who was riding his pissed up and got a 30 quid fine, would of been in the mid 90s
This happened to my dad too!! Hahaha he fell into a fence by a sheep farm and got stuck and then the police found him and he got fined. Better than driving a car drunk I guess but tbf.. what a tit hahaha
Wow, this is so unfair! :O
This happened to my son x
In uni, in the early 2000's, I had a friend who had a provisional (car) driving license. He received a driving ban because he was caught riding his bicycle home drunk.
You should look at the MOT too, I’ve seen cars on the road in the US that just wouldn’t be allowed here, I’m surprised they were even holding together
And minimum insurance levels! In the UK, my understanding is that the compulsory level of third party insurance covers all damages to third parties. In the US, minimum insured amounts vary state by state, but they are often not very high at all! For example, in California, the compulsory minimum cover is $15,000 for injury/death to one person, $30,000 for injury/death to more than one person, and $5000 for damage to property, so there is a real potential for a driver to be underinsured. Plus, there's a weird thing in Virginia where they can pay a fee of $500 for the right to drive without insurance...
@@Will-nn6ux
Is that true for Virginia (?) - how does that even work..?
@@stewedfishproductions7959 I've just verified it on the Virginia state DMV website (though it seems there are current moves to try to change it). When they register (tax) a vehicle each year, they can pay an extra $500 on top of the usual registration fee if they don't have insurance. I doubt many people actually do that though as it's probably more expensive than minimum insurance in many cases. I expect people usually either buy insurance or drive illegally.
@@Will-nn6uxtechnically the legal minimum is Road Traffic Act cover which covers injury to third parties. However no insurance company will give that. So in practice the minimum is 3rd party cover which covers injury and damage to third parties. Most will have either Third party fire and theft or Fully Comprehensive cover.
Florida just seems to have no car safety laws, they drive round in cars duct taped together, baths with wheels on, I've seen some batshit stuff every time I go there.
Road traffic deaths per year (per 100,000 pop.) - UK 2.9 USA 12.9
That's fucking crazy!
In the UK it is illegal to undertake, which means passing someone on the left on a Motorway. The only time you can pass someone on the left is if you are in slow moving traffic.
Remember though that we drive on left, so for Americans it would be like someone passing you on the right.
@@edinval agreed but if I am correct in the US they are allowed to pass on both sides, can someone from the US confirm?
Yes, not just UK, Ireland too. Certainly all of European mainland on the opposite side (right) also keeping to the nearside lane except when overtaking.
Although not in the U.K. but in Luxembourg. The police will set up a road block and breathalyse everyone. I lived in an area with many bars and clubs, the police would block all three roads out of the area at 01.30 until 03.00.
@user-es2ju9np9s Yeah, I'd always believed it was illegal too but recently learned a bit more about it and was surprised to see the law is slightly different.
The Blackbelt Barrister always explains things clearly and he never sounds patronising. I'm glad we have strict driving laws in the UK. They're not hard to uphold and they do save lives - which is what they are there for. There are usually plenty of stop-off places on roads to be able to use the 'phone in safety or have a quick snack. As the UK is so small, most journeys aren't that long so it's not such a big deal as it would be in larger countries to wait until it's safe to call or eat.
and its not uncommon for a driver to ask for a drink to be quickly past to them or a chip or something when on a quieter road. the rules are strict but reasonable.
You can be guilty in the UK of being drunk in charge of a bicycle.
When I was younger and lived at home with my parents in my early adulthood and I wanted a drink down the pub, I would wait until my weekend off work, park the car on the driveway, then walk down to the local pub which was about a five minute walk, have what alcohol I wanted, then walk home again. I did this knowing I didn't have to be anywhere the next day. This meant there was no chance, even mistakenly, of me driving vung anywhere with alcohol in my system.
When your like me, when you've grown up almost all your life in the countryside where there's virtually no public transport, then you've no choice but to get your driving licence ASAP and to not do anything that could see you forfeit that licence because no licence when I was 20, where I lived, meant no job, no job meant no money, no money meant no life. It's still that way today. You have to respect your licence in areas like this because it's not like a city where there's the alternatives of a bus, train, bicycle or even walk to work. Growing up where I did, it was over 9 miles just to the nearest supermarket. 9 miles of farmland.
Yep no way am I driving the morning after drinking
BBB has done a really interesting video on cycling laws here in the UK. Dispels a few misconceptions.
You can be found drunk in charge of a horse, if riding on a public highway (though there's nothing about the horse having to be sober!)
The reason we see the US as lawless on the roads is probably because there are 12.9 deaths on the road per 100,000 of population per year. In the UK, the figure is 2.9.
It all begins with their driving test, or lack off.
Most don't even have lessons from a driving school. They just get in with their mum for a while, then rock up at car park for 15 minutes and that's it. Full driving licence 🙄
this is why many landlords will if you are drunk, ask you for your car keys and put them behind the bar, to avoid you getting done for drunk in charge, its unlikely that you will be arrested if you are still at the bar, but possible if you refused to pass your keys to the landlord, as he might then call the police.
but giving you keys to a stranger who not insured and car goes missing over night insurance may get funny, like leaving engine running while run in to house to get something high chance they refuse to pay out
@@stevekenilworthThese pubs tend to be locals where the landlord and staff know the patrons. They’ve no interest in driving the car. They’re looking out for the individual who may overindulge.
@@stevekenilworth They will tend to return the keys once you are in the taxi home.
Im glad we have these in place , everytime i see my son go out in his car i tell him mind how you go but its the other drivers that can be a danger too .full attention on your driving comes first it only takes a second of destraction and it can cause an accident.
I'm glad that they are strict and think punishments should be even harsher. Keeps us safe
Completely agree.
Calm down.
Completely agree. I believe the fines should be based off of your monthly earnings for example 10% of your monthly income up to 50% based on the offence
Muppet they should retest everyone over 40 tho cause none of them fuckers seem to know how use a round about let alone drive
@@piecewisefunctioneer Stop driving like a clown!
To my mind texting while driving is worse than anything else because when texting you cannot possibly look at the road ahead.
Not that I ever use my phone while driving, but I can write an entire message without looking at my phone at all.
You should never look at road signs either then because you'd have to look away from the road.
couldn't agree more
The system used by the police to read number plates is called ANPR (automatic number plate recognition). The onboard camera in the police car, or a static camera, can read the number plate and the computer searches the database for the details of the registered keeper of the vehicle.
As well as checking for insurance and a valid MOT, they also check if the vehicle is taxed.@@davidhyams2769
many been removed by public in last week, London zone outer 90% cameras were damaged and half of that the cameras were stolen, not only London it happening and hopefully becomes even more popular all over UK, the people are hitting the braking point fingers crossed we do have unrest so we take care rest cameras
@@stevekenilworth but not the ANPR cameras in police cars
@@stevekenilworth They're ULEZ cameras not ANPR.
@@TrevM0nkey they still read number plates
I remember a few years ago slowly coming up behind a car that was rapidly accelerating for 30 sec and then slowing right down and veering over to the side of the road. I kept well back from him until we both had to stop at a road junction. I looked through the rear window and he had a number of foil trays spread across the dashboard. Turned out he was eating a Chinese takeaway while driving. He was accelerating and slowing down while he stuck a pork ball out the window to cool it down, and veered when he reached across the dashboard. So there is eating while driving and EATING while driving.
One rule that was changed recently regarding mobile phone use was to allow people to use their phones to make contactless payments at drive throughs. Until fairly recently the police could charge you for using a mobile phone while making a payment.
Just a thought, if the drive through is on private ground like many retail outlets are on private land, is it an offence to drive on private land and use a phone. Does this extend to being in a camper van SUV on private land, is it illegal to drink in a camper van or use a phone on private land?? Therefore if I drink in my house, with car keys in a drawer before bed, and I therefore I am in charge of a vehicle drunk whilst in bed asleep???
@@pallen8 I’m not a legal expert but as I understand it if a private road, car park etc is open to the public then the normal rules of the highway apply. This in theory could apply to your own driveway if it’s open to the road meaning you could be charged with drunk in charge just sitting in your own car parked in your own drive. If the private road, drive etc is closed off by gates or has sign saying something like “private land, no unauthorised access” then you would be ok as the right of public access has been removed.
we learn to expect a tractor just around the corner on a narrow road, travelling at less than 20 mph
This is why Britain has some of the safest roads in the world
( fear ) lol
Cut to all the British officers in charge of the Death Star.
@stevewallace1387
If only that were true!
UK driving laws are generally stricter and punished harder but generally policed less, it is actually fairly rare to see a traffic cop outside the biggest cities.
we don't have enough cops to even tackle local crimes, hence so many traffic style cameras.
I mean I have seen lots of traffic units outside of big cities.
Because they're too busy sat on top of the motorway bridges playing with cameras and their dicks. (Yes I got done today 74 in a 70)
Traffic offences are quite often caught outside big cities, seem to be easy work in many areas.
As said, cameras, now do most of the work, for traffic offences, the onboard anpr, catching un insured, tax or mot. plus the speed camera's, and the likes, also most major roads are fitted anpr, so if there is a stolen vehical, or cars with markers on, they can be tracked and then intercepted, as well as average speed cameras become more popular in hot spots, road works, the m25 is nearly all average speed cameras, and most of the managed motorways have average speed cameras on. m62 and m1 where they have done the new managed motorways, which have backfired, thats story for another day. as well as speed cameras and traffic light cameras, also, the council has there cameras on lamp post's for yellow box juction, not right turns, even parking, and bus lane cameras
If you are on the road under any circumstances and use the phone - points. Driving offences are pretty much set. So if you are speeding then you are speeding. But occasionally the police might say well you were only just over and it was not in say a residential area so they let it slide. But some areas the police are told no discretion. Its 3pts. And of course of you are already up towards the max 12 pts then you can lose your license. Just to add I am a Criminal Defence Lawyer here in UK.
As a UK police officer myself - the discretion is on the officer. The force can tell the officers whatever they like but ultimately it's down to the officer that stops you.
@@thefiestaguy8831 oh those sneaky little officers telling me it was set - always trying to tell me they were going to arrest me 😂 😆 I was always speeding (i know) from court to court. Cant believe i fell for it esp as they must have used discretion as i was never actually stopped! Duh! Just shows when you mind is full of stuff you don’t always think it through. Little blighters got me good and proper 😉
With the penalty for eating on the motorway, the key here is to appreciate that the police have enough to do if you're only eating a Snickers. They'll only likely do anything if they see other reason to think it's affecting your ability to drive, eg, they see you drift to the edge of your lane before making back to the middle
In at least one of the northern European countries, I think it's Finland, traffic gives are based on your income. This is so that it affects rich people as much as poor people, but it means that people like the CEO of Nokia ended up with a fine of over 100,000 USD for speeding... And I think that's awesome.
Pubs in the UK have a responsibilaty not alowing people to drink drive so you can leave you car keys at the pube
There is also a national insurance database and annual vehicle check status database. That everybody can look up online. Traffic laws are based around being in charge of a vehicle, they are not based around the vehicle actually moving. The definition of "being in charge" is decided in court on the facts of each particular case. So if the police see a "drunk" person coming out of a pub, then they don't have to wait until they actually drive off before they can stop and test them.
They may wait for the person to drive off and then block them in leaving the car park for example because "drunk in charge" is a lesser charge compared to "driving under the influence". "Drunk in charge" means you're in the car with the keys on you or in the ignition - I've seen on some traffic cops-style programs before they arrested someone for being drunk in charge when they were asleep in the back seat because they had the potential of driving away by just getting in the front seat.
@@lloydcollins6337 A Traffic officer explained to me that being " Drunk in charge " is quite a difficult one to prove because a lot depends on circumstances and legally it`s down to the Key holder to prove that they had NO intention to drive, unlike a person who is Drunk and is caught Driving. For example, if you have had a couple of drinks after your Dinner and you then decided to wash your car in the street and the Police decided to speak to you and got a whiff of Alcohol while you were in possession of the keys, it`s up to you prove your innocence. He told me that you are in charge of a Motor Vehicle as long as the keys are in your possession and that`s where the Law gets a bit clouded. At the end of the day, it`s down to the common sense and experience of the Police officer.
There should be no limit on the drink drive, it should be 0 drink drive.
I would agree with you. There are though some medicines that could trigger the breathalyser. Some in Scotland initially wanted the 0 level but opted for its current level based on cough medicine etc triggering.
Yeah technically some illnesses cause low level blood alcohol levels, not sure about your idea.
Norway and Sweden have a 0.02% limit (very low) - the idea is that if you had a pint of beer or glass of wine the night before, you could be perfectly sober the next morning but still register at 0.01%, so 0.02% was seen as a sensible compromise.
If you're safely parked and your engine is off you can use your phone. Just stopped in traffic you can't.
Keys out ignition too :-)
That makes sense. For one thing, if you are using a phone then you might not notice that traffic has started moving, and if you do you have to put the phone away. And even when you are stopped there is still danger (admittedly remote) from other drivers, such as someone rear-ending you because they are on their phone.
In all of Europe, when you drive, you DRIVE and nothing else. Same rules in Denmark. When you drive, you drive
No phone. No gps. No adjusting radio
Undertaking in the UK is passing on the left hand side. In the UK you should pass on the right and keep to the left lane when it is clear. Undertaking would be the same as passing on the right in the US. (I don't know if that's allowed or not)
until road markings change, you could be on 4 lane motorway but all of a sudden 2 lanes go south two lane north as example soon as those center lines change to fine dotted line then both both class as different roads you may go past on inside, those very long slip road what go for miles were motorway splits
The only justification might be that the car in front suddenly stopped, so to prevent a collision, you entered an empty left lane, but if caught, you’d need to prove this in court.
When I was young and stupid I got caught doing 98 on the Motorway (70 MPH limit). The police gave me a bit of a break as the road was very quiet and only gave me a fixed penalty ticket (fine and 3 points, no need to see a judge) But they did say if I was doing 2 miles an hour more it would been court and a ban.
I got the same, £40 fine, 3 points, clocked at 98 on a quiet, lit motorway about 3.00am (though he said he saw me going over 100) - this was back in 1995ish.
I had the same about 15 years ago.. police car came down the slip road as i went hooning passed it. Pulled me over and said I was lucky I wasn't a couple of mph over, although he could see that from where I was, where i was heading, how i was dressed and where the car was registered, he could see i was on my way home from work so wouldn't have clocked at over 100.. Then we chatted for about 5 minutes because I was in a Supra
100 mph is an automatic court appearance.
I bet you bragged to your mates you were going over 100 🤭
No. I just moaned about getting caught.@@c_n_b
Undertaking is passing a vehicle on the wrong side. So we drive here on the LHS of the road so if you overtake you have to pass the vehicle on its right. If you pass the vehicle on it’s left hand side then that’s undertaking.
Steve I witnessed a driver of a car in front of me choking on something he was eating while driving. He suddenly put his brakes on, stopped and luckily I was able to break and stop without smashing into him. He then got out of the car in the middle of the road without looking and started banging himself on his back while choking. A pedestrian risked his safety and ran into the road over to him and started to give him the Heimlich maneuver and luckily the food came out. So that seemingly innocent bite of food could have caused an accident and injuries to himself and other innocent people. After that I wont even chew a sweet or take a sip of a drink if I am driving as it really was shocking.
It’s really rare to find a stop sign in the UK, instead we have give way lines. If you’re caught using your phone stopped at a give way line it still counts as driving without due care and attention. However, if you’re in a rural area with not many people around then it’s unlikely that you’ll get caught stopped.
I came here to say the same thing - I actually saw one last week, and was surprised - it's the only one I know of since the previous only one I knew of was replaced by traffic lights!
There's one or two around my way, I think they're more common in really old town centres or in the countryside
There's a few round where I live, South East London, Kent border.
I think when he says stop signs he means a red traffic light
@@jonhodges6572 No, he does mean a stop sign.
So, that’s why the USA doesn’t fine drivers against children wearing a seat belt? Because everyone ignores the laws? No wonder your health insurance premiums are high. Going through a windscreen tends to destroy your face. Children tend to sit in the back but in between the driver and the front seat passenger - they fly through the front windscreen when the car comes to a sudden stop.
Just park car and do your call. Most modern vehicles have phone communication and read and send text by voice control.
Trying to find the cancel button on your steering column as it begins to read a lewd message when your parents are in the car.. ah yes
Interesting video - it's worth a couple of notes:
- BBB mentioned quite a lot of MAXIMUM punishments, whilst normal punishments would be on the scale up to that.
- Distracted or careless driving will be very context dependent, in the judgement of the police officer.
- On the Drunk in Charge, it is taken that if you have keys of the car in your possession, that is an indicator of intent to drive - just as using a handheld mobile phone in traffic is an indicator that you may use it when you start driving.
- On a lot of road crime, we have a notorious lack of enforcement and notoriously lenient laws (eg our drink drive limit) compared to peer countries - pavement parking is one, but also many moving traffic offences. That is partly because numbers of traffic policemen have been slashed in half over the last 15 years.
- We also have an interesting system where members of the public can submit footage of moving traffic offences to video portals as witnesses, and the police may enforce on that. In London in 2002 15,000 such videos were submitted, but it is increasing rapidly.
I think you might find vids on contrast between UK/USA police training and UK/USA driver training interesting.
Undertaking doesn’t seem to be a thing in the US. People tend to pass each other at different speeds on the highway.
In Europe and most of the world, you’re only allowed to pass people by the drivers side. There is no such thing as a “fast lane” on the motorway. Everyone should stay in the far (left here) lane and only use the other lanes for passing vehicles. After which you must move back to the left (we drive on the left side here, so drivers side is the right side)
In Europe you’d pass on the left and stick to the right lanes.
Some people don’t drive the speed limit, it’s very common to see people doing different speeds in the UK, however, you must be passing on the drivers side. An example of this is:
Lane 1: avg speeds 65mph
Lane 2: 70 mph
Lane 3: people speeding past 70mph.
All these lanes have a 70mph limit, but slower drivers are on the left and you’re passing on the right.
Once you’ve passed you must move back to the left until you need to overtake someone again in which case you move back over to the next lane, then move back to the left.
What you can’t do is be in the right lane, see a gap, switch to the left lane and pass 3 cars then move back to the right.
The only exception to this in heavy traffic. In which case you can just stay in your lane and not worry if the cars on the right are slower than you. However, you must be ready to emergency stop as you might be found at fault if you’re doing this carelessly. For example, if the speed limit is 70mph and the right lane are doing 5 mph and you shoot down the left lane doing 50mph because it leads to an exit ramp and no one is using it. If someone were to switch to the left lane and you crashed into them because you’re doing significantly different speeds, this could be your fault as you’re passing on the left lane
Where my cousin lives in Florida, it's basically a free for all. Driving using the phone, undertaking or just swerving all over the place on the motorway, is commonplace. Plus everyone is eating and drinking all the time 😂😂
And with all that chaos going on, bikers don't even need helmets 😲
@@whitecompany18 they don't even do a real driving test. 15 mins in a school carpark,then fill in a form and you have a full bike licence too 🙄
@@whitecompany18 This always shocked me when in Florida. My Mum lived there for quite a few years and it always worried her too. But there are other states where it is perfectly legal to be on a mobile phone whilst driving, only 29 states of the 50 ban driving and using a mobile.
@@101steel4 you can knock someone down in California as long as you dont kill them you may still pass.
@@CatholicSatan is it not legal in Florida? As apparently you see people using their phones while driving all the time.
In the UK as soon as you get behind the wheel you're expected to have your full attention on the road and your surroundings. Whether you're sitting at traffic lights or battering down the motorway. If you need to reach for a drink, you take your eyes off the road for a few seconds and you're into someone.
When i worked and travelled, if my phone rang, i had to park up, get out and answer it outside of the car. My travelling for business car insurance would have been null and void in the event of an accident if i answered or even just looked at my phone while sat in the car. A real pain in the winter, but safety's first. Plus , i would get fined for using phone, even while parked. If someone hogs the middle lane, and you pass them on the inside lane, that's an offence (undertaking).
Just a thought hogging the middle lane is an offence as well
@@philcoogan7369 It was made a specific offence a few years back, but before that it could be classed as careless driving if the police stopped you whilst doing it.
If you are at a stop sign you are still driving, you might be stationary but you are in control of a vehicle. If you want to use the phone, other than hands-free, to be safe you should park as side of road and turn the engine off. A few years ago I was cycling home and decided to count drives either on phone or not wearing a seatbelt. In just under 3-miles I counted over dozen drivers on the phone and similar amount not wearing seat belts.
Undertaking is when you over-take a slower vehicle on the inside lane. Quite often on motorways people tend to sit in middle lane. To overtake them you should technically move into outside lane even if you are going faster in inside lane.
With these rules you do not automatically get penalised for breaking them. If you take a drink while driving if you are in control of car, not speeding excessively or swerving about the police most probably won't stop you. To take a drink then have to slam on the brakes because you didn't see the car in front slow down the police might stop you.
One thing to remember is that fines in the UK do not go to local authorities but go into a general purse. Police forces do not get anything for issuing tickets so they are more likely to allow traffic to move safely rather than pull people over for minor things.
That said, there are often accusations of quotas in operation.
UK officer here - there aren't quotas as such, no matter what people want to believe or tell you.
There's no official quota of - "You must get 10 tickets today or else....." and we certainly don't get any commission from tickets either, we're police officers not salesmen!
There might be an unofficial "quota" whereby usually traffic officers will try to issue x amount of tickets per month, it's not going to get them sacked or in trouble if they don't issue that amount, but to their supervisor it might look like they aren't doing their job properly, although nothing says they MUST issue tickets and whether or not to issue one is down to the discretion of the officer present.
It might be obvious, but you're far more likely to receive a ticket from a traffic officer than you are from a response team officer (like myself) who is responding to 999 and 101 calls all day every day amongst other workloads.
With response officers, unless you talk yourself into a ticket you are unlikely to get one - admit your mistake and be polite, stating "Got nothing better to do?" is a good way to get the officer to go over your vehicle with a fine tooth comb, and generally speaking they will find at least one or more offences and will probably ticket you for them.
I see people all the time stating "Admit nothing to police".... these people seem to forget a roadside stop is NOT an interview and even if it recorded on body worn video camera, unless you are under caution (which most of the time you aren't and it would be obvious if you were), anything said cannot be used evidentially. By admitting your mistake and holding your hands up to it you are less likely to get a ticket than if you play the "I wasn't speeding officer" or "I don't know what you're talking about" game.
10:38 'Going too slow can also be dangerous'
I would class being stopped at a stop sign and using your phone as going too slow.
Undertaking! Quite a lot of Americans don't understand the concept. Probably something to do with them thinking their left lane is the 'fast' lane.
Space is limited in the UK so not many places have large car parks especially pubs as most of them predate the motor car. Therefore driving to a pub parking then leaving with someone else is pretty much unheard of. Given our pubs are close to our residential areas if we go to a pub alone knowing we will drink we will either walk to our local or pay for a taxi to both drop and pick us up. You can drink in a pub with your car keys as typically they are linked to house keys you just better not have your car parked outside as noone would believe you did not intend to not drive home.
The stop sign / phone thing. Unless you’re parked without the engine running, you commit the offence
Using phone........ sounds as if you are thinking along the lines of "what if" and coming up with a myriad of reasons to USE the phone. The law is simple ..... there are NO what ifs. Driving laws in the UK are "absolute" Due care and attention is subjective BUT the police will provide video evidence
There is an exception for calling the emergency services (if it is not safe to stop) however this is still somewhat discretionary.
But yeah, DO NOT use your phone while driving!!!!!!!!!
You have the keys, you have no intention to drive, you became drunk, you call a Uber, you find a friend exactly like you... LETS RACE.
it happend to me 10 years ago, and i crah my car.
And yes i run away.
@@emidiobarbeira6089you sound like an immoral idiot. I would not be bragging about that.
Got the wrong end of the stick again Steve 🤗, yes you can have the keys in your pocket that’s fine BUT as soon as you lift the keys out of your pocket , that means you have the intention of using them (remember no one knows you have keys in your pocket )also to point the keys in the key lock of the car is even worse which means INTENTION to drive the car , so theses rules are fair , seems to me the car rules in the US are pretty slack , the same rules apply in my country Australia NO DRINK DRIVING AND USING THE CAR WHEN AT VENUES DRINKING NO EATING MEALS , NO USE OF PHONE etc, we all know the rules after all it’s only COMMONSENSE 🤷♀️
Not true, if your car is in the vicinity and you are drunk etc. and have your keys on you you can be arrested. Definition of 'vicinity' can often be the stretch here. Rarely happens unless you show potential for intending to drive.
From a UK legal page...
'Drink Driving’s lesser known partner is Drunk in Charge - this means you are effectively in charge of a motor vehicle when you are over the legal limit - even being in possession of your car keys and in the vicinity of your car could be grounds for the police to arrest you.'
Using the phone in a car with the engine running is the same regardless of where you are unless you are pulled over to the side of the road and out of the flow of traffic and the engine is off. You are only allowed to use your phone while driving if it connected to the car through Bluetooth. The guidance behind this is that you are not paying attention to your surroundings, you would be unable to move quickly if needed or indeed move out of the way of emergency services. It is the same for drunk driving, if you are sitting in your car with your keys in your possession you will still be charged even if the engine is not running at the time.
Oh and yes I got three points and a fine for going 3 mph over the limit. Was eventually waived as I went on a speed awareness course
I don't think it's quite right about phone use. The mobile phone-specific offence requires that the phone is being used while held in the hand, so just using a phone cradle without any Bluetooth connectivity etc would also not necessarily be illegal.
Drug driving also includes prescription drugs. If there is a warning on your prescription to say you are not to use machinery you can be considered drug driving
To be precise, it actually includes ANY drug, not just prescription drugs.
If you crash because you took paracetamol or other non-prescription medication which made you feel drowsy it wouldn't be an excuse to say "But it's not a prescription drug!".
You misunderstood undertaking. It means you pass a slower-moving vehicle on its left-hand side (or right-hand side in US). It's considered unsafe driving as other drivers are not expecting vehicles to be passing in this way. You should only pass another vehicle on the right-hand side (left-hand side in US).
In the UK we don't say driving accident as it applies no one is at fault because it was an accident but it's referred to as a driving incident which can lead to someone been at fault for a variety of reasons but after the investigations it can then be referred as an accident if no-one is found to be responsible for the incident
A lot of these are just technicalities so that there is a process by whch you can be prosecuted. You're not going to be charged by just having your car keys in your pocket in a pub - but if you're standing next to your car in the car park, having been to the pub, and staggering about trying to put your keys in the door to open it, then you can, and will be charged with intent.
Applies to sleeping in a vehicle.
What if you recorded a video statement beforehand explaining that you were just going to sleep in there?
Undertaking is when you overtake someone in the left hand lane, so they are in the right (fast lane) and you overtake them in the left hand lane (slow lane)
Hi Steve, under taking - on any road where you have more than one lane means only overtaking in the outside lane, any vehicle in an inner lane should not pass you, that would be under taking which is unlawful.
P.s in the 🇺🇸 you often use DUI
🇬🇧 the get arrested for DIC which is Drunk in charge, when I was a civilian Police employee a couple of decades ago we had - Drunk in Charge people arrested in charge of a horse, bycycles, planes and all sorts 😂
Not strictly true, if the traffic in outside lane is slower due to heavy traffic and the lane you are in is faster or clear you can technically undertake. What you can't do is fly past someone on the left if they are moving quickly without a hindrance in front of them, basically if they are middle or right lane hogging.
@@matthewdale4135 true undertaking is not unlawful on its own you must be causing a dangerous situation for it to be unlawful
in Scotland you can be done for being drunk in charge of a cow
@@lloydcollins6337not just Scotland, it falls under the licensing act of 1872, basically anything you have a responsibility for in public can be used for drunk in charge of…. , for Americans I think drunk in charge of a loaded weapon might be problematic 🤪
Hi Steve, as you’ve done a few reactions as to the policing and penalties of driving in the UK, you might like this one ruclips.net/video/e2_T5wsyEwg/видео.htmlsi=Uri9mj725PMTi_gx it’s an American taking a mock driving test with explanations as to what he did or didn’t do.
If you're eating and drinking while driving then one hand is off the steering wheel and part of your attention is on the food or drink not on the road
But it seems ok to smoke a cigarette! You have a burning stick in your hand which could fall in your lap!!
but it's not illegal to drive with one hand. You can have one arm and have a driving license.
@@lizbignell7813 smoking is illegal if you have other persons or children the car
Love, we’ve had European lorry drivers watching the TV before now while they are driving. An Irish ☘️ lorry driver was stopped for a random check. He didn’t even have a license. ❤❤
If your engine is running you are deemed to be in charge of a motor vehicle, it does not matter if you are moving or not YOU are in charge a vehicle and if you answer a phone you are guilty of using a mobile phone while in charge of a vehicle.
I am absolutely shocked at your attitude to driving in USA. I would like you to obtain and tell us the latest accident rates in the USA for all accidents where the police are contacted plus the rate of accidents where anyone (driver, passenger or motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian) has been killed or long term seriously injured. Compare them with the identical rates in UK, Germany, Portugal and Greece. NB He is stating the MAX penalties; in most cases the applied one/s will be far lower, or the minimum.
12.9 per 100,000 in the US, 2.9 in the UK. Our strict rules work.
That statistic (in USA) is for a country with most roads the width of football fields and mainly grid-iron straight for miles everywhere, with relatively low population density c/w UK etc.. Totally horrific and utterly inexcusable in a so-called advanced, wealthy, 'first world' nation.@@helenwood8482
Don't forget we do not have police patrolling everywhere all the time like the u.s. its actually rare to see a patrol car maybe once in a while .i do not see them very often . 😊
That's only because of budget cuts - the traffic cops are in the town centres covering for missing response officers
@@lloydcollins6337 true
The keys in the pocket when you have been drinking wouldn’t happen unless the person is making an effort to drive and usually if police get a report of a drunk person about to drive they will try and get to the place before they drive wait for them to turn the engine on and to start moving off because then it is easier to charge than suspecting someone would drive a car
There are 4 main causes of accidents and deaths on UK roads.
1 Speed
2 Drink/Drug Driving
3 Using a mobile phone (Cell phone) whilst driving
4 Not wearing a seatbelt
How can people still think that these strict rules can be ignored?
P.S. Even though you are stationery in traffic you are still in control & have control of the vehicle and as such, in law, you are driving.
P.P.S. As far as Drunk In Charge is concerned the Blackbelt Barrister mentioned an extreme use of the legislation. An example of how it can be used is one I delt with. Male was found at a set of traffic lights at 0600 on a Sunday morning. He was asleep in the drivers seat. The engine was off, but his car was stationary at these traffic lights. Could not tell how long he had been there but he left a club 3 hours beforehand and it is a 30 min drive to where he was found. When spoken to, after a while trying to wake him, it was clear he was drunk as a skunk. He failed the roadside breath test and was arrested for being Drunk in Charge as it could not be proved he had driven there.
Having lived in the US for 40 years, from the UK, I can say, that 90% of Americans don''t know how to drive. Most Americans don't follow any rules of the road, they all believe they are excellent drivers. They all drive, too fast, too close, ignore yield signs, race through on amber, at traffic lights. Americans that cause accidents immediately jump out of their vehicles and blame the other driver, these are usually the most aggressive Americans. Most driving tests are 5 or six minutes, in a parking lot, between traffic cones. I can't believe Americans take driving lessons, I believe they're thrown their parents car keys at aged 16, and told to, 'go at it. I passed my driving test, first attempt, in 1958, driving stick shift. My test was on the open road, lasting one hour.
I NEVER use my Phone when Driving. I'm too busy watching TV.
I find TV too distracting. I usually sleep when driving.
Lol I know this is a joke ofc but interestingly _being able to see_ a motion picture from the drivers seat is an offence here in the UK. That can include your passenger watching RUclips on their phone
@@DrGreenGiant Agreed. It should be that way everywhere.
"If a cop saw me when there was no-one else around" ... if there was a cop there then there _was_ someone else around 👀
Undertaking is passing on the left. The rules in the UK are clear - you overtake (pass) *only* on the right. The exceptions are if traffic in all lanes is moving slowly in nose-to-tail queues and your lane starts moving faster than the lane to your right, that's fine, you're allowed to keep up with the car in front - or if the lanes are marked as for different directions at a junction ahead. When you've finished overtaking, you pull back in to the left ... so there shouldn't be an opportunity for another driver to pass you on the left. (Not all drivers are as good as they should be at pulling back in after they have finished overtaking, we are nowhere near as disciplined as Germany, for example, but it's a lot better than in the USA).
Penalties for speeding ... if you are doing 30mph over the limit or more then it will usually go to court and you can expect to be disqualified. If you are going slightly over the speed limit (maybe up to 12mph over or so?) you can be given the chance to go on a speed awareness course, which costs about the same as a normal speeding fine but you _don't_ get any points on your licence ... although if you get caught again within 3 years you _won't_ be offered the course again. All other speeding offences are likely to be 3 points (or 6 points if you are newly qualified) and a standard fine.
If you drive to a pub and plan on drinking, always pre-book a taxi home.
They will also do you if you are planning to sleep in your vehicle overnight.
If your eating a snickers and you start weaving in your lane the police have the reason. However I would say you can eat a snicker and take sips of drink as long as it dose not affect your driving. Not meals or picnicking
Driving with one hand on the steering wheel is an offence.
this is an offence and would be considered as driving with out due care and attention as your attention would be divided in between what you are doing and driving but is almost never enforced same as distracting the drivers attention this can be by a passenger talking to the driver to an advertisement on the side of the road a very grey area indeed and totally at the digression of the police officer at the time
@@geoffbentley8774 so how do you change gear in a manual car again another grey area
There are only a few stop signs in the UK, the overwhelming majority of signs at junctions are 'Give Way'
Undertaking is the equivelant of undertaking someone in the US passing another vehicle on a right hand lane. In the UK it will be passing a vehicle on a left lane when they will be in a lane on your right. It is also illegal in the UK to "lane hog" by not moving to a left hand lane when not overtaking.
In the UK, we drive on the left and overtake on the right. This means that on a standard motorway, which is 3 lanes, the lane near the verge is the slowest, the middle lane is the middle speed, and the lane close to the other side of the road is the fastest. Undertaking is if someone undercuts on the left - they go faster in the slower lane. The fact that this is banned means we only have to check over one shoulder when moving right to overtake. You are supposed to stay as far left as possible unless you are overtaking. When you've overtaken a vehicle, you move back into the left lane - and that's when you really don't expect some tosser speeding down the slow lane.
Lanes are not classed as slow, medium or fast speed - ALL LANES HAVE THE SAME SPEED LIMIT -- the lane on the left is 1, then lane 2 and the lane nearest the other side is lane 3.
We SHOULD drive in lane ONE always... unless we are overtaking, you pull into lane 2, if overtaking again you pull into lane 3, but you should always make your way back to lane one, which is the left most lane of the 3.
You don't need to put the hand break on while waiting for the light to change in a manual. I only use it when I've parked. The prescription/over the counter meds in my country will have a symbol on the box if you're not allowed to drive while taking them.
Under what circumstances would you be ‘taking your shirt off’ while driving???! 😮
LOL If you started driving in the morning when it was cold and a few hours later it was much warmer. Then you find yourself in traffic so you put it in park and remove a layer.
What do you mean by a stop sign? If you mean a stop sign at a junction, then you can't use your phone, there. If you mean a place where you can legally park by the side of the road (which we call a layby) then once properly parked and engine turned off, you can use the phone.
It’s illegal to hold and use a phone, sat nav, tablet, or any device that can send or receive data, while driving or riding a motorcycle.
This means you must not use a device in your hand for any reason, whether online or offline.
For example, you must not text, make calls, take photos or videos, or browse the web.
The law still applies to you if you’re:
stopped at traffic lights
queuing in traffic
supervising a learner driver
driving a car that turns off the engine when you stop moving
holding and using a device that’s offline or in flight mode
only exception to have a mobile phone in your hand while driving is to dial emergency services (999) if it's unsafe to stop
If you’re drunk and your car is outside, the inclination to drive home is there. Knowing it’s an offence means you’re less likely to set up the scenario (leave car at home/office or give keys to your mate) so by the time you get drunk, you can’t then drive home. It’s a prevention aid of sorts
A colleague of mine when I was working in Liverpool in the mid 80's was 'done' by the police for being asleep in the back of his car. He was drunk but they prosecuted him because he still had his car keys on him and was therefore, in their opinion, still 'in charge' of the vehicle. Personally I think that was very unfair, but it was what the law was at the time. Whether that would still be the case today I don't know.
@@_starfiendthere was a myth that you could leave your keys under your bonnet or wheels and you'd be fine. But it's not true.
I don't think you're allowed to sleep in your car full stop today. Which I find a strange rule.
@@StephenButlerOneYou can sleep in your car. Just depends where. Lorry drivers use lay-bys to sleep. Police advise you to stop somewhere safe to sleep if you’re tired. They would rather that than deal with a serious collision.
Knew a landlord who would keep your keys in a box and call a taxi for you.
@@TheGiff7 I was a landlord till last November, I use to hold people keys all the time. Most customers/friends, would usually as soon as they ordered pint two would come up to me or whoever was working and hand them the keys, staying I'll grab them in the morning. They used to all go in the change safe.
Driving while eating a Snickers bar on the motorways is just nuts.
😁
An amusing example of application of using-your-mobile-phone laws happened I think late last autumn.
The official top noble in England, the 'premier duke', is His Grace the Duke of Norfolk. As Earl Marshal of England - his family have held that job since 1320! - he is officially responsible for organising Coronations.
He was caught in Sussex on his mobile phone, and it wasn't his first offence. So he was appalled to receive a driving ban. In vain did he plead ' I have the Coronation of King Charles III to organize'; the magistrates were implacable. (In all fairness, he must have some resources to hire a driver. He of course lives in an ancient castle; his family have had a chequered history, sometimes having got executed, sometimes having been put in the Tower of London, but on the other hand one won a brilliant victory over the Scots. ( Flodden, 1513.))
If you are sitting behind the wheel & you use a hand held mobile phone, you are committing an offence. If you need to use one, pull over, turn off the engine & move over to the passenger seat or get out of the car.
Here in England there’s ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) everywhere, every police traffic vehicle is equipped, it will flag if your uninsured , no mot, no road tax, or if your wanted for anything else!
Most car parks , road cameras are anpr now ! They say we’re never more than 6 feet away at any time from a camera /cctv ! Certainly big brother over here now !
You don't even have to be wanted, my friend had a car and he regularly got pulled over because the previous owner was a known drug dealer and the car had a drug tag on it in the police database. Your car can also have tags for firearms, bladed weapons, and criminal activity such as being used as a getaway car in a robbery or a known violent individual.
I don't mind the 'Big Brother' state here, I have done nothing illegal so why would I be bothered about being caught on camera?
getting less by the day atm :) esp in London
They even know if if you have any medical condition reported to the DVLA
@@jollybodger very true !
You're confusing public ANPR with private ANPR.
Private ANPR (such as in train station car parks, supermarket car parks etc) IS NOT used for law enforcement and cannot be used, it's simply used for parking control (to give tickets to people who over-stay the maximum permitted time in the car park).
Public ANPR is used for law enforcement, and any vehicle (or specifically the registration) with a marker on it, will trigger an alert in a force control room on an ANPR system when that registration plate with a marker on it passes a static or mobile ANPR camera.
If it passes a police vehicle fitted with ANPR, it will flag up an alert on the on-board computer alerting the officers in the vehicle.
I have a friend who has a drink driving charge in the uk, he is banned from visiting America because of that
Generally all around Europe, if you are driving, you are driving! Not allowed to do anything else. No eating, no drinking, no cell phones, no anything. If you need to drink/eat, you must stop (in a safe and legal area) and do so. Then proceed your journey. There are no execeptions. Driving is driving.
There’s no need to touch your phone nowadays. I have an iPhone so I just use the “ask Siri” option to text message or turn over the radio station or call someone. The phone must be in a secure phone holder on your dashboard or window
You can actually (depending on police observations at the time) be charged with being Drunk in Charge of almost anything which may be considered a potential danger, for example taking baby for a walk whilst you are intoxicated (usually in a pram but not necessarily)
There's even an offence of "drunk in charge of a minor". I've only ever known 1 person to be arrested for it in my entire policing career. 5 year old escaped from the house, wandered off onto a main road, nearly got run over several times before a member of the public stopped and stayed with him. My colleagues attended and 30 minutes later the drunk mother returns going "That's my son". Officers escort her back to the address with her son and the house is a complete mess, rubbish everywhere, empty cans of alcohol everywhere, front and back door wide open.... subsequently she was arrested as a result.
Didn't seem to think it was a big issue that her 5 year old son got out of the house and she didn't notice for half an hour, nor the fact he was stood by a main road in peak times and was nearly run over several times.
if you plan to drive to a bar and leave the vehicle there thats a sober decision but once intoxicated you can't guarantee you will stick to that decision
NO! When you're pulled up at a red light or a stop sign, you are STILL technically driving that car - so NO reference to mobile phones AT ALL until you've pulled OFF the road onto a layby or a parking lot and turned off your engine! If your phone sounds off, you IGNORE it until you've finished driving on the road!
If you are in the traffic flow, even if the flow is halted, the rules apply. In park will not suffice. You have to actually pull onto the verge or parking bay or lay-by and park.