Posted: Monday 08 June 2015
In the months leading up to the abolishment of the paper driving licence, the government routinely promised that systems would be in place to handle all contingencies. In fact, abolishing the paper counterpart was delayed by six months in order to give them time to make good on those promises. Unfortunately, the government has not succeeded. That means using our time-tested licence-checking service is still the best option for motoring companies and businesses with company cars.
Posted: Thursday 04 June 2015
The RAC Foundation recently released its latest statistics relating to teenagers and car crashes. The statistics paint a stark picture of serious injuries and deaths among the most vulnerable drivers on the road, perhaps hampered by a lack of experience that older drivers have. We suspect there might also be plenty to learn from the numbers that could be applied to working environments involving company drivers.
Posted: Friday 29 May 2015
As the UK prepares to embrace the digital driving licence next month, we should all be cautious about what is coming. A digital driving licence is certainly a step above the old system of utilising paper licences to record convictions and other offences, but it is by no means a panacea. Furthermore, not even a digital driving licence can be counted on as being 100% accurate. Just ask a terribly embarrassed woman from the United States.
Posted: Friday 22 May 2015
The pending demise of the paper driving licence has given us plenty of reasons to step back and look at how UK roads are evolving. Among the most profound changes is a gradually rising number of elderly drivers still operating vehicles. According to statistics cited by Motoring Research, there are now more than 230 drivers in the UK over the age of 100. That number is expected to double within the next two decades.
Posted: Tuesday 12 May 2015
Some drivers will know that car insurance companies consider employment when calculating premiums. One's employment is not a major contributor to premium calculations, but it is a factor nonetheless. Insurance underwriters consider employment in light of statistics that show certain professions tend to have riskier drivers.
Posted: Thursday 07 May 2015
UK businesses with company vehicles can take comfort in knowing that the vast majority of their drivers will work their entire careers without making questionable decisions behind the wheel. However, employers can never take that for granted. Drivers do all sorts of strange things when they find themselves facing potential penalties and fines. Their actions can be even more bizarre when faced with losing a driving licence. A good case in point is that of a Lincolnshire man who claimed his car had been cloned.
Posted: Tuesday 05 May 2015
Companies with fleets of vehicles on the road have an obligation to make sure their drivers are correctly licensed and safe at all times. However, they also have an added responsibility to make sure their drivers understand the HMRC rules about mileage and reporting. There are very specific legal requirements for tracking company car use in the UK.
Posted: Friday 01 May 2015
With the scrapping of the old paper driving licence counterpart now just two months away, we are starting to realise some of the additional benefits the new system will afford. For example, drivers will no longer have to produce both a plastic licence and its paper counterpart when dealing with police. On a better note, they will also not have to produce the paper counterpart when attempting to hire a car.
Posted: Friday 24 April 2015
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently briefed a number of government agencies on new standards applying to professional driving permits issued to some drivers in the emirate. The standards ensure that drivers of lorries, buses, taxis and private chauffeur vehicles possess the appropriate level of medical fitness. RTA officials say certified drivers will have undergone a series of medical tests proving their physical fitness to drive commercially. Moreover, either directly or indirectly, it appears as though the UK has influenced the driving licence requirements implemented by the RTA.
Posted: Wednesday 15 April 2015
In the run-up to the abolishing of the paper driving licence in June (2015), the Government is preparing an online system whereby employers can check the driving licences of all their workers in real time. This has been a cause for concern among a number of fleet operators who were recently reassured by the Government that no data breaches would take place because of the checks.