Dangerous trend of Instagram 'driving selfies' sweeps the USA

A new craze of Instagram 'driving selfies' is sweeping social media websites in the USA as over 3 million users have posted self-taken snaps of themselves driving.

 

Using the hash tags 'driving home' and driving selfie', the Instagram users have been putting themselves and fellow road users in danger by taking their hands off the wheel and posing for snaps before uploading them to the popular photography application.

The reckless motorists have been warned by authorities of the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving and have been reminded that distracted drivers were the cause of 3,331 deaths on US roads in 2011.

The risky trend has be likened to texting at the wheel as participants first have to access the application, pose for and take a photograph and then navigate a phone's menu screen to upload and 'tag' the shot.

Dr Linda Degutis, of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in the USA has warned of the increased dangers among younger drivers.

She told The Daily Mail: "It's especially risky for young, inexperienced drivers - who are already extremely vulnerable to crashes - to be distracted when they are behind the wheel. Answering a call or reading a text is never worth a loss of life."

The trend has been brought to the attention of manufacturers in the US who have begun filming and airing expensive adverts to raise awareness of the dangers. Toyota recently released an advert that depicted a car crash through various different Instagram filters with the strapline, "Don't shoot and drive."

Searching the popular photography app throws up a number of worrying hash tags, with more than three million posts tagged #driving, nearly 50,000 posts tagged #drivinghome, more than 9,000 tagged #drivingtowork, and more than 3,500 listed as #driving selfie.

Other users have adorned masks, applied special effects to their pictures and even accompanied posts with comments such as, "I hope I don't crash," and "Cruise control set, time to chill."

Thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise

Reports of stolen catalytic converters have more than doubled over the past three years, according to the BBC.

 

Between 2010 and the first six months of this year, approximately 25,000 thefts were reported to police forces across the country.

Independent dealer Jim Reid Vehicles based in Aberdeen, told Car Dealer Magazine that last month alone, four catalytic converters were stolen from its local MOT station while a further six were taken from another local dealer.

Dealer principal Jim Reid said: "Only last month our local MOT station had four catalytic converters stolen and the local car dealer had six stolen, all from 4x4s.

"This is because the road clearance makes it much easier for the thieves to crawl under with specially designed cutters. The removal takes around two minutes but the cost to replace can be more than £500 per vehicle."

According to the BBC, areas such as Bedfordshire and South Yorkshire have seen catalytic converter thefts increase by more than tenfold, while Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Leicestershire have seen thefts triple during the same period.

According to James Goodson, senior analyst with British Transport Police, the illegal trade is fuelled by the rise in the global price of platinum.

He told the BBC: "We've seen that in the past such metals such as platinum and palladium are affected by the changes in the market. That would be reflected at scrap metal dealer level by the dealer offering a better price for that material.

"We've identified that when there are increases in the price of these metals and materials then we often see an increase in levels of theft reported to us."

The news report adds that in 2011 a staggering 15 vehicles from small business owner Jonathan Elvidge's fleet of delivery vans were stripped of their catalytic converters within 45 minutes, when his depot was raided one night before Christmas.

Elvidge said: "We're all about gifts and gadgets, we're all about Christmas, so it was a massively busy time for us.

"The cost to the business was significant. I mean keeping the vehicles on hire and bringing in new vehicles would have cost us £15,000 to £20,000.

"But the real cost is the lost revenue in the stores, which we estimate will be in excess of £100,000. So the real risk to the business, was going out of business."

He added: "We employ 600 people at that time of the year and all those jobs could have been at risk because we couldn't get the stock out to the stores."

A legislation, which came into force on October 1, banned cash payments for scrap metal in order to make it easier to trace thieves and stolen catalytic converters.

4x4 buyers urged to act now before prices rise

Thinking of buying a 4x4 this winter? Well, you'd better get your skates on, because prices could be on the rise as more and more people have the same idea.

British Car Auctions says that the recent stormy conditions across the UK already seem to have driven higher demand for off-roaders.

 

"The onset of bad weather usually marks an increase in demand for four wheel drive vehicles and that generally pushes up average prices", says Tim Naylor, editor of the auction house's Used Car Market Report.

"And, despite the fact that temperatures were unseasonably warm in October we've already seen prices creeping up as demand increases."

Average used values of 4x4s peaked last year in December at £14,816, up from £13,023 in October 2012.

By contrast, the value of the average 4x4 in October this year was £13,864.

What's more, BCA suggests that values are likely to rise more as the temperature drops and freezing conditions set in.

"The correlation between falling temperatures and rising prices for 4x4 vehicles is well charted", says Naylor.

"For many motorists, particularly those living in rural areas, a 4x4 is becoming a necessity in winter. Buying now, before the arrival of snow and harsh winter conditions, could be a prudent move."

Many buyers consider a four-wheel-drive to be the vehicle of choice for the cold winter months thanks to their higher levels of traction.

However, some experts suggest that outfitting a standard passenger car with winter tyres is a more advisable solution, as doing so also increases the amount of grip when braking in cold conditions

Learner driver caught cheating on 19th theory test spared jail

Ali Mohammed, 26, from Birmingham is being labelled as one of Britain's very worst drivers after he was caught attempting to cheat his 19th theory test after failing the previous 18 efforts.

 

Mohammed had splashed out hundreds of pounds attempting to pass his theory test but after failing an astounding 18 times, he decided to rope in a 'ringer' to help him get one step closer to owning a full licence.

The scam was quickly rumbled when eagle-eyed staff at the Driving Standards Association realised the stand-in didn't match the picture that was on Mohammed's provisional licence.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how this wasn't the first time the defendant had attempted to cheat his way to a driving licence - he was rumbled back in 2007 when he tried to use a double in a Stoke test centre.

Mohammed, originally from Turkey, admitted fraud and was handed a nine-month prison term, suspended for two years for his latest attempt to fool the authorities. He was also handed 200 hours' community service.

The Mirror.co.uk reported that his barrister, Nigel Stelling, said: "He has tried again and again to get his licence legitimately."

"He is a family man with commitments to a partner and a child. He has resolved to sort his life out."

Recorder Edward Coke told him: "It is with hesitation I do not send you (to prison). It is very serious because a full driving licence is a valuable document.

"Without the theory, members of the public could be maimed or killed because of an ignorance of the theory of driving," the Manchester Evening News reported.

Recent Test Passes

A big congratulation to those who recently passed their Advanced Motoring test. Examiner Terry Friday was on hand to present certificates to Ruth Brind, Stephen Blackhurst, Rachael Rogers Stephen Foreman and Stuart Lillierap

Ruth Brind, Stephen Blackhurst, Rachael Rodgers, IAM Examiner Terry Friday, Stephen Foreman and Stuart Lillierap

Chairman Linda Davies and Examiner Terry Friday were also on hand to present the groups second 'First' pass to Rachael Rodgers.  Terry was her examiner on the day and he was proud to award Rachael with the high standard certificate, explaining to the group he was very proud to award his very first 'First' pass to a lovely young lady with a high standard of driving.   Congratulations

IAM Examiner Terry Friday presenting Rachael Rodgers the IAM First certificate 

 Chairman Linda Davies also presented a special certificate to Pam Medlock. Pam has become the first person in the country to gain a Local Observer Qualification under the IAM's new IMI award system. Congratulations to Pam and special thanks went out to John Bowman, the groups only National Observer and Training Officer Phil Mason for their time helping Pam to prepare for her test.

Pam Medlock receiving her certificate for passing her 'Local Observer Qualification. The first in the country. 

Motorists should receive 25% discount on challenged parking fines, say MP

Motorists who stand up to local councils and dispute parking fines should automatically receive a 25 per cent discount, MP watchdogs have said.

 

Motorists who choose to challenge a ticket automatically lose the right to a 50 per cent discount that is currently offered to those who pay up straight away, which is considered unfair by some MPs.

The suggestion is part of a blueprint for a proposed crackdown on councils that treat motorists as "wallets on wheels" and the new plans hope to alleviate some of the financial pressures placed on the modern motorist.

Other proposals include the outlawing of spy cameras that record the movements of drivers within restricted zones and automatically issue fines, usually without the motorist knowing until a letter arrives in the post.

In addition, motorists should not have to appeal against parking tickets where tribunal adjudicators have repeatedly identified a problem such as poor signage.

Councils will also be asked to produce annual parking-charge reports that show exactly where revenue has been generated and where that money is being used, says the new report published today by the House of Commons' Transport Select committee.

The BBC reported this morning that Committee chairman, Labour MP Louise Ellman, said: "There is a deep-rooted public perception that parking enforcement is used as a cash cow, so it's essential that local authorities apply stringent transparency."

On the subject of greater transparency among local councils, Mrs Ellman added: "Annual parking accounts would allow the public to see how much local revenue is derived from the enforcement of fines, and what proportion of this comes from on- or off-street parking charges.

"It's right that parking charges be determined locally, but hard to justify fines that substantially exceed penalties for more serious offences like speeding.

"Central government should freeze the maximum penalty charge and develop differential fines for less serious parking violations. "

Car tracking device helps Essex Police snare serial burglar

A serial crook in Essex was arrested and charged for a string of house burglaries thanks to some good old-fashioned police work and a tracking device fitted to a rental car, it has been revealed.

 

Bobby Everitt was sent to prison for three years after being found guilty of 14 counts of burglary at Chelmsford Crown Court on September 11, and his arrest has been attributed to some serious detective skills and a tracking device fitted to the hapless criminal's rental car.

PC James Smith, the arresting officer for Essex Police, explained: "While we were investigating a break in at a house in Chelmsford we went to interview Everett. I noticed a car outside his home and took down its registration even though he said it wasn't his.

"We ran the vehicle's details through the Police National Computer and discovered it was registered to a rental company. We contacted the hirer who, not only confirmed it had been hired to Everitt, rather fortuitously, told us it was equipped with a vehicle tracking system.

"The data provided by Trak Global showed the vehicle had been in the close vicinity of the property at the time it had been raided and gave us conclusive proof that he carried out the burglary."

But PC Smith decided to take things one step further and continued to cross-examine the data provided by the vehicle tracking company with similar break-ins that had occurred throughout the region.

"Incredibly, the precise information enabled us to place the vehicle in the vicinity at the time of 13 other house burglaries and a further two attempted burglaries," revealed PC Smith.

"The data actually revealed he'd brazenly parked right outside two properties. We were even able to calculate just how long he'd taken to break in, in one case from the moment he'd turned the engine off and then restarted the car was just nine minutes."

"Put simply, if it hadn't been for the fact the vehicle was equipped with a tracking device, Everitt would not have been successfully convicted for 14 burglaries."

PC James Smith was subsequently presented with the Police Federation National Detective Forum Student Detective of the Year award for following his natural instinct and his industrious use of Trak's system