Daylight Bill adjourned

The second reading of Tim Yeo's (pictured) Energy Saving (Daylight) Bill, which took place on 26 January, was adjourned one week until 2 February.

The aim of the Bill is to advance time in England by one hour for an experimental period of three years. It would mean that winter would be one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and summer would be two hours ahead. Supporters of 'Double summer time' - including LARSOA and RoSPA - believe it would lead to fewer road traffic accidents, a reduction in energy consumption, and would have an impact on tourism.

The Bill would provide the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly (if not suspended), with powers similarly to change time.

Click here to read a blog set up to gather feedback about the Bill.

We will report further on the Bill's progress next week.

Brake to host young driver conference

Brake has published details of a one-day conference focusing on young driver safety, to be held in London in May 2007.

Topics to be covered include: government policies on young driver safety; analysis of young driver crashes; attitudes and behaviour of young drivers; international case studies of graduated driver licencing; local and national campaigns; and educating young drivers who offend.

The conference will take place on 3 May at the Royal College of Surgeons. Click here to download the conference flyer and registration form, or contact Brake on 01484 559, or admin@brake.org.uk.

999 partners put young on road to safety
Students at a South Yorkshire sixth-form college have been given a crash course in road safety under a new partnership between emergency services and the medical profession.

A seminar aimed at the emerging generation of new drivers took place last week at Longley Park Sixth Form College in Sheffield.

The initiative brought together all emergency services to demonstrate to youngsters the real consequences of road accidents, and provide advice on how to keep safe.

Robert Ellis, estates and operations manager at Longley Park, said: "The presentations and DVD footage are extremely powerful but if they can influence young people to become better drivers the event will ultimately be successful in educating our students and helping to save more lives on South Yorkshire roads."

For the full story go to: http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/

Say it with flowers
Isle of Man motorists are being urged to keep their sweethearts safe as Valentine's Day approaches.

An image of flowers on a grave with the tagline 'where would you like your Valentine's flowers delivered to?' is being used in a new campaign to force home the road safety message.

A second poster shows a heartbeat monitor with the tagline 'how will you make your Valentine's heart beat faster?'.

Flyers asking motorists to 'keep you and your Valentine safe' will be distributed with Valentine's cards at card shops around the Island.

For the full story go to: http://www.iomonline.co.im/

Motorist wins belching breath test appeal
A Winchester driver has had his drink drive disqualification set aside by a High Court, which ruled that belching during a breath test could provide a 'special reason'.

A senior judge allowed an appeal by O Sang Ng against a district judge's ruling that a belch could never amount to a special reason.

In a decision that could affect other belching or burping drivers undergoing intoximeter breath tests, Mr Justice Owen, sitting at London's High Court, ruled that the district judge had erred in law.

He set aside Mr Ng's disqualification and ordered that consideration should now be given to whether Mr Ng's alleged belch actually could count as a special reason.

For the full story go to: http://www.thisishampshire.net

MIB appoints communications head

Susan Beck, former communications manager for the DfT's National Safety Camera Scheme, has been appointed head of communications for the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB).

The MIB is the 'fund of last resort' designed to compensate innocent victims involved in crashes where the driver responsible was not insured or failed to stop. The MIB currently handles in the region of 36,000 claims a year.

The MIB is keen to work in partnership with road safety groups and associations to promote the message about the risks associated with driving without insurance.

For further information contact Susan Beck on SBeck@mib.org.uk

Cameras get cameras
The Scottish Borders Safety Camera Partnership is considering installing more cameras - to protect the cameras it already has.  

CCTV cameras are one of the measures being considered to protect speed cameras in Berwickshire, which have been targeted by vandals.

For the full story go to: http://www.motorcyclenews.com

Business as usual - despite arson attack
Surrey Safety Camera Partnership says it's 'business as usual' despite an arson attack on a safety camera in Reigate Hill.

Project Manager Duncan Knox says: "This senseless act makes our job of reducing speeds and cutting casualties that much more difficult. But it is an ultimately futile act, as we will be looking to get the damage repaired as soon as we can. We are also looking very closely at the possibility of providing mobile enforcement in the interim."

For further information contact Adrian Creek on 01483 466816, or adrian.creek@surreycc.gov.uk .

Lawyer's drink-driving gaffe
A US lawyer picked up a client who had been pulled up for drink driving - and was promptly arrested for the same offence himself.

"I did not think I was intoxicated, and I was wrong," Rick Petri told the Wisconsin State Journal.

Petri, 64, said he had been out that evening, had a couple of drinks and went home about 8pm to watch a basketball game. He said he made himself a couple more drinks, and then went to bed.

His phone rang about 2am with a call from Madison police asking if he could pick up a client who had been arrested for drink-driving. Petri said the officer asked if he had been drinking, but he was certain his blood-alcohol concentration was under the legal limit.

But when Petri arrived, he was given a breath test and was placed under arrest for drunken driving. "I can't tell you how humbled I am, how embarrassed I am," said Petri, who once prosecuted drunken drivers for the Madison city attorney's office.

For the full story go to: http://www.ananova.com/