Licence Bureau have been recognised as an “Enterprising Business” in this years Hertfordshire Federation of Small Businesses awards. The overall award winner will be crowned at the awards ceremony on 13th June.

Malcolm Maycock of Licence Bureau will be giving a presentation entitled “Grey Fleet Checks – Are Your Staff Driving Illegally?” in the new Fleet21 Driver Safety Zone at the Safety & Health Expo at the NEC next week. Tuesday 14th May, 10.30 – 11.00am

Malcolm will also be participating in a Panel discussion on general grey fleet issues with other leading industry figures on the same day at 2pm.

Come along and quiz the expert.

Fleet 21 Theatre Schedule – 14-16 May 2013

Please come and see Licence Bureau on stand A25.

The most dangerous drink drivers will now have to pass a medical before they are allowed back on the roads under a change in the law announced today by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond.

The changes, which come into force from 1 June 2013, mean that High Risk Offenders will need to pass a medical confirming they are no longer alcohol dependent at the end of their disqualification and before they start driving.Currently, all High Risk Offenders must pass a medical examination before they can be issued with a driving licence following their disqualification. However, drivers can start driving as soon as they have applied for their driving licence. Evidence suggests that some High Risk Offenders delay their medical in order to continue driving. The changes will prevent High Risk Offenders from driving until they have passed their medical examination and been granted a licence.

The changes also mean that drink drivers who refuse to give permission for a blood sample to be analysed will now be High Risk Offenders. This means that they will only get their licence back following disqualification if they pass the required medical.

Road Safety Minister, Stephen Hammond said:

“Drink drivers are a menace and it is right that we do everything we can to keep the most high risk offenders off the road.

“These changes will tighten up the law on drink driving and will mean that the most dangerous offenders will have to prove they are no longer dependent on alcohol before they are allowed to get back behind the wheel.

“The new measures will also see those drink drivers who obstruct the police by refusing to allow their blood samples to be analysed treated the same as other high risk offenders.”

Vehicle towing and loading : Rule 98 of the highway code.

Rule 98

Vehicle towing and loading. As a driver

•  you MUST NOT tow more than your licence permits. If you passed a car test after 1 Jan 1997 you are restricted on the weight of trailer you can tow
• you MUST NOT overload your vehicle or trailer. You should not tow a weight greater than that recommended by the manufacturer of your vehicle
• you MUST secure your load and it MUST NOT stick out dangerously. Make sure any heavy or sharp objects and any animals are secured safely. If there is a collision, they might hit someone inside the vehicle and cause serious injury
• you should properly distribute the weight in your caravan or trailer with heavy items mainly over the axle(s) and ensure a downward load on the tow ball. Manufacturer’s recommended weight and tow ball load should not be exceeded. This should avoid the possibility of swerving or snaking and going out of control. If this does happen, ease off the accelerator and reduce speed gently to regain control
• carrying a load or pulling a trailer may require you to adjust the headlights
• In the event of a breakdown, be aware that towing a vehicle on a tow rope is potentially dangerous. You should consider professional recovery.

FREE Webinar: 10am – 10:45am, Thursday 9 May

To book your place, contact Brake today on corporatewebinar@brake.org.uk or 01484 559909.

Read on for more information including speakers.

If your photocard driving licence has expired you MUST renew it. A quick check now could save you a fine of up to £1,000 if your licence has expired. DVLA writes to every driver when their driving licence is due for renewal, providing instructions on how to renew and the penalty for not doing so.Check your licence

Check your licence expiry date in 4b on the front of the card.

Photocard licence

If the date has passed – your licence has expired!

How to renew

Whether you renew or replace a lost or stolen licence the process is the same. There are three ways to apply:

• online at www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence at providing you’ve had a new digital passport issued in the last five years;
• in person at selected Post Offices®
• by post – by completing form D1 ‘Application for a driving licence’, available in selected Post Office® branches or by ordering

It is important that licences are renewed. Having an up to date licence will ensure you have the latest security features to protect you against fraud. You might also experience delays in obtaining insurance or hiring a car if your licence is expired. This will also ensure the police and other enforcement agencies have the best possible information to help them correctly identify whether a driving licence is being used fraudulently, and so help prevent driving licence impersonation – stopping disqualified and perhaps dangerous drivers taking to our roads.

The Licence Bureau team are very proud to receive a recommendation of our business from House of Commons MP Mike Penning.

Mike Reed Marketing Director commented, “This is a great reflection on our business , it’s aims and how we manage our business on behalf of our clients and their drivers-at-work”

Revised minimum driving licence standards for eyesight and epilepsy will apply under new rules announced today by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond.

The changes, which come into force from 8 March, mean that there will be some changes for drivers and riders with epilepsy and to the vision standards required for driving.

Road Safety Minister, Stephen Hammond said:

“Road safety is a top priority for the Government and our licensing rules play an important part in keeping our roads safe. We must make sure that only those who are safe to drive do so, while at the same time avoiding placing unnecessary restrictions on people’s independence.”

“These changes strike the right balance in allowing as many people as possible to drive, without compromising safety.”

The changes follow a recent public consultation that sought views on the implementation of European minimum medical standards for drivers. While UK standards must be at least at the level of a minimum standard, the UK is not required to relax existing domestic standards where these are justifiably higher than the EU ones. In most cases, the UK rules were already at or above the level of the EU minimum standards, although we have clarified UK legislation in respect of a number of standards which were previously specified in guidance to doctors.

The main changes are:

Eyesight

Group 2 – Buses & Lorries

For these drivers, there will be a new relaxed visual acuity standard for the “weaker eye” when each eye is separately examined. Generally eyesight can be weaker in one eye than the other.

Epilepsy

Group 1 – Cars and Motorcycles

For the first time, drivers who have only ever suffered seizures while asleep may now be considered for a licence after one year, instead of the current requirement of three years.

Additionally, the new rules will allow drivers who have only ever suffered seizures that have no impact on consciousness or the ability to act to apply for a driving licence one year from the date of their first seizure. Currently these drivers can only be licensed if they are free from these seizures for a period of 12 months.

Notes:
Member States may apply stricter standards than those imposed by the EU.
For Group 2 drivers (buses and lorries), previously, drivers had to demonstrate a visual acuity in the better eye of decimal 0.8 and in the weaker eye of decimal 0.5. The better eye standard has remained as decimal 0.8, while the weaker eye standard has been relaxed to decimal 0.1.

Michael Reed Marketing Director at Licence Bureau Ltd commented, “Eyesight and vision standards are now fully part of Road Safety law, this has to be applauded. Company drivers-at-work and individuals should all undergo regular eye sight tests. At Licence Bureau we are actively raising this issue. Licence Bureau currently link with Specsavers to offer our clients vouchers in relation to improving drivers vision, raising awareness of this issue and making our roads a safer environment for all.”

The Police will be able to take immediate action against motorists who fail roadside eye tests under tough new rules introduced today by Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has worked closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to introduce a new system to deal with roadside eyesight test failures more quickly. Under the new rules a licence can be revoked in a matter of hours rather than days.

The new system enables the police to notify the DVLA electronically with details of eyesight test failures allowing a notice of revocation of the licence to be issued to the motorist within hours. Previously, the Police notified DVLA in writing or by fax which in some cases meant that the revocation of the licence could take up to four days.

All drivers must be able to meet the eyesight standard for driving by reading a number plate from 20 metres – this can be easily checked by the police at the roadside. A motorist who drives when unable to meet this standard is committing an offence and will have their licence revoked by DVLA. Once revoked, a licence will not be returned until a driver can demonstrate that their eyesight meets the required standard.

Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said:

“Reducing road casualties is a top priority for the Government and our licensing rules play an important part in keeping our roads safe.

“All drivers have a responsibility to make sure they are fit to drive, every time they get behind the wheel and this includes making sure they meet minimum eyesight standards.

“The DVLA and the Police have worked closely to streamline the process for revoking a licence when the police identify that a driver’s eyesight is inadequate, which now means that any driver who fails to meet the necessary standard may have their licence revoked in a matter of hours rather than days.”

ACPO lead on roads policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, said:

“Police are dedicated to improving road safety and this is another excellent example where making some changes to the way officers work will greatly enhance that aim.

“We are pleased to have been working closely with DVLA on this matter and we are confident this new process will give police the ability to fast track those drivers found to have inadequate eyesight for driving, and therefore likely to cause unnecessary danger to other road users.

“We want to reassure the public that where we can improve road safety from a policing perspective, we will aim to do just that.”

Drivers can easily check if they are up to the required standard by ensuring that they can read a number plate from 20 metres away. If they cannot meet this standard then drivers should seek advice from an optician.

Michael Reed Marketing Director at Licence Bureau Ltd commented, “It’s blindingly obvious drivers should all undergo regular eye sight tests. At Licence Bureau we are actively raising this issue. We currently link with Specsavers to offer our clients vouchers in relation to improving drivers vision, raising awareness of this issue and making our roads a safer environment for all.”

* The changes in procedures apply from 7 February 2013.

* This service will be available between 8am and 9pm. Roadside eyesight tests can only be carried out in daylight.

* On evenings and weekends, where the police deem the circumstances merit immediate action, they can use powers to impose bail conditions. These can include requiring the person not to drive as a condition of bail. If a person subject to a no-drive condition broke it, he/she could be taken to court to reconsider the question of bail.

· Road crashes have a social, legal, reputational and financial consequence for a business.
· In order to ensure your company is complying with the law, management must take effective steps to manage road risk.
· One way to ensure your company is operating within regulations is to health check your organisation, determining whether your policies are fit for purpose.

10 key questions highlighting the importance of internal policies that you could use to health check your own company’s policies on road risk management:

1. Does my organisation’s health and safety policy include work related road safety?

2. Does my organisation have top-level commitment, accountability and responsibility for work related road safety?

3. Is there monitoring of the cost to the company of collisions year-on-year, collision rates and analysis of vehicle fuel consumption compared to distance travelled?

4. Are collision investigation arrangements contributing to organisational learning?

5. Are driving licences checked at least annually online and do we increase the frequency of checks on drivers with more than 6 points?

6. Do we assess and profile our drivers individually?

7. Is there an explicit company policy banning use of mobile phones while driving?

8. Does my organisation verify the condition of grey fleet vehicles and do the drivers of those vehicles have adequate business insurance cover?

9. Does my company issue guidance on avoiding fatigue such as taking regular breaks?

10. Do my company drivers know and apply the rules of the road?

Ian Brooks, Consultant, Compliance Bureau.