Crossing guides in the Lothian’s in Scotland are helping to tackle bad drivers by having hidden cameras fitted inside their lollipops.

The latest weapon to catch out reckless motorists known as the ‘video pole’ is to be used in East Lothian after the local authority became the first in Scotland to invest in the hi-tech piece of kit at a cost of £1050.

The inconspicuous cameras are activated automatically once the pole or lollipop is in an upright position and can snap the car registrations plate of any vehicle that fails to stop.

One crossing guide, Robert Purves is 63 years old and says he welcomes the introduction of the new technology after nearly being struck by careless drivers on four separate occasions over the last three years.

The crossing guide, or ‘lollipop man’ of Haddington, Lothian, said, “I have gone out into the middle of the road to see kids and families across and four times before I have got back to the pavement, cars have just went right through me. What happens if there is an accident and I get hurt? Even when the kids are there, sometimes the cars just go through. I think the camera is going to be a good thing because if anybody does that again, they could get charged. Without the camera, it is very hard to get a number plate because you have got to concentrate on the kids crossing the road.”

The hidden cameras in the ‘video pole’ are already in operation in Glasgow, but they do not photograph drivers or passing pedestrians due to the angle of the camera, it only captures and records the number plate of any offending vehicle.

Warning signs will be put up in areas where the cameras are to be used and should an incident occur, video footage can be examined and if necessary passed on to Police for further investigation.

An East Lothian Council spokesperson spoke of the decision to employ the cameras to aid the crossing guides, saying, “With so many near misses and the obvious threat to life and limb, East Lothian Council is one of the first councils to invest in this hi-tech solution to help catch the culprits. We felt it was worth the investment for the safety of children crossing the road and the crossing guides.

It has been revealed that the Gardai has accessed information on almost 200 drivers this year who have used the M50 toll road and passed through certain barriers, to investigate criminal activity and confirm alibis.

This data is now accessible thanks to the installation of new hi-tech cameras that run for 24 hours a day, capturing information and recording it. This new system replaced the unpopular tollbooths that were situated on the Westlink Bridge in Dublin.

The company operating the toll barriers, Bet Eire Flow, have said that the Gardai requested the records of motorists using the M50 toll 192 times since the start of 2010. They also revealed that 189 ‘illegal’ vehicles had also been captured and photographed on the road during this time.

These ‘illegal’ vehicles included ones that has cloned plates, had been reported as scrapped and cars that had been exported, but had since re-entered the market.

Simon McBeth, Head of Communications at Bet Eire Flow, said that cloned vehicles were put on a watch-list and any car on this list that passed under the toll’s cameras would be flagged up.

Mr McBeth said, “The issue with cloned plates is very simple. In other countries like the UK, I have to go with my logbook and utility bill to prove I am who I say I am when I get a licence plate. Here, you do not. You just ask for a plate and are given the number.”

Bet Eire Flow has been in regular contact with the Department of Transport over road tax issues. The Department of Transport holds information on vehicles in its National Vehicle Driver File and is keen to clamp down on motorists who do not pay road tax or insurance.

It was also revealed that drivers are continuing to take irresponsible risks and drive in a dangerous manner to avoid paying the toll charges. Cars have been pictured tailgating close behind HGV’s to escape the cameras, whilst some motorists are using ‘cloned’ number plates from other vehicles, adding digits to the plate or blocking numbers or the whole licence plate altogether so it cannot be read and meaning payment cannot be sought.

Since new laws were introduced in mid 2008, more than 16,000 learner drivers have been caught behind the wheel of a car without supervision or without displaying L-plates.

An appeal has been made by road safety chiefs, asking parents to prevent inexperienced motorists driving on their own after it was revealed that 16,132 summonses had been issued to unqualified drivers since a change in the law back in July 2008. Of that number up to the end of June 2010, as many as 8,413 learner drivers had been issued with summonses for driving without by a fully licensed driver present. A further 7,719 people were ordered before the courts for not displaying the necessary L-plates when driving. Being convicted of either offence could see the learner driver facing a €2,000 fine and/or a three-month prison term.

Since the new laws were brought in, no learner drivers, which include those who are on a second provisional licence, are allowed to drive a vehicle alone.

This was seen, as a controversial measure when it was introduced by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, as there had been fears surrounding isolating drivers in rural areas of Ireland.

Chief of the Road Safety Authority, Noel Brett said, “Drivers who are most at risk of killing or being killed on our roads are those who hold learner permits and those in their first three years after passing their test. It is not whether you have a licence; it has to do with experience and confidence. I am disappointed that the gardai would have summoned that many people. I appeal to parents to become more involved in teaching and supervising their young person’s driving. They shouldn’t tolerate a situation where cars are made available or car insurance is made available.”

Mr Brett believes that because of ‘an inflated sense of their own confidence and invulnerability’ amongst novice drivers, changing the perception of the parents was equally as important as trying to banish the irresponsible behaviour of some inexperienced drivers. Families will invest time and money into a young persons hobbies and Mr Brett thinks they should do the same by funding proper lessons and give up their own time to accompany the learner drivers on the roads. He went on to say, “It is the most inexperienced drivers who disproportionately feature in death and injury collisions not just in Ireland but internationally.”

A long awaited Graduated Licensing System is to be announced by the Road Safety Authority, which will include new rules about the minimum number of lessons a leaner must take.

The government of Kenya is recruiting a private company to produce car number plates after an increase in the number of vehicle and motor cycles being imported into the country. The prisons departments, who currently produce the plates, have been unable to keep up with demand following the surge of imports.

The Kenya Revenue Authority are responsible for issuing number plates, but now face a shortage due to a combination of imported cars going up and the production of supplies slowing down.

Transport assistant minister, John Harun Mwau, said that number plates were security items and should not be handled by private companies; however, the ministry would be forced to subcontract the services of a private company in order to speed up the registration process of imported cars and motorcycles.

The shortage of registrations has been blamed on a directive from the Kenya Revenue Authority in 2008 that called for all imported cars to be registered at the port of entry.

Mr Mwau said that, “We are opening new number plate issuance centres in Kisumu and Nakuru to ease the pressure at the port of Mombasa.”

MP for Kandara, Maina Kamau has complained that the Kenyan Revenue Authority was containing imported vehicles at their entry port because they did not have a sufficient quantity of number plates to meet the demand. This meant that importers were paying large amounts of money for storage.

Mr Kamau said, “It is taking too long to release imported vehicles from the port, with the delay forcing importers to pay more. This increases the cost of doing business.”

An improvement in the Kenyan economy and the simplicity at which personal bank loans can now be secured, has seen cars and motor cycles being imported at a quicker rate than the production of number plates by the prison department or registrar of motor vehicles can cope with.

According to the Economic Survey of 2010, the registration of new vehicles increased from 45,000 units in 2005 to 161,000 units in 2009.

A Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon, an upmarket version of the Jaguar XJ12 and once owned and driven by the Queen of England, is to go under the hammer in the United States.

The Daimler was built by Jaguar in 1984 and was specifically manufactured to be used by Her Majesty. It is known that Elizabeth II drove the vehicle on regular occasions, without fear of violating any traffic offences as the Queen is exempt from breaking the law.

Before the Daimler was first delivered to Buckingham Palace back in 1984, it had to endure over 2,000 miles of test driving to make sure any problems were sufficiently ironed out. It then became the Queen’s personal vehicle and transported Elizabeth II and many world famous dignitaries, including princes, princesses and prime ministers, to events, palaces and state occasions across the United Kingdom.

The individually built, luxurious Daimler Saloon was manufactured to include an extensive list of exclusive features, including hi-tech communication systems, personal number plates and flashing lights to the rear bench to accommodate the Queen’s Corgi’s, as requested by Her Majesty.

Throughout its service and up to the present day, Jaguar and Guy Salmons of Royal Ascot, Berkshire, the royally appointed garage, has exclusively maintained the vehicle. When it was retired from service, the Daimler was returned to the Jaguar Heritage Museum at Browns Lane, where it has remained ever since.

However, Jaguar have now decided to put the stately Daimler up for auction and asked RM Auctions to organise the public sale during Pebble Beach weekend in Monterey, California.

This is the first time a royal limousine has been put up for auction in the United States of America, and as this is the only one available, Jaguar confirm it is likely to be the last time a vehicle used for royal purposes will be offered again.

Most people who own a motor vehicle are aware that they produce toxic emissions which can harm the environment. Many people however are not aware that the amount of emissions produced by a car varies depending on its make and model. Car emissions are made up of a combination of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide which contribute to air pollution. The amount of these emissions produced is directly related to the amount and type of fuel that the vehicle uses.

The good news is that those cars which are more fuel efficient are not only better for the environment but also better for your wallet as you will not have to refuel less often then those who drive the bigger gas guzzlers. If you are looking to buy a new car it is worth researching the fuel efficiency of the different models and makes before you make your decision, as this will help you determine which cars will be more environmentally friendly. The best way to reduce the amount of emissions that your car produces is to drive it less. If you can reduce the amount of journeys you make by car you will not only help the environment but may also be able be able to reduce your car insurance premium, saving you a little more money.

If you need to use your car on a regular basis then consider the amount of weight you carry in your car. The heavier your vehicle the more fuel it will consume which in turn will increase the amount of emissions it emits. Driving a smaller vehicle will mean you require less fuel to complete the same journey than a larger vehicle. If you do need a large car even reducing the amount of things you carry in your car will affect its weight and thus the amount of fuel required. It is important to know that a vehicle’s weight has more affect on the amount of fuel that it requires than even its engine size. The type of fuel that a vehicle uses will also affect the amount of emissions that it produces.

Cars that run on petrol use more fuel than those who run on diesel and can produce up to ten percent more carbon dioxide. Cars that use LPG give out less toxic emissions than Diesel and pre Euro IV petrol engines but tend to require more fuel overall. Diesel cars have good fuel efficiency but the fuel costs more at the pumps and the cars themselves can be more expensive to buy. Modern cars are becoming more and more advanced and are utilizing technology which helps reduce the amount of harmful emissions that they produce. European standards have been agreed for the production of new vehicles which sets out the emissions requirements that cars need to meet. These standards are updated fairly regularly to take into account advances in technology. Therefore if you need to buy a new car you should try and purchase the newest model that you can afford, as this will not only help the environment but should also save you money at the pumps due to increased fuel efficiency.

Police forces in the UK are advising motorists to fit a simple but effective safety screw to their car number plates to prevent them from being stolen and cloned by criminals.

Events are often organised by police forces to assist motorists to fix types of screws to their registration plates for a small fee. A police spokesperson said, “We would encourage motorists to attend these types of events because having simple screws fitted is an easy measure you can take to reduce your chance of having your vehicle targeted. We continue to look at new ways of getting important advice into the community. Events such as these are a perfect way for us to do this because you can also tell us about the issues concerning you and your community the most.”

There is usually information packs and advice given out at these events to highlight to motorists ways they can avoid having their cars broken into or vandalised. This advice includes leaving vehicles in well lit and secure parking areas and not leaving valuable items on view in their cars while they are unattended.

The recommended one-way fitting screws cannot be removed easily and once fixed, are covered with a security cap as an added measure to deter thieves.

Number plate theft can lead to criminals cloning other cars, often stolen ones, to change its identity with bogus registration plates. The majority of victims will be completely unaware that their number plate has been cloned until speeding fines and parking tickets start to arrive through the post or they receive a visit from the local police.

Vehicles that have been cloned will commonly be used to commit offences such as speeding, joy riding and robbery, especially filling up at petrol stations and leaving without paying, meaning the victim is faced with the difficult task of trying to convince the authorities they had nothing to do with it.

The Swedish Transport Agency, which manages the applications of personal number plates in Sweden have rejected an application from a man in Halmstad because the number plate he requested contained the letters SS, an apparent connection to Nazi Germany.

Any plates deemed offensive or obscene can be rejected by the agency if it is thought they could offend other road users.

An agency spokesperson said, “Personal registration plates captures the attention of others and are a good idea for you to show who you are. Proposals may not cause offence. If you want to use a combination which corresponds to a product or company name then you should contact the trademark holder and receive written consent.”

It seems there have been a number of cases of number plates being refused along with the Gestapo-themed plate. Names such as ‘My BMW’, ‘Come On’, ‘Beetle’, ‘HEINEKN’ and ‘Sexboy’ have also been declined permission in recent months.

The guidelines set out by the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) ask for plates to be between two and seven characters. This should include spaces and be made up of a combination of numbers and letters.

All applications are subject to approval, with the agency citing that the most common reasons for rejecting these plates are that they may cause offence. An agency spokesperson said, “We discuss why we think it is not a good idea and then if we agree it is rejected.”

Since 2000, when it became possible for motorists to extend a personal number plate in Sweden for the first time, the numbers of new personal registration plates and renewal applications have varied significantly.

In 2002, there were 1,308 applications made, but this figure rose to 2,661 in 2004. That number had fallen to 2,003 applications by the year 2008.

The process to apply for a new personal number plate can take around ten days to complete and cost 6,000 kronor ($784).

Over the last few decades there has been a rise in the number of older drivers on the roads. Twenty years ago only twenty-five percent of men in their seventies still held a driving licence. Today that figure is seventy-five percent, which is a huge increase. It is predicted that in the next twenty years this figure will rise further and we will see up to ninety percent of men aged over seventy still on the, roads. Figures also show that women are also staying behind the wheel for longer with the prediction that by 2026 nearly eighty percent of women aged over seventy will still hold their driving licence.

People now want to maintain the same standards of living that they are used to for longer than ever before, and for most people this means having access to their own transport in order to get around. It is not surprising that older people are driving for longer considering that many are much more affluent that their parents generation and can afford to so. This is great news for the automotive industry, who are now able to keep their customers for longer, and in fact many manufacturer’s are spending time considering the needs of older drivers when designing their cars in order to better target this market. However having older drivers on the road does mean a number of things for other road users.

Whilst the driving ability of most older drivers will be on par with the rest of the population, they are at a higher risk of injury if involved in a crash. Other road users should be aware of this especially if they come across an accident, which involves people of this age group. In the UK drivers over the age of seventy have to apply to renew their driving licence. This process is in place to ensure that they are capable to handle a motor vehicle and also to make sure they are up to date with any new road rules that may have changed since their licence was issued. In general older drivers have better track records for safety than younger drivers, with those aged over seventy being deemed as safe as drivers aged twenty-five.

This safety record does decline with age but drivers in their eighties are still considered to be safer on the roads than drivers in their teens. Statistics show that the older age group cause fewer problems on the road and carry out different journey types to other road users. Older drivers are also less likely to be involved in drink driving incidents or single vehicle accidents than younger drivers. When surveyed older drivers responded that they are more cautious and leave longer distances between themselves and other road users as well as avoiding longer journeys and heavy traffic. The driving habits of older drivers are taken into consideration when motor insurance companies work out their insurance premiums, and often these are lower than for other groups of drivers. This shows that older drivers are often better to have on the roads than younger ones.

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Spain and its surrounding Islands have introduced new traffic laws that are set to make it more difficult for visitors to the country to hire a vehicle when on holiday there.

Messing with GPS equipment, driving with illegal car number plates, cycling at night without reflectors or lights and parking in a disabled space without the correct paperwork are just some of the new offences that have been drafted in.

One law that has not changed that is taken very seriously is people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The limit in Spain is much less than in many other European countries, with the allowed limit being equivalent to one small beer.

Minister of the Interior, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, introduced the new law changes and explained that the last five years had seen the number of deaths following car accidents in Spain being halved. The new rules are aimed to continue the good work.

People visiting the country who do commit an offence, need to remember that there is a discount for paying fines within a 20 day period of being issued with it. The discount has been raised to 50 per cent for early payments to accompany the introduction of the new laws.

The three categories used to set the penalties have changed with an increase in the fines being set. A small offence will see the fine increase to €100, a serious offence to €200, with penalties for very serious offences rising to €500.

There are also now 27 offences that can see points being deducted from a license. These include driving in the wrong direction, which is a common offence by many Irish and British drivers, drink driving, dangerous driving, reversing on a motorway, not using a seat belt and using any equipment that could be a distraction to the driver.