President Obama’s uncle was stopped by police last week on suspicion of drink driving after going over a stop line and nearly causing a collision.

Onyango Obama is thought to have contacted the White House for bail.

There has been some confusion over his immigration status however, a spokesman at immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE failed to comment.

Obama, 67, was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way.

Obama originally told police he had nothing to drink but later changed his story to having had two beers. When he was breathalysed, he failed the legal drink driving limit.

So no matter who you are and what your status or relationships may be, we must all be law abiding citizens.

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THREE quarters (78%) of employers are unaware of impending EU driving legislation aimed at decreasing the number of sight related road traffic accidents.Research commissioned by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare* has revealed that one third of professional drivers have substandard vision. The driving related survey into eyecare policies across 187 UK companies, represented between 295,566 and 448,629 employees.HR Managers are being urged to review their eyecare policies now as a simultaneous poll of 2,000 UK drivers reveals the extent of the problem of poor vision on our roads: of the respondents that had accidents in the last year 17% were as a result of poor vision or not wearing glasses. Contrary to opticians’ recommendations, one in three had not been for an eye examination in more than two years. A further six per cent said they had not had an eye examination in the last 11 years. Most shocking of all, one in five of those who need to wear glasses behind the wheel admitted they often do not bother to put them on. The survey also revealed that one in ten drivers have had an accident or near miss because they were not wearing their glasses while driving.* *New legislation covering eyetests for drivers was passed in the EU Parliament in 2006 and is set to be introduced to member states in 2011. The current proposal is that holders of commercial licences will have to have their eyes tested every 5 years, and holders of private licences will be tested every 10 to 15 years. Each member state has until 2013 to translate the directive into national law.Laura Butler, corporate account manager for Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, says: ’It is astounding that more than three quarters of companies have not even heard of this new legislation. We hope to work with HR Managers to ensure that basic eye tests are implemented for everyone who drives in the course of their work. For everyone’s safety, this should be a priority now, regardless of the date when the actual legislation will come into force.’

Driving brings people a real sense of freedom but with it requires training, experience, patience and determination. By having lessons with a qualified instructor, you will receive the proper training, learn the requirements to pass the test and gain immense experience that you couldn’t gain through learning independently.

The more road experience you have the better, so taking additional lessons with friends of family can be beneficial as long as you are at a good standard of driving.

Learning with an instructor means you will cover many aspects of driving such as, town, countryside, dual carriageways, at night and in rainy season which you may not be confident doing with family or friends.

An instructor will be somebody that is current and up-to-date with all theory aspects. Most drivers whether you have held your licence for 20 years or not could probably do with revising the Highway Code and taking a few refresher lessons.

With an instructor you will be provided with a car which is current, reliable and fitted with dual controls. We all have moments of madness where we make silly mistakes, with the instructor’s dual controls you are safe at all times. Instructors have done extensive training which allows them to not only watch out for the driver’s techniques and errors but plan ahead to ensure all other road users and pedestrians are safe.

So why not call us at Britannia today on 0208 543 8050 and let our instructors take you on the road to freedom.

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Kenneth Cotty, 73, admitted knocking James Lambert unconscious by driving into his path.The pensioner was allowed to stay on the road after a court was told that he had been driving more than 40 years without incident.Cotty, of Lagside Cottage, Crieff, admitted driving carelessly on the A822 Muthill to Crieff road on March 21 this year and injuring Mr Lambert.Fiscal depute Stuart Richardson told Perth Sheriff Court: “This accident took place at 1.30pm. The motorcyclist was driving south on this stretch of road.”He suddenly noticed Mr Cotty ahead of him, pulling out from the side of the road in his car, apparently not having noticed the motorcycle.”Mr Lambert tried to take action to avoid a collision but could not. The result of the collision was that Mr Lambert was thrown from the motorcycle into a ditch at the side of the road and was initially unconscious.”Passing motorists stopped to help. He recovered consciousness and was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. He was found to have a cut forehead and a broken bone in his hand.”Cotty said: “I honestly didn’t believe I had done anything wrong. Please convey my deepest apologies to all concerned in this sad case.”I have let myself down in my later years and I am deeply ashamed and sorry for all the inconvenience I have caused.”Sheriff Robert McCreadie told the former minister: “This was obviously a serious mis-judgment which could have had very serious consequences indeed.”He placed nine points on Cotty’s licence and fined him £300.

Many drivers do not anticipate a bend in the road and how this will affect their driving.
 
Too many drivers take a bend too fast when they need to consider how tight the bend is, will they need to reduce their speed and when will they need to do this, otherwise other road users behind will not know of their intentions.

As you drive towards a bend it is good practice to check your mirrors.

The way to approach a bend is to slow down sufficiently before the bend so you can come of the brakes as you enter the corner. You can then accelerate gently during the bend if needed. This ensures that your tyres aren’t under too much pressure and reduces the risk of skidding.

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There is a need for additional training in order to iron out the aggressive driving techniques that have been witnessed among some young drivers.
Such is the conclusion of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), after learning that half of crashes involving individuals under the age of 20 are caused by the “reaction factors” or errors made by the person behind the wheel.
This falls to 42 per cent among drivers in their 20s and 33 per cent for those aged 40 to 60.
Of the road crashes involving young motorists between 2005 and 2009, 14.5 per cent were caused by a loss of control, 10.5 per cent by the driver travelling at too high a speed for the conditions and six per cent by those breaking the speed limit.
Each of these was identified as an aggressive motoring technique by the IAM.
Chief Executive of the group Simon Best said: “Seventeen to 25-year-olds are only 15 per cent of the driving population and yet they have 30 per cent of all accidents and account for 40 per cent of insurance claims. It’s clear that handing a driving licence over without offering further help is putting far too many young people at unacceptable risk.”
He recommended post-test training to provide coaching on using rural roads, driving at night and in different weather conditions.
Overall, however, motorists are becoming more sensible behind the wheel, with the Sainsbury’s Car Insurance Driver Behaviour Index for 2011 revealing that the proportion of Britons using a mobile phone while in control of a car has fallen from 11 per cent to six per cent in the last year.

A doctor, a man in a position of trust and somebody that is a respected role model in society has shamed himself by speeding in excess of 100mph whilst his children were in the back of the car.

Mr Alhous was caught by police and after admitting careless driving was fined over £1000 and given nine penalty points.

However, the courts decided that due to his job he would not be banned from driving as this would make it difficult for him to travel to and from work. But surely he should be made an example of and by losing his licence perhaps he would recognise the seriousness of the offence and the consequences it brings.

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A 34 year old male from the Norwich area has been convicted after police caught him driving on a 70mph road whilst talking on one mobile and texting on another.

Mr Secker, did not appear to be holding the steering wheel, meaning he was found guilty of using a mobile phone whilst driving, not being in proper control of the vehicle and also having no insurance.

He has been banned from driving for 12 months, fined £150 and given 14 penalty points.

He states that he accepts he was in the wrong and will learn from his mistake.

Emily Smith at Britannia Driving School said “It’s not just using a mobile phone that is dangerous whilst driving but many other things like applying make-up, eating food, smoking etc can all cause devastation on our roads. Anything that involves you not having proper control over the vehicle is a crime in my eyes.”

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Barry Ash from Egerton was driving along the M26 when he saw the animal on the white line between the hard shoulder and the first lane.
He said he did a double take while driving along the empty motorway when he spotted the 11in (28cm) tortoise.
“I just put my brakes on, quickly into the hard shoulder and ran back to check him,” Mr Ash said.
The road was empty at the time Mr Ash stopped, although he had to alert an approaching car as he picked up the tortoise from the edge of the first lane.
Defra certificateMr Ash is looking after the tortoise until his owner can be traced.
“He’s doing well, and my daughter has named him M26,” he said.
Mr Ash, who sells tortoises from his pet shop, said the reptiles were good at escaping and would find any gap in a fence.
“All tortoises need to have a Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) certificate and he obviously doesn’t have one so we can’t sell him.
“He will more than likely go to a tortoise rescue centre,” he said.
The Highway code advises people not to remove “obstructions” from the motorway and instead to call police or Highways Agency from the next emergency telephone.

Statistics by Newsbeat show the number of 17 to 22 year-olds taking their driving test has fallen by 19% since 2005, a drop of more than 300,000 learner drivers.

Much of the fall has been put down to an increase in the cost of learning and then running a car.

Some of the prices have risen slightly and others like car insurance have risen rapidly.

According to a recent government survey, almost two thirds of young people who can’t drive said they were put off by the cost of learning.

However, there are signs the cost of insurance is starting to fall.

Emily Smith at Britannia Driving School said: “New drivers can get a large discount on their insurance with selected insurance companies if they take the Pass Plus Course with Britannia. The number of learner drivers taking courses with us has increased by over 25% since 2005-this is due to our reasonable lesson price and our success in getting our clients through with the minimum number of driving lessons. It is a known fact that the younger you start learning to drive, the fewer lessons you will need to pass the driving test.”

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