Newsletter continued..

CRASH project

The Collision Recording And SHaring (CRASH) project is a new electronic system for police collision reporting. CRASH will provide a system for secure collection, validation, transmission and storage of road traffic collision reports to meet police business needs and also DfT statistical requirements. Mobile devices (where available) will allow data entry at the scene of a collision – police will no longer have to fill in paper forms. CRASH will provide improvements in consistency, timeliness, as well as minimising police time and effort. Information currently collected by the police, but not included in STATS19, could be provided without imposing an additional burden on those collecting the data. However, it should be recognised that this additional information may not be available for all police force areas.

DfT is providing funding for the project and is working with the NPIA (National Police Improvement Agency) to implement it in police forces. At present the system covers England and Wales only. Pilots in three areas are planned for early 2011 followed by roll-out to as many police forces as possible during 2011 and 2012

Victim Notification Scheme (VNS) and “Early” Return of Driving Licence

In Newsletter 6 we highlighted the fact that that an offender who has been disqualified from driving can apply to the court to have his/her driving licence returned before the period of disqualification has been completed.

Details are on the DVLA website:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/EndorsementsAndDisqualifications/DG_4022489
 

SCID believes the criteria for families bereaved by road crashes to be part of the VNS should be the fatal consequences of the crime and not, as it is at present, the sentence handed down. This is particularly relevant given that for the two new offences the sentence handed down to first time offenders will be community service and a mandatory disqualification from driving. Even if a custodial sentence is handed down it is more than likely to be less than 18 months (18 months is the present criteria for a family to participate in the VNS if they wish).

We also believe that the VNS should be extended to inform bereaved families if an offender applies to the court to have his/her driving licence restored “early”. Presently the first time a family will know if an offender has his/her licence restored “early” is when they see the offender driving.

We campaign for the Victim Notification Scheme to be extended. The criteria to participate should be the fatal consequences and not the crime. Thus giving all families bereaved by irresponsible drivers the opportunity to be included, giving them the choice to be informed by the court and to participate by stating their views on an offender’s application for an “early” return of a driving licence.

The Role/s of Advocates

The Members of the Faculty of Advocates (Queen’s Counsel) are independent lawyers who:

•Practise mainly in criminal defence work.
•Work with the Procurator Fiscal service to provide the Crown with prosecutors in the High Court (the Advocates-Depute).
•Are frequently instructed in Sheriff and Jury cases, where issues of complexity arise where the matter is one of unusual importance to the client.
•Are skilled Counsel who are also well used to appearing in the Sheriff Court at summary level, in the District Court and in Courts Martial.
•Are also skilled and experienced in conducting Criminal Appeals against refusal to grant bail or interim liberation, appeal against conviction, sentence or both, and in the presentation of bills and petitions to the High Court sitting as a Court of Appeal.
•Sit as temporary sheriffs.

Shame on you Westminster
 

Astonishingly, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has taken the decision NOT to reduce the drink drive limit saying: “Improving enforcement is likely to have more impact.”

For the past few years the Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill has been lobbying Westminster to reduce the drink drive limit to 50mg per 100ml of blood (0.5mg/ml). A recent report for Whitehall carried out by Sir Peter North said reducing the limit by nearly a half from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg would save hundreds of lives.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it was "extremely disappointed" about the drink-drive limit decision, saying it had campaigned for the move for 20 years because it believed it would "reduce the number of lives ruined by drink-driving".

Motoring organisations RAC and AA have said this decision is “disappointing”.
Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, also called the decision "deeply disappointing".
SCID is also deeply disappointed that the Government at Westminster has continued to ignore the overwhelming evidence that lowering the drink drive limit would save lives and serious injuries on our roads. The Campaign goes on……………….

European Drink Drive Limits
 
http://www.safetravel.co.uk/EuropeDrinkDrivingLimits.html
 

What it Means

29 out of 35 countries have lower drink drive limits than in the UK so nowhere in Europe is there much tolerance for drinking.
Turkey's 0.5 mg limit, only applies to passengerless compact vehicles; otherwise it's 0.0mg.
In Germany the 0.5 mg limit applies unless a driver is picked up for another traffic offence, in which case it drops to 0.3 mg; if a driver is over that, it'll be a criminal offence.

For a new driver (i.e. one who passed the test within the last two years) a number of countries have lower alcohol limits, like 0.1 mg in Spain. In the same way, some countries also give higher penalties for those found with a much higher concentration of alcohol in the blood. In many parts of Europe, the police don't need 'probable cause' to stop your vehicle and breathalyse drivers. They're permitted to make random stops and checks.