E-scooter confusion continues
Within days of posting my last blog, in which I attempted to warn drivers about the use of e-scooters, it was reported that a 20-year-old on the Isle of Wight was caught using an e-scooter whilst over the drink drive limit. The rider was disqualified for two years! Misunderstanding of…
The fun of an electric scooter can be bad for your licence!
The use of privately owned electric scooters, or ‘e-scooters’, in public is illegal. If you are caught using one, you will face the same consequence as a driver using a motor vehicle illegally. One outcome may be that you lose your driving licence, or opportunity of applying for one. E-scooters…
Separate Courts
What should a motorist do if they committed three offences of speeding at the same location on three different days within the same week and three summonses were issued from different Magistrates’ Court: Willesden Magistrates’ Court, Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court and Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court? Recently, I was instructed in such…
The new 20 mph speed limit
One of the purposes of these blogs is to inform on developments in law and how they apply in practice in our everyday lives. Reduction in speed limits A relatively new development is the proliferation of 20 mile per hour speed limit zones in residential areas in London and elsewhere….
When is a mobile phone not a phone?
There have been two relatively recent authorities on the use of mobile phones when driving where the Courts have grappled with the complex nature of smart phones. In the Crown Court at Harrow the case of Eldarf, the issue was considered. The question was whether the defendant offended against the…
Drug driving: Cannabis and the amount of drug found
I attended Staines Magistrates’ Court this month. My client was charged with drug/driving. It is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, s5A. The legislation came into force in March 2015. This is a ‘strict liability’ offence; meaning that intent or mental state does not need to be proved….
What to expect in the Covid Courts
COVID COURT What can you expect when you have to appear at, or accompany someone to, Guildford Magistrates’ Court and Staines Magistrates’ Court during Covid? This is not official guidance, only what I have experienced from visiting Guildford Magistrates’ Court and Staines Magistrates’ Court. The criminal Courts are remaining open…