What No Sunglasses?!

Guest Post by Stephen Oldham

Despite the drizzle, today was National Sunglasses Day. Here at Geoffrey Miller Solicitors we really had to scratch our heads to find a driving related story to help celebrate. A few topics came to mind: Do people wearing sunglasses drive faster than people who don’t? Can sunglasses reflect police radar guns? Does drink driving in sunglasses make you more likely to get stopped?

None of the subjects are much fun. So we had to think harder. How about some word association? Sunglasses, drink driving, sunglasses, going to court, sunglasses, celebrities, sunglasses speeding, sunglasses, sunglasses ... That’s it! Celebrities going to court for driving cases wearing sunglasses.

So, please take part in our...........

Celebrity Sunglasses Quiz!

All of these celebrities have been to court for driving offences. Which ones were wearing sunglasses?

1.       George Michael                                Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
2.        Graeme Swann                               Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
3.        Katie Price                                      Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
4.        Sarah Harding                                 Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
5.        Ray Wilkins                                     Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
6.        Barbara Knox                                  Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
7.        Kara Kilbey                                     Sunglasses/No Sunglasses
8.        Professor Green                               Sunglasses/No Sunglasses

Scroll Down For The Answers Below...no peeping now!

George Michael

An easy one to start. Here is George outside Highbury Magistrates’ Court facing charges of drink driving.

Photo courtesy of the Independent

Graeme Swann

No sunglasses and a smart respectful look for Graeme. Of course Graeme was found not guilty at a trial when he was represented by top drink driving barrister, Phillip Lucas.

Photo courtesy of Daily Mail

Katie Price

A beautiful pair (of sunglasses) Katie … and a ban for speeding.

Photo Courtesy of the Daily Mail

Sarah Harding

Former Girls Allowed star sports her shades. She was banned for 6 months after a conviction for using her mobile phone whilst driving. Should have given us a call Sarah.

Photo courtesy of the Mirror

Ray Wilkins

No shades for Ray after a three day trial.

Photo courtesy of the Mirror

Barbara Knox

Good old Rita! Barbara’s case is awaiting trial at Macclesfield Magistrates’ Court. She denies the charge of drink driving. Not much chance for shades at Macclesfield where the sun rarely shines.

Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail

Rapper Professor Green

Our prize for the coolest shades goes to the Prof. Guilty to drink driving.

Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail

Cara Kilbey

TOWIE star Cara on her way to court (not in Essex) where she was banned for two years for drink driving, After the hearing she tweeted that she hoped others would learn from her mistakes.

Photo courtesy of http://i3.cdnds.net/13/05/618x618/cara-kilbey.jpg

How did you do?

1-3 correct. Poor celebrity watching – need to subscribe to Heat magazine!

3-7 correct. Not bad. No driving ban for you.

8 correct. Well done!! Were the questions too easy?

Father's Day Motoring Thoughts

The majority of fathers consider themselves blessed by their daily contact with their children.  However, when a relationship breaks down between parents, contact can become a struggle particularly when the child or father move a considerable distance away. Whilst the antics of support group, Father4justice, often grab the headlines for the wrong reasons, we can't help but have sympathy for Dads when it comes to defending them to enable them to maintain contact with children from estranged homes.

Source: http://newfathers4justice.co.uk/2012/06/16/fathers4justice-march/

Often working full time, many men consider their driving licence an absolute necessity in order to be in a position to visit their children mid-week, particularly in remote areas where transport links are poor.  Following a break-up, most fathers still wish to play a regular part in the upbringing of their children, and wish to continue to act as "taxi-driver" taking them to various clubs and activities. 

We also encounter fathers who wish to make the most of the time they have one-on-one with their children, who tell us of the difficulties that public transport would cause when traveling long distances to places such as theme parks.

For many dads, their licence is an essential link which facilitates regular access to their children. It is therefore understandable that when accruing one too many points on their licence threatens to jeopardise the regular contact which they treasure so much, hundreds of fathers contact our firm frightened and confused, seeking expert advice.

Fortunately, at Geoffrey Miller Solicitors, we have a proven track record of helping to save the licences of countless fathers who would otherwise have faced a six month disqualification for totting up, and the restricted access to their children which could have followed.

At Geoffrey Miller Solicitors, we understand that every case is different, and understand the importance of regular contact between father and child.

In most cases, we are able to secure either:

• ·       A short term disqualification in order to prevent the person from totting up in the first place;

     OR

• ·       A finding of exceptional hardship, whereby the person retains twelve or more points on their licence (until their usual expiration after three years). Under these circumstances, the person would not be disqualified at all.

In some cases it is even possible for us to secure a short term disqualification, where the licence is returned clean of points.

In the event that you are in the unfortunate position of totting up and facing a six month ban from driving, we urge you to contact Geoffrey Miller Solicitors to discuss the many ways in which we could help you.

And for the remainder of June 2014, if you are a single Dad, we will automatically apply a 10% discount on your fees.

So, if you are at risk of the loss of your licence, please give us a call on 08000852784.

World Cup Drink Drive Warning!

GUEST POST BY Jonathan Berry

It’s that time again when England’s football fans unite and start to build the hope that it may just be England’s year. Despite everybody knowing we are probably worthy of no more than the quarter finals, we all are advocates of the idea that “you never know, we just may do it!”

Ok, as a football fan myself I know that is unlikely, but we can all dream…

With the World Cup being in the Samba capital of the world, the time difference means that most games will be televised in the evening. This is great news for the pubs and clubs around England who will no doubt be hosting England parties and showing the big games.

This may however also lead to an increase in drink driving convictions with people “chancing it” after a few pints watching the game.

We thought it would be interesting to see how the major EU World Cup participants match up in terms of driving laws and drink driving limits.

England The legal limit is 35µg in breath, 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood and 107ml of alcohol in 100ml of urine. This could result in severe penalties which includes a fine, community orders, imprisonment and a mandatory disqualification from driving of at least 12 month. To air on the side of caution it is advised not to drink any alcohol before driving.	V	Spain   The legal limit in Spain is that the level of alcohol in the blood stream is 0.05 per cent or more. This could result in severe penalties which includes a fine, confiscation of your vehicle and imprisonment. After a traffic accident, all road users have to undergo a breath test.
Italy The legal limit in Italy is that the level of alcohol in the blood stream is 0.051 per cent or more. This could result in severe penalties which includes a fine, confiscation of your vehicle and imprisonment. For professional drivers and those who have held their licence less than three years the alcohol limit is ZERO. It is prohibited.	V	Holland   The legal limit in Holland is that the level of alcohol in the blood stream is 0.05 per cent or more. This could result in severe penalties which includes a fine, confiscation of your vehicle and imprisonment. A lower limit of 0.02 per cent applies to new drivers for the first five years. In some cases a blood test will be necessary after a breath test.
France The legal limit in France for general motorists is 50mg. If a person is found to have between 50mg and 80mg of alcohol in their system then they would be liable for a 135 Euro fine to be paid on the spot and 6 points (if French). The person would not be able to drive until their alcohol level drops below 50mg.  If a person is found to have more than 80mg in their system, then the licence would be suspended for up to three years, there would be a fine of up to 4500 Euros and there is a possible custodial sentence of up to two years.	V	Germany   The drink drive level in Germany is 50mg.  If a driver is found by the police to be over the limit then their licence will be confiscated immediately. They would be banned for a minimum of six months. Fines tend to range between $800 -$2000. If the driver is under 21 years old or has been driving for less than two years then the drink drive limit is zero.

As you will see, each country has different laws and penalties for drink driving. We were shocked to see that in France you can even get a fine and points!
UK out of all of the countries have the highest prescribed legal limit. In the other EU countries mentioned, the blood alcohol level is almost half of that of the UK.  For new drivers in Germany, there is a ZERO tolerance rule which has been mooted in England many times.

The moral of the story is to be extra vigilant during the world cup and beware that “just 2 pints” may lead to a criminal conviction and a mandatory 12 month ban.

If you are unfortunately in need to legal advice for drink driving during the world cup, Call us now on Freephone 0800 085 2784 to speak to one of our specialist motoring offence solicitors. It is only once you decide to instruct us that payment will become necessary and we can often arrange instalment plans to assist you.

Finally, for all of the believers, here is England’s potential route to glory:

GROUP D - URUGUAY, ITALY, COSTA RICA, ENGLAND

 June 14 Manaus, 23:00: England v Italy

June 19 Sao Paulo, 20:00: Uruguay v England

June 24 Belo Horizonte, 17:00: Costa Rica v England
 

LAST 16

Match 50 - June 28 Rio de Janeiro, 21:00: Winner C v Runner-up D

Match 52 - June 29 Recife, 21:00: Winner D v Runner-up C

 QUARTER-FINALS

Match 57 - July 4 Fortaleza, 21:00: Winner Match 49 v Winner Match 50

Match 59 - July 5 Salvador, 21:00: Winner Match 51 v Winner Match 52
 

SEMI-FINALS

July 8 Belo Horizonte, 21:00: Winner Match 57 v Winner Match 58

July 9 Sao Paulo, 21:00: Winner Match 59 v Winner Match 60
 

THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF

July 12 Brasilia, 21:00


FINAL

July 13 Rio de Janeiro, 20:00

How To Stay Safe And Have Fun On Two Wheels!

Co-authored by Jeanette Miller and Vicky Miller

To people of a certain age, the image of a child riding their bike to school may conjour up the sounds of a brass band and images of a kid with a flat cap riding his old fashioned bike on the cobbled streets as part of a Hovis bread ad! Biking to school has, however, made a comeback since those days so much so that there is now an official week to commemorate and encourage it!

Thankfully most kids these days don't have to do a bread round before school!

Bike to School Week in the UK runs from 9-13 June 2014. A vast number of schools across the country are urging their pupils and teachers to dig out their bikes and cycle to and from school.

Whilst there are many obvious health and environmental benefits to cycling, it is also natural that parents have their concerns about allowing their children to cycle alone due to the dangers of the road. So here at Geoffrey Miller Solicitors, whilst we are the "go to" firm for motoring law expertise,  we wanted to provide parents with a quick guide to teach their children about road safety and outline a number of tips to ensure their bikes are roadworthy before this fun week begins.

Once your children are aware of road safety there will be no stopping them enjoying the freedom of cycling. It is likely to increase their confidence, fitness and that extra boost of energy before school should even help them to concentrate in class.

Before your child saddles up make sure they are taught the rules on road safety and their journey has been mapped out for them. It is encouraged to take your child on a few practice runs first so they know the exact route to take to and from school. They should be encouraged to ride with a friend if they can and the safer route should be taken even if it takes a few extra minutes.

Road safety hints and tips to teach your child

To signal clearly at all times – to hold out the right arm or left arm clearly for a number of seconds before turning;

·       Parents must ride behind the child or in a position where the child can be seen at all times;

·       Do not cycle on the pavements unless it is a designated cycle path;

·       You must cycle with the flow of traffic;

·       At night they must have a white light at the front, a red light at the rear and a red reflector;

·       It is recommended at night that they wear some reflective clothing;

·       They should use their bell to alert pedestrians if they are approaching behind them;

·       They should not go too fast and they should be prepared to slow down if needed; and

·     Be careful at junctions and bends – always slow down and do not set off if you cannot see around a corner.

Bicycle checks for the parent

You may think you are an experienced cyclist, but it can't hurt to consider this checklist before your loved ones set off next week, especially if the weather forecast is to be trusted!

Always ensure your child has a properly fitted helmet which is no more than three years old;

·       Check that the bicycle fits your child’s height and they have not outgrown it;

·       Your child must be able to touch the ground when seated on the saddle;

·      They must be able to reach the handlebars without stretching – if not the handlebars can be moved to the desired position;

·       Ensure the saddle is the right height and it is secure;

·      Ensure your child can reach the brakes and that both of them are working properly; and

·      Ensure no wires are rusty and the brake pads are not worn down.

Cycling is an increasingly popular sport amongst kids and adults alike, especially since the success of Team Sky and the incredible Bradley Wiggins Tour de France achievements. If you are interested in reading more about motoring laws relating to cyclist, check out our cycling special blog on  the confused.com website.

In the meantime, have fun on those wheels!!!!

(sources: Photo from the Daily Mail)

Happy Asparagus Month! Guestblog by Jonathan Berry

We like to provide interesting information about motoring law in our blogs and other online material. So, when I was informed that May is “National AsparagusMonth” and I was to somehow link motoring law to this, I accepted the challenge!

How on earth can a specialist motoring solicitors write a relevant blog on asparagus I hear you cry?!

Well….

Source: www.expats.cz

Asparagus is a classic vegetable usually accompanied on a plate with a nice fillet steak. Unfortunately, the humble asparagus gets a lot of bad press! Whenever you hear people mentioning that they had asparagus for tea last night, most people’s instant reaction is “Doesn’t that make your wee smell?!”

Wait for it… here is the (tentative) link...

Out of all of the drink driving procedures commenced at the police station, urine is the most uncommon. The procedure will usually start with a breath test. If the machine is not working or you are physically unable to provide a breath test due to a medical condition, you will be REQUIRED to provide either a blood or urine sample. 

In cases where you have blown between 35ug and 50ug, you will be given the OPTION to replace the breath test with either a blood or urine sample. Most police stations will opt for a blood sample which will be conducted by the Doctor or Health Care Professional. Some however will opt for urine.

Now, don’t worry, asparagus and the smell of your urine will not affect the drink drive procedure and it is completely safe to eat asparagus and drive. There is no medical evidence to suggest that asparagus can have an adverse effect on your driving ability.

I am reliably informed that the "delightful" smell that accompanies the consumption of asparagus comes from the way certain chemical compounds in asparagus break down inside the body. (I told you the link was tentative!)

Whilst it is completely safe to eat asparagus and drive, it certainly isn’t safe to drink and drive.

What is the legal limit?

The legal limit for a urine sample is 107ug per 100ml urine.

So how many pints/glasses of wine can I have to be under the limit?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a definitive amount of alcohol you can consume to be under the limit. Your alcohol levels will be dependent on many factors such as height, weight and waist measurements along with the times of your drinks.

What is the procedure after providing a urine sample?

After providing a urine sample at the police station, you will be given a bail date to return to the police station. This may be up to 3 months as the police will have to send the urine sample off to a laboratory for forensic testing. Depending on the result, you will be charged and bailed to attend court or released without further action being taken against you. You should also be given your own urine sample so that you can have this tested. It is strongly advised that you get this sent off for independent testing and you should receive a leaflet at the police station with details of independent analysts you can approach for this.

What should I do once I have left the police station?

If you are waiting for test results or have been charged with drink driving following a urine test, we strongly recommend you get in touch immediately for advice from our team of experts.

What sentence can I receive?

With that legal limit in mind, a borderline case can result in a minimum 12 month driving disqualification. In severe cases of high readings, up to 6 months imprisonment can actually be considered by the Magistrates’ Court.  If you have a previous conviction for an alcohol related offence within the last 10 years there is a minimum of 3 years disqualification.

What are your success rates?

In 2012, we successfully defended 100% of urine cases, and in 2013 we successfully defended 75%. Since January 2014, we have secured acquittals for 100% of our clients facing urine drink driving charges.

Call us now on Freephone 08000852784 to speak to one of our specialist motoring offence solicitors. It is only once you decide to instruct us that payment will become necessary and we can often arrange instalment plans to assist you.

It’s good to walk… when it’s your choice that is! Guestblog by Paul Loughlin

Do you walk to work? More importantly, could you walk to work even if you wanted to? Most of us nowadays find seldom opportunity to stretch our legs given our ever more chaotic lifestyles. Walking offers so many benefits not least the benefits to health. It is National Get Walking Week as promoted by www.ramblers.org.uk  until 10 May 2014 and we are encouraged to get out and walk. As the recently departed Bob Hoskins famously said in a 90's advertisement campaign, ‘It’s good to talk’, and Ramblers could be well served in borrowing from that to say ‘It’s good to Walk’. But is it always?

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/get-walking-week.aspx

Could we all get by just walking?

No doubt walking is something that most would agree needs to be encouraged but aside from rambling in the hills and brisk walks about town we seldom find much time to make walking a practical part of our daily lives.

‘Driving me lazy’, or just plain necessary?

We’ve mentioned walking to work because, let’s face it, our longest, most important critical journeys of the day tend to be based around getting to and from work. For most of us to try doing that would be inconceivable. Walking to work simply wouldn’t be an option.

The latest census, carried out in 2011 shows that out of 41,126,540 people 37.1% drive to work whilst a paltry 6.9% make the journey by foot. Taking into account the location of the Manchester offices of Geoffrey Miller Solicitors it is interesting to note that in the city of Manchester a lower figure of 25.1% drive to work compared to 8% who walk. Our London office can look to an even smaller figure of reference of 18.3% who drive to work and 5.8% who walk.

Walking as a functional part of everyday life is clearly reflective of the surrounding circumstances of an individual. The location; the type of work; the distance of the commute; the transport infrastructure are all relevant to whether it is feasible to walk to places when we need to be somewhere. For the most part those of us who drive do so because we have to.

This isn’t what the Ramblers Get Walking Week week is about of course. It’s about encouraging more people to walk when they get the opportunity to get some of the many benefits from doing so. Imagine if that isn’t a choice though. Imagine if you were forced to consider walking more places. Whether it be walking the whole journey or walking in between various forms of public transport it would put a lot of us in a lot of difficulty, not just for getting to work but as part of our jobs in some cases!

We help thousands of people in that position who contact us and ask us each year to find a way to help them keep their licences and keep them from having walking forced upon them, ultimately asking us to help them keep their jobs and livelihoods! We have a phenomenal success rates in helping our clients achieve this objective so please make sure you do give us a call should you have a motoring query of any type. Make sure that any time you walk in the future is your choice and you take the view that ‘It’s good to walk!’

Sources: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/interactive/2013/feb/01/cycle-drive-work-map-census-2011

St George, Dragons and Road Rage!

Guest Blog by Ali Ashworth

St Georges’ day is our opportunity to celebrate all things British, and our opportunity to celebrate our patron saint, who famously slew a dragon….. Or so they say.

One of the oddities which the English are renowned for is our nervously polite disposition, and common sense of courtesy. Who has not had the experience of being brushed past in the street from another person and then actually said “sorry” themselves?

Unfortunately this polite disposition is sometimes tends forgotten as soon as people turn on their engines.

In the days when St George was alive, the only method of transport was by foot or on horseback. Both left you pretty exposed. However these days, many people get into their cars feeling protected, and free to be as rude or aggressive as they want without consequence.

However, letting your “inner dragon” take hold when you’re behind the wheel can in fact have some very serious legal consequences.

Many of us have witnessed a driver being cut up, or pulled out on by another driver. On many occasions the drama ends with a beep of the horn. However if a matter is allowed to get out of hand, the all-out war with drivers gesturing at each other and shouting, and more seriously making dangerous manoeuvres, could not only put their own safety at risk but also the safety of others.

Image courtesy of www.maniacworld.com

Careless, inconsiderate or even dangerous driving are the likely charges which will follow if the driver(s) are caught by the police driving aggressivley as a result of some form of road rage, with penalties ranging from points to a potential disqualification and a custodial sentence.

This problem is so well recognised that there is even a specific offence which deals with this type of road rage where an injury results as a consequence; wanton and furious driving.  If your driving is so reckless that it should have been foreseeable to you that harm would be a possible result, then you will be on your way to Crown Court, looking at a possible prison sentence of up to two years in the most serious cases.

It is hard to imagine a scenario of a driver aggressively tailgating, or repeatedly breaking in an attempt to “teach another driver a lesson” where possible harm would not be a foreseeable result.

Whilst the majority of drivers move on quickly after they’ve been irritated by another driver, there are still far too many who think that we are back in St George's era; where charging after someone who had wronged them was an acceptable solution to resolve their anger.

With the potential penalties in mind, along with a celebration of the polite idiosyncrasies which make us British, it would be nice if from now on, the only dragons which we faced were the ones in the story books, not on the roads.

If you are accused of a motoring offence that could see you lose your licence, or in extreme cases, lose your liberty! Our team of motoring law experts will be able to guide you through options that you may not know to be available and bring relief to what we understand can be a very trying time. Give us a call on 08000 85 27 84 for a no strings chat if you are in need of advice on any motoring matter.