THOUSANDS of convicted drink-drivers have been wrongly handed back their licences due to errors by the courts and the police, it has emerged.

The Daily Telegraph reported that in two cases, drivers who should have been required to undergo medicals before being allowed back on the road went on to cause fatal accidents.

The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed it had so far identified 4,000 "high risk offenders" who should, by law, have been given medic...

MEASURES to crack down on drivers who abuse the disabled parking system will come into force from January 1, the Government has announced.

They will include a new Blue Badge design which is harder to forge, said transport minister Norman Baker.

Blue Badge fraud is estimated to cost the UK £46 million a year and reform of the system was seen as urgently needed.

The badges provide a vital lifeline to more than 2.5 million disabled people every year by ...

NEW TECHNOLOGY to help reduce the time motorways are closed after crashes has been announced by the Government.

In a £2.7 million deal, 27 police forces across England are to get 3D laser scanning technology.

The technology saves time by quickly making a 3D image of the whole crash site, rather than investigators painstakingly surveying multiple sections of a scene.

This digital image of the site can then be viewed on a computer screen remotely, all...

A LIST of 21 Renault dealers has been announced, each of which will be a new electric vehicle centre capable of selling, servicing and providing charging facilities.

The sites cover the Home Counties, the south coast and west as far as Plymouth, with locations also in Cardiff, the North East and major midland cities including Birmingham and Leicester. The North West, beyond a pair of dealerships in Manchester and Liverpool,...

LEARNING to drive is not just for 19-year-olds but nonagenarians too, it has been revealed.

Official figures show that there are as many as 48 drivers in their 90s who have provisional licences, with the oldest being 98.

And there are more than 10,000 people aged over 70 who are learners, figures obtained from licensing organisation the DVLA by the Co-operative Motor Group showed.

London has the highest number of 70-plus learners, with aro...

A TEXAS man will clear his conscience today and pay a one-dollar parking ticket he received 58 years ago.

Dale Crawford, of Houston, sent a letter to city chiefs after finding the ticket among some keepsakes. He said it was a debt that he wanted to pay, even though it was a "small, almost unnoticeable amount".

Mr Crawford received the ticket on February 3 1953, the day he was inducted into the US Army.

He left his 1946 Nash at a parking meter at the inductio...

HIGH MOTORING and transport costs will lead to a reduction in visits to family and friends this Christmas, a survey today showed.

As more of the expected 4.25 million Britons due to travel abroad over the festive period took to air and sea today, those at home were considering whether they could afford to make as many journeys as usual.

Around 22% will not see as many friends and family as normal due to high petrol prices, the survey by breakdown company Green Fla...

PROFESSIONAL footballers chief Gordon Taylor has been acquitted of failing to provide police details after two alleged speeding offences in Lancashire.

Celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, known as "Mr Loophole", represented the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), who was not present at the hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court.

Mr Freeman successfully argued that bec...

MORE THAN a fifth of drivers use time stuck in traffic to shave or apply make-up, according to research conducted this month.

With 22% of the survey’s 1,000 respondents saying they do so, it’s much more common than people might think - or fear.

However, 42% of people end up arguing behind the wheel as a result of traffic-related frustrations, making it the most popular response to the survey.

One in ten (10%) uses the time to prepare for business meetings or i...

ASTON VILLA midfielder Barry Bannan feared he could spend Christmas in jail or be sacked by the midlands club after admitting four motoring offences including drink driving.

Bannan is now supporting West Midlands Police's Christmas campaign to stop drink driving after escaping a custodial sentence last month.

The Scottish international admits being behind bars for the festive season strongly crossed his mind before he was eventually banned from d...

CAR MAKER Saab has filed for bankruptcy, giving up a desperate struggle to stay in business after previous owner General Motors blocked takeover attempts by Chinese investors.

Chief executive Victor Muller personally handed in the application to a court in Sweden, ending his two-year effort to revive the company that over more than 60 years has become known for its rounded saloons and quirky design features.

He said he had to pull the plug after GM, which still owns some technolo...

TWO MEN who earned hundreds of thousands of pounds from illegal car clamping have been jailed, police said.

Carlton Williams, 47 and Lee Stagg, 43, made an estimated £350,000 from their scam, which operated across the south west of England, south coast and as far north as Staffordshire - but could have made a lot more.

Williams and Stagg and a third man, 30-year-old Michael Riddle, ripped motorists off by removing vehicles illegally and charging extortionate release fees.

All thre...

HONDA cars are the most resilient to damage caused by potholes, according to new research released today, and could save owners hundreds of pounds a year.

The data, compiled by the Warranty Direct-owned website potholes.co.uk, analysed around 150,000 policies over three years and found that Hondas are the least likely cars to sustain axle or suspension damage, with only 1.4% of cars being so badly affected.

The worst performers were Chrysle...

WHEN couples need a "designated driver" after a night out, it is usually the woman who takes the wheel, according to an AA/Populus survey.

Nearly 17,000 drivers were asked who was most likely to drive home after an event where drinks were available.Overall, 70% said it would be a woman, with as many as 85% of the women survey...

ONLY ONE in five motorists is prepared for severe weather on the roads this winter, according to the British Red Cross.

The global voluntary network, better known for responding to international conflicts and natural disasters, has staff and a fleet of vehicles ready to help the emergency services should last Christmas's atrocious conditions be repeated.

The British Red Cross's...

NEW CAR sales slowed last month, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed today.

There was a total of 134,027 new registrations in November 2011 - a 4.2% fall on the November 2010 figure.

This took the number of new cars sold in the first 11 months of this year to 1,822,065 - a 4.5% dip on the January-November 2010 total.

Despite last month's dip, the Novembe...

MEASURES are being introduced which could see first-time drink-drivers in Scotland having their car seized.

Drivers who refuse a breath test for analysis without reasonable excuse could also have their vehicles taken from them.

The measures mark the launch of the annual police crackdown on dangerous drivers over the festive period.

Last year 7,563 people in Scotland were caught driving under...