Fire chiefs warn of growing risk of e-bike ‘explosions’

 

A total of 149 fires caused by exploding e-bike batteries were recorded by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) in 2023, an increase of 71pc from 2022.

Three people died as a result of the incidents while around 60 people were injured.

And at least a further 40 e-bike fires have been recorded so far this year.

The fires are typically triggered when the lithium battery of an e-bike becomes damaged or is charged using the wrong equipment, said Charlie Pugsley, the London Fire Brigade’s deputy commissioner.

He said: “Growing e-bike ownership is a good thing if they help people get around and it supports our climate objectives.

“But what really worries us is the speed and severity of these battery fires when they break out.

In December last year, the LFB revealed how a mother and son were forced to jump from the first-floor windows of their home in Ilford, east London, after an e-bike that had been left charging overnight burst into flames indoor. Both survived but had to be treated in hospital, while large sections of the house’s first floor and roof were destroyed.

The amount of energy packed into lithium batteries makes them particularly dangerous when they explode, leading to fierce flames and billowing smoke that fills the area within seconds, Mr Pugsley said.

The LFB is now advising households not to charge e-bikes when they are sleeping, to avoid placing them next to exits or stairways that could block escape routes and to always use the correct charger, among other things. Households have been advised to store them outside or in outbuildings, where possible.

Mr Pugsley raised concerns about growing spread of illegal e-bikes with more powerful motors and batteries, as well as DIY conversion kits that can lead people to charge batteries with the wrong charger.

Despite the legal limit for e-bikes being 250 watts of power, a string of models with capacities of up to 2,000 watts are openly sold online, described as “road legal”. In UK speed limit for electric bikes is 15.5mph, this means that the motor's assistance must stop when bike reaches this speed.

“In the vast majority of cases, it is not the fault of the consumer because they have bought the bikes in good faith.

“But obviously for those who buy the motorbike-style ones that is a deliberate choice.”

He added that proposals recently set out by the Government to increase the legal limit of e-bike power to 500 watts should not go ahead until more research had been done around the safety implications of such a move.

Learner Driver who killed three friends in Crash

 

Learner driver who killed three friends in crash

 

 A learner driver who killed three of his friends in a crash during which the car split in half has been jailed for four year and eight months.

Jake Loy, 19, lost control of his Honda Civic and smashed into another car just after midnight on the A711 in Dumfries, Scotland, after taking it out on a public road for the first time, without any supervision required by a provisional driving licence.

His three 16-year-old passengers – Tyler Johnston, Ian Cannon and Finlay Johns – were killed in the crash on March 16 2022. The three occupants of the other vehicle and Loy were seriously injured.

The court heard the other driver had been adhering to the 60mph speed limit and although Loy’s speed was “unknown”.

A judge heard how Ian had posted a message in a group social media chat before the crash that he was “scared” in the vehicle and that Loy was a “terrible driver”.

Ian Cannon, Finlay Johns and Tyler Johnston, all 16 years old, were killed in the crash 

 

Sentencing him to four years and eight months imprisonment, Judge Lord Drummond said: “Not only were you unqualified, you had no real familiarity with this car or its characteristics at speed or under adverse conditions.

“Your driving at the time of the collision formed part of a more prolonged and deliberate course of bad or aggressive driving with a disregard for the danger being caused to others.

“The victim impact statements all bear witness to the terrible devastation you caused to the lives of their family members of those you injured. This sentence cannot alleviate their anguish.”

Loy, of Moffat, Dumfries shire, was also disqualified from driving for eight years and must sit the extended test before he is able to drive again.

He showed no emotion as he was led to the cells. Family members in the public gallery were seen crying after the judge had concluded his sentencing.

 

Donald Findlay KC, defending, told the court that his client has “simply no memory” of the incident. He said: “Loy is distressed by what happened and the consequences to his friends.

“It is telling and quite moving to me when he said that if he could take their place he would. He would rather it be him. There is very clear and strong evidence of what is known as survivor’s guilt. There was no badness nor malice or intent of any kind.”

DVLA Now Requiring Autistic People to Disclose Their Diagnosis even if Driving Not Affected

Autistic people angry at having to disclose diagnosis to DVLA even if driving not affected

The National Autistic Society (NAS) is challenging a decision by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) asking people to inform them of their diagnosis even if it does not affect their driving.

The DVSA  did not communicate this change  to any autistic person, charities or medical professionals, instead it came to light when a  person with autism contacted the NAS and told them the DVLA website said drivers must disclose if they have an autistic spectrum disorder.

Until recently, the website has simply said that drivers must tell the DVLA if they have an autistic spectrum disorder “and it affects your driving”. This is standard for many conditions. The final clause has been removed and is now in a separate paragraph warning of the risk of a £1,000 fine or possible prosecution if these drivers are involved in an accident.

The Labour MP Jess Phillips criticised the decision and said  "  I will be asking the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to look into this.”

An EHRC spokesperson said the body would expect any change in policy affecting people with an impairment to be clearly consulted on and communicated. “Failure to do so may be a breach of the public sector equality duty,” they said.

 “Autism is a lifelong disability and if someone has passed their driving test we can’t see how an autism diagnosis would change their ability to drive.

The DVLA said: “There have been no changes to autism spectrum disorder being a notifiable condition – this has been the case for a number of years. We have recently aligned the advice on our A–Z guide for the public with the advice for medical professionals.

“Notifying DVLA of a medical condition doesn’t mean a driver will automatically lose their licence. In fact more often than not they can continue to drive.

“We always keep our advice under review and work with our independent medical panels to do so.”

Despite that reassurance the change in policy has caused a great deal of anxiety in the autistic community.

UK driving licences will not be valid in Ireland under no-deal Brexit

Laura James, ambassador for the NAS, said: “We’re upset on a number of levels, but the lack of communication is horrifying as we’ve all potentially been driving illegally since they changed the rules.

“Also, we were all autistic when we passed our tests, which are obviously designed to test people’s skills and ensure they are safe to drive, so this change seems nonsensical.”

Informing the DVLA is not a simple process. The form asks questions that relate to substance abuse and psychiatric treatment but nothing about autism itself.

Drivers have to give information on their GP and specialist and, said James, “as most GPs have a very vague understanding of autism and most autistic adults don’t have a specialist, it is hugely worrying as many of us could lose our driving licences for essentially being different”.

Motorway Rule That Fines Driver Automatically

New Motorway Rule That Fines Driver Automatically

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New legislation will give police authority to automatically fine drivers breaking smart motorway rules.

Home Office has introduced new legislation in June that penalises drivers who ignore smart motorway lane closures.

Drivers breaking the rules can expect an automatic fine of £100 and three points on their driving licence.

Current Motorway Driving Rules?

Automated cameras can open and close smart motorway lanes at any time – drivers see this in action when the hard shoulder opens up to ease congestion.

If the lane is closed, gantry signs above the smart motorway show a big red ‘X’. These signs also show variable speed limits.

Driving in a closed motorway or dual carriageway lane is illegal. But as a smart motorway lane can open and close at any time.

What’s changing?

Highways England has issued 180,000 warning letters to drivers ignoring smart motorway lane closures since the beginning of 2017.

From 10 June 2019, the law has changed so that police can use cameras to automatically catch drivers breaking the rules – hitting them with a £100 fine and three penalty points.

However, Highways England says that the new cameras won’t be operational until later in the summer.

Do red ‘X’ signs improve safety on motorways?

A March RAC survey revealed that over eight in 10 drivers (84 per cent) have seen a red ‘X’ sign on the motorway – and 99 per cent of those know that it means the lane is closed.

But 23 per cent of drivers admitted to disregarding the rule – either “occasionally accidentally” (19 per cent), “often accidentally” (one per cent) or “occasionally on purpose” (three per cent).

The RAC went on to say that red ‘X’ signs “are paramount in safety terms as any stricken driver who has not managed to reach an SOS area is at tremendous risk of being involved in a collision with vehicles that ignore them.”

With new rules in place when driving on Motorway, drivers  should take extra care and move to an open lane when a red ‘X’ sign is showing, keeping to the speed limits on the gantries and signs.

Do you think the rule change will make drivers take extra care on motorways? Let us know in the comments below.

New DVLA figures suggest motorists are missing out on millions

British motorists could have missed out on savings of nearly £5 million last year by not going online to apply for or renew driving licence, according to new DVLA figures published on 27th June 2019.

Online driving licence applications now account for nearly 4 out of 5 provisional driving licence applications and around half of all driving licence renewals – an increase of around 10% over the last 3 years. A provisional licence costs £43 when applying by post, but only £34 online, with renewals costing £17 by post and £14 online.

But some drivers missed out on the savings last year with more than 1.2 million drivers posting their applications to DVLA.

DVLA Chief Executive Julie Lennard said:

Each year, more and more people are choosing to use our online services and it is always cheaper and quicker to renew your driving licence on GOV.UK. It’s also the quickest way for those who have lost or misplaced their licence to apply for a replacement.

Notes to editors:

1.   Drivers who apply online should only use GOV.UK so they can be sure of dealing with DVLA directly and paying the lowest price for services that carry a fee.

2.   By using GOV.UK when applying for services online, motorists can also ensure they avoid using third party websites. Such sites will often charge an additional fee for services that are free - or cost significantly less - on GOV.UK. Websites such as these are not connected with the DVLA in any way.

3.   Customers can apply for a provisional licence online with DVLA on GOV.UK

4.   Customers can find out more about renewing their driving licence and renew it online with DVLA on GOV.UK

5.   If they are aged 70 or over, customers can renew their driving licence online with DVLA for free on GOV.UK

6.   It’s free to renew a driving licence at the age of 70 or older, irrespective of the route chosen.

Driving test: Hardest and easiest places to pass

Driving test: Hardest and easiest places to pass

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About 45% of drivers pass their driving test first time, while some others need more than 30 attempts. But does it matter where in Britain you take your test?

Every three months, pass rate data is published on all driving test centres in England, Scotland and Wales. The rates vary from below 30% to more than 80%.

According to the latest stats - for April to December 2018 - Britain's highest pass rate and lowest pass rate are listed below.  Driving test centres with highest pass rate were in Inveraray, in Argyll and Bute, where 83.3% of learner drivers passed their test..

Top places with highest pass rate

	Test centre	Number of tests Apr-Dec 2018	Pass rate %
1	Inveraray	53	84.9
2	Mallaig	18	83.3
3	Gairloch	24	83.3
4	Pitlochry	93	78.5
5	Isle of Mull	18	77.8

Source: DVSA

The lowest, meanwhile, is the Pavilion test centre in north Birmingham, at 29.6%.

Top places with lowest pass rate

	Test centre	Number of tests Apr-Dec 2018	Pass rate %
1	Birmingham (The Pavilion)	2,338	29.6
2	Birmingham (South Yardley)	6,916	32.3
3	Speke (Liverpool)	4,858	32.6
4	Enfield (Bancroft Way)	67	32.8
5	Erith (London)	4,710	33.5

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Source: DVSA

At first glance, it appears pass rates are generally higher in rural areas and lower in busy cities. This might sound obvious: less traffic and fewer hazards. But driving instructors say it may be more complex than this.

In Pitlochry, Perthshire, the pass rate there is 78.5%. It is one of the highest in the country, although the test centre is small with an average of 11 learners sitting the exam each month.

Is the high pass rate because of the rural setting? a driving instructor in 2016 after quitting her job running a restaurant

"Definitely through the winter it's an easier place to pass," said one driving instructor . "It's very quiet. But in the summer, it's worse than driving in the centre of London .

"Because these are a tourist town, the place is heaving. And driving through the main street is like running the gauntlet. People are not really engaging their brains, they are on holiday. People go out in the middle of the road taking pictures. There are lots of tourists who are driving. They don't know where they are going. It can be incredibly hazardous."

In more rural test centres, the hazards are "different" - for example bad parking, narrower roads, tractors and cyclists.

"Interestingly, a couple of people who I have taught say driving in Pitlochry is 10 times harder than in Glasgow," she said. "In Glasgow they are following the person in front, whereas in Pitlochry there are not as many traffic lights, so at the junction the pupil has to make the decision themselves."

Almost 400 miles away, Belvedere test centre in south-east London is near the other end of the scale. It has a pass rate of just 33.8%.

August last year was particularly bad, when only 28.5% of the 403 candidates managed to ditch the L-plates.

Driving Instructor  from Belvedere, believes "people simply go to the test too soon".ho was born in Poland, now teaches people to drive in south-east London

"Here we have a very large mix of many nationalities and some people's beliefs of standards are not the same," . "You have to make sure you're at a good enough standard of driving to pass the test."

Meanwhile, one instructor from Birmingham - where pass rates are below average at all test centres and as low as 29% at one - said he did not think "the standard of instruction in Birmingham is very good".

He blamed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's checks - instructors are required to deliver a lesson under observation every four years - for being not rigorous enough.

And the instructor - who did not want to be named - said he believed "50% of the instructors in the area should not be teaching".

Many do not care about getting students through the test, he said, but "are doing it purely for the money".

DVSA-approved driving instructor registrar Jacqui Turland said it monitors "the performance and standard of instruction".

"Where instructors are bringing candidates to test at an unsatisfactory level, our enforcement managers will investigate and help educate them, in order to achieve best practice."

According to the AA Driving School, although the highest pass rates tend to be in rural areas and the lowest in urban areas, the difference should not be solely attributed to the type of traffic.

There are "probably other social factors that may be playing a part in the pass-rate disparity", it said.

your first attempt at the driving test, you're more likely to fail. On the second attempt, your likelihood of passing goes up. But after that, the pass rate drops with every attempt you take.

So are learner drivers flocking to rural Scottish areas, in an effort to boost their chances?

The DVSA doesn't believe so.

"All candidates are assessed to the same level and the result of their test is entirely dependent on their performance on the day," said chief driving examiner Mark Winn said. "It's essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge and attitude to drive safely.

"The driver testing and training regime tests candidates' ability to drive safely and responsibly as well as making sure they know the theory behind safe driving."

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