Should there be Road Tax on Electric Cars

Path Holes

Isle of Man will levy road tax on Electric Cars from April 2020 to cover lost fuel tax revenue from petrol and diesel vehicles.

Currently Zero-emission vehicles  are not taxed at all, but from April 2020 they  will be subject to a £14 charge, infrastructure minister Ray Harmer has told the Isle of Man Parliament.

He said tax is necessary as funds collected from petrol and diesel vehicles will “rapidly decrease over the next 10 years”. and while it is “good to incentivise”, there are “other reasons” for people switching to electric cars, including improvements in technology.

He described at as a “difficult balance” of moving towards a new environment with electric vehicles, and the ongoing responsibilities of road maintenance.

“The highways need to be repaired and we need money to do that,” he said.

Currently, there are 280 electric vehicles and 706 hybrid vehicles registered on the island.

In October 2019,  House of Commons’ Transport Committee called for a national debate on road pricing anticipating an electric car revolution, and suggested some schemes including a Pay You Drive Road Tax.

Some Financial experts have predicted that the popularity of electric vehicles could lead to nationwide road tolls for all drivers totalling £700 a year, so it’s likely that the UK government will be paying close attention to the Isle of Man electric vehicle charge.

The Isle of Man Green Party (IOMGP)  spokes person said financial incentives are “important in encouraging the adoption of low carbon transport”. and  while a tax is to be expected, removing the incentives before people own an electric car is counter productive.

Do you think the government should be incentivising drivers to take up electric vehicles or perhaps you think it’s only fair to tax them like this? Leave us a comment below

Theory test is changing 14 April 2020

 From 14 April 2020, the car theory test will include 3 multiple-choice questions based on a short video you'll watch.

 

The change will make the theory test more accessible, to people with a:

·         reading difficulty .

·         learning disability.

·         developmental condition.

Currently, DVSA outlines a case study and then answer 5 questions about it.

This tests your knowledge and understanding of road rules.

This will change if you take your test from 14 April 2020. You’ll watch one video clip instead of reading a case study, and answer 3 questions about it.

How would video clip work

You’ll watch a short, silent, video clip. The video clip will show a situation, such as driving through a town centre, or driving on a country road and answer 3 multiple-choice questions about it.

You can watch the video clip as many times as you like during the multiple-choice part of the theory test.

For Example You can watch the video, answer a question, and then watch the video again before you answer the next question.

The type of questions you’ll answer about the video clip

You’ll answer questions like these:

1.    Why are motorcyclists considered vulnerable road users?

2.    Why should the driver, on the side road, look out for motorcyclists at junctions?

3.    In this clip, who can cross the chevrons to overtake other vehicles, when it’s safe to do so?

For each of the 3 questions, you’ll have to choose the correct answer from 4 possible answers.

Screen Layout :

Theory question

The left-hand side of the screen will show the video clip, with controls for :

·         play the video

·         pause the video

·         move to a specific part of the video on a progress bar

·         watch the video using the full screen

The right-hand side of the screen will show the question and 4 possible answers.

Who would be  affected

All car theory tests will use video clips from 14 April 2020.

This includes if:

·         you fail a test before then and retake if from 14 April 2020

·         your test is cancelled or moved for any reason, and your new test date is from 14 April 2020

What’s not changing

You’ll still need to study the same books and software to prepare for your theory test.

You’ll still need to:

·         answer 50 multiple-choice questions within 57 minutes

·         get 43 out of the 50 questions right to pass the multiple-choice part of the test

The hazard perception part of the test is not changing. This is where you watch video clips to spot developing hazards.

Other support

You can have reasonable adjustments made to your theory test if you have a:

·         reading difficulty

·         disability

·         health condition

These include:

·         extra time to take the test

·         someone to read what’s on the screen and record your answers

·         someone to reword the questions for you

New research suggests brake dust could be toxic emissions

In a study, where lung cells were exposed to exhaust and brake dust particles, they became inflamed  and less able to protect against bacteria , while lung tissue was also damaged.

Researchers have found that Metal-particle dust created by scraping brake pads account for a fifth of all tiny particle pollution on the roads.

Dr Ian Mudway, who led the research at the MRC Centre for Environment and Health at King’s College, London,  Said“ the focus on diesel exhaust emissions is completely justified by the scientific literature,”

He said: “There is no such thing as a zero-emission vehicle, and as regulations to reduced exhaust emissions kick in, the contribution from these sources are likely to become more significant.”

At the moment,  tail pipe fumes make up only 7% of the tiny particles found in roadside air – tyre wear, clutch scrapings and general road dust which may not be emitted from cars at all account for the rest.

 “But we should not forget, or discount, the importance of other components, such as metals from mechanical abrasion, especially from brakes.”

While brake dust makes up 20% of total roadside particle pollution, non-exhaust emissions make up only 7.4% of particulates from cars.

The share is set to rise to 10% by 2030, this is partly due to the increasing weight of cars and particularly heavy electric vehicles increasing wear on brakes.

Air pollution causes an estimated 64,000 early deaths a year in the UK. Around three-quarters of these are due to particulate pollution.

Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, spoke in July 2019 on the subject: “The automotive industry is committed to improving air quality and has already all but eliminated particulate matter from tailpipe emissions. Brake, tyre and road wear emissions are recognised challenges and emissions from these sources are not easy to measure.

Should the Motorway speed limit be raised to 80mph ?

Should the Motorway speed limit be raised to 80mph?

Case for Yes

It’s about time the speed limits on motorways and dual carriageways are increased to match  EU states. Driving at  80mph, where it’s safe to do so, would lead to  positive benefits to the economy, travel times, congestion and driver stress .

 With modern technology, cars’ stopping distances are so much less than 20 years ago and  majority of drivers drive at this speed without being prosecuted. In a FairFuelUK survey of 26,000 drivers, 4 out of 5 respondents thought an 80mph limit is now acceptable and should be introduced. But, if the speed limit is to be changed to 80mph officially, there is of course a risk that the new default breaking of the limit becomes even higher. But that could be countered by having severe punishments for anyone driving over 80mph and more police patrols.

 Our motorways are relatively safe to drive  roads on the entire network and, combined with the high safety quality of modern vehicles, it justifies increasing the legal limit.

 With  smart motorways and their information gantries, variable mandatory speed control could be enacted to suit conditions such as bad weather and congestion, so ensuring safety is the paramount consideration.

Case for No

Essentially, the question of  80mph limit is one of safety. Would increasing the speed limit to 80mph make motorways less safe? Evidence gathered in 2012 from our friends at the RAC Foundation found that increasing the limit on motorways could result in an extra 18 fatalities per year and a rise in overall collisions, though of course, journey times would be marginally quicker.
There is  also be concerns about default speeds. At present, the RAC’s research suggests that just over half of drivers admit to breaking the current motorway speed limit, and the average highest speed drivers admit to doing is closer to 80mph. How would we then guarantee that increasing the limit to 80mph would not lead to those drivers already admitting to breaking the current limit, driving at 90mph instead? Finally, smart motorways, where the hard shoulder has been converted into a permanent running lane, are becoming ever more prevalent as a way to increase capacity. While the prospect of breaking down in a live lane with no hard shoulder is already frightening, it would be even more so with vehicles potentially travelling at 80mph towards stationary vehicles.

What do you think ?

NEW ROAD TAX COULD BE PAY AS YOU DRIVE

Motorists could soon be billed for road use on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Government collects about £40 billion each year from   Car taxes like Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and fuel duty.

The House of Commons’ Transport Committee now wants to open a “national debate” on road pricing ahead of a formal inquiry next year.

Funding from fuel duty might eventually dry up entirely, as the motoring industry moves away from traditional fuels.

A road pricing scheme was last considered in 2007, but the Labour administration abandoned proposals following an online petition attracting 1.8 million signatures.

RAC head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes said: “There is no question that the existing fuel duty system is on borrowed time as we move towards electric and other zero emission forms of car travel.

“We know through research that drivers are open to a new form of motoring taxation but three-quarters of those we questioned are worried they may end up paying more tax than they do now. For this reason, we believe any new tax should be in place of the current one and not in addition to it.”

Lilian Greenwood, who chairs the Transport Committee, said: “We need to ask how we will pay for roads in the future and in answering that question we have an opportunity for a much wider debate about our use of road space, cutting carbon emissions, tackling congestion, modal shift and how we prioritise active travel.”

The committee is inviting the opinions of drivers and non-drivers to scrutinise the economic, environmental and social impact of road pricing in early 2020.

Road pricing efforts could include tolls, congestion charges, HGV levies, workplace parking levies, plus low emission and clean air zones.

Similar levies such as London’s Congestion Charge raised £1.9bn in 2017.

Yellow Box Fines to hit whole of UK

Drivers across the country will soon be liable for £130 fines for offences like stopping in yellow box junctions, the Government has indicated

 October 2019

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps looks set to hand all local councils legislative powers to crack down on ‘moving traffic violations’ – currently only available to London and Cardiff.

Local authorities know where congestion might require some form of enforcement, particularly in the case of box junctions, so it stands to reason they should be able to improve this through the use of enforcement

While accepting the move broadly makes sense, there are concerns that some councils could use their new powers as a cash cow.

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, councils must apply for powers to tackle parking, bus lane contraventions and moving traffic violations. Many have taken measures to enforce parking and bus lane contraventions, but not moving traffic violations.

Members of the committee had raised concerns that police officers are too busy policing minor offences to deal with more serious crimes.

Mr Shapps said: “I have been looking at powers outside of London provided to local areas to do some of these things, and think that I’ll shortly be making an announcement.”

Transport for London has been penalising drivers for stopping in yellow box junctions for 15 years. In the 2017/18 financial year alone, it issued £16 million in fines.

In many cases drivers claim stopping was unavoidable – either because of traffic light sequencing, or because of drivers ahead of them blocking their path.

Drivers are allowed to wait in a box junction to turn right, providing their exit road is clear.

Driving Licences revoked in 2018

Driving Licences revoked last year 11953 after getting 6 Penalty Points

Dozens of new drivers had their licence revoked on a daily basis in 2018

Figures obtained via a freedom of information request to the DVLA – show 11,953 drivers had their licence revoked under the New Drivers Act last year, an average of 33 per day.

The legislation states  drivers who get six or more penalty points within two years of passing their test have their licence revoked  If they wish to drive again, they are required to :

·         Re-apply and pay for a new provisional licence and

·         Pass their theory test again, the multiple and hazard perception

·          Practical parts of the driving or riding test again.

 Drivers aged 17-24 years made up almost two thirds (62%) of the total number of licences revoked.

Road Safety Charity Brake is calling on government to do more to ensure young drivers are safe on the roads.

It is also calling for the introduction of a comprehensive Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system across the UK. The Government’s announcement that they will explore the issue of GDL further is welcome, but  Swift and decisive action must be taken quickly to introduce GDL across the UK, as a priority to ensure new drivers have the skills and experience they need and to end this tragedy of young people dying on our roads.”