New Driving Laws for 2015

In 2014 we have seen a number of big changes for motorists across the UK and it looks like we will have lots more changes this year. There will be new laws on smoking in cars when driving with children, drug-driving limits and even changes to our licences.

Here is a list of some of the new laws that will take place across 2015.

Paper Driving Licence No Longer Valid

From 8 June 2015, the photo card licence counterpart will not be valid and will no longer be issued by DVLA. The DVLA have advised motorists to destroy their counterpart licence once the new law comes into place. However, for all drivers who were issued a paper driving licence before 1998 should not destroy it as it will still remain valid. All driving penalty points will be recorded on the DVLA’s central driver database which can be accessed online, by the phone and by post.

New Drug-Driving Law

In March a new law on driving under the influence of certain drugs will come into place. This will include some common medicines that are subscribed by doctors. Anyone found to have any of the drugs above specified limits in their blood will be guilty of an offence, whether their driving was impaired or not. To identify if a driver was over the drug limit they would have to be taken to a local police station for a blood test which would then be sent of for forensic analysis.

Smoking in Cars

As of the 1st of October 2015 smoking in cars when children are present will become illegal. If caught smoking in a car with a child under 18 you could be issued with a £50 fine or points on your licence.

Why is smoking in cars so dangerous?

Second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which are known to cause cancer.
Smoke can stay in the air for up to two and a half hours even with a window open.
Research indicates 300,000 children in the UK visit a GP each year because of the effects of second-hand smoke, with 9,500 going to hospital.
Smoking in a car creates a higher concentration of toxins than in a bar, some research has put it at 11 times higher.
Exposure has been strongly linked to chest infections, asthma, ear problems and cot death in children.

For more information regarding these new laws please click the link below