Car Aircon – News round-up

The rules of the road change on a fairly regular basis and sometimes, it can prove to be quite tricky to keep up to date with the issues that could have an impact on how you go about your day-to-day business. There have been several developments of late though that it really pays you to know about.

Here, we provide a useful round-up of the news that’s having an impact on drivers in the UK.

 Talks are underway to discuss the possibility of restricted licences for young drivers

 A road safety campaigner is due to meet with the UK government to discuss the introduction of restricted licences for younger motorists. It’s based on the belief that a graduated system could lead to fewer accidents. The initial proposal suggests that there should be a 12-month probationary period, during which drivers aged 17 need to prove that they’ve had 100 hours of experience driving in the daytime, and 20 hours of experience driving in the nighttime.

Whilst the proposal is obviously designed to cut the amount of accidents on the roads, it has some major flaws. First of all, it’s not clearly how exactly the driving experience will be logged. Presumably, evidence will have to be provided in the form of confirmation from a registered driving instructor. That’s fine on the surface, but the cost of these hours is likely to be in excess of £2,000. Quite simply, 17 year olds won’t be able to afford it, meaning that driving will only be an option for those from comfortable and wealthy backgrounds. The alternative is to allow these hours to be taken in the car of a relative – though of course, there would be pretty much no way to check whether it had actually taken place.

It’s true that accidents are more common amongst new drivers, but it’s debatable whether this proposal provides a useful solution. The plan certainly has holes, and further information would need to be provided around how such a scheme could be fair and equal.

The proposal is only in the early stages of discussion, so it’s unlikely that anything would be implemented any time soon, even if it’s accepted. The team is campaigning to run an initial pilot in Scotland.

Driving licence counterparts will no longer be issued from January

From 1st January, the driving licence paper counterpart will no longer be in existence. Going the same way of tax discs, it’s a change that’s intended to cut out unnecessary paperwork, streamline systems, and take away bureaucracy. The DVLA has commented saying that current drivers don’t need to take any action. You’ll simply receive a papercard-only licence next time you need to renew, whether that’s because you’ve changed your name or address, or you’re approaching the ten-year renewal date.

There are some wider implications that have been identified here though. Until the new systems are up and running, you can expect delays when you’re trying to hire a car. As the rental company will have to call a premium-rate line to confirm your details, it could also turn out to be costly.

There are some fraudulent emails being sent out saying that your details need to be updated online, and you should ignore and delete these. You’ll never be asked by the DVLA to confirm any sensitive information via email.

Keeping up to date with news is really important, so do take the time to consider how these news stories could have an impact on you and your car aircon services.

Simon Parker

Director & Partner of Cool Car Limited. Owners of CoolCarAirCon.co.uk and AutoAirConParts.co.uk.