There must be some family cars that are better for driving through red lights than others. If so, which are they? Read more

Last December my 22yr old son was coming down a hill at 6.45am on a push bike. He had lights etc on. A 73yr old man was going up the hill, did not use the filter lane and cut the corner turning right and my son hit him. The police report goes on about my son being inadequately lit up. Yet he was legal. The report never mentions the man not using the filter lane etc. The CPS decided not to charge him and put it down to poor lighting. My son is now paralysed and brain damaged due to a stroke at the accident. He feels that not only did the man ruin his life but the police blamed him and the report has so many things wrong with it. Is there anything we can now do or have the police ruined that too by leaving it all so long. Read more

my mondeo starts up in a morning no problem but runs a bit lumpy and has a slight misfire and sounds like a transit diesel with that knocking like the big ends are gone....once the car is warm the tickover is perfectly fine and no missing but the knocking is still there....i`ve just changed the oil and filter and put 10w-40 oil in it but it hasn`t quietened it down and it`s not affecting the performance of the car.i have replaced the thick pipe from the egr valve which had split and cleaned up the egr valve and cleaned the mass air flow sensor....when i take the vacuum pipe off the egr valve it makes no difference to the tickover is this normal?.......and i`ve just been thinking i went through a ford a couple of weeks ago and it was quite deep enough....it actually stopped the car when i`d got through it and it was about 5 mins before it would start again and i`m fairly confident the knocking has been since then but i`m not 100% on that.....any advice would be appreciated thanks alot Read more

... can you explain what mindset you adopt while doing so please? Its just that I am interested in how you can so blatantly break the law in full view of everyone.

So what is it, do you think the law is wrong, its ok for you, its ok as long as you take extra care or what? It really would be interesting reading.... Read more

I'll begin from the very start so there's a clear understanding of whats gone on and the help/advice I need.

I was telephoned by a police officer (Merseyside Police) around April 2010 who said 3 girls had been in to report my car hitting the back of their car and left the scene whilst they were in it. I had no knowledge of this and I told the officer so he asked me questions about who else has access/insured to drive my car and I told him only me. He was pointing out that if it was not me it must of been somebody else driving my car. I told him none of my friends or family have driven it without my knowledge, he was not having it and basically told me he'd give me around a week to get back to him with a name, so I said ok and thought maybe that would be the last of it as this accident did not happen.

Approx a week later he phoned me up again and asked why I had not got back to him and if I had time to find out who was the driver. He sounded a little angry with me but I was quite angry with the whole thing. I again told him there has been no accident and asked him to explain what exactly was reported and details of this so called ''accident''. He then told me the above again. I was not happy with this accusation and for the 2nd time I said to the officer (1st time was the previous call) that I will go and examine the front of my car for damage & once again told him there was no damage at all, not even a scratch. I then asked him was there damage on the girls car, which he told me no. So I then put across to him how the hell has there been an accident then? But he brushed it to one side and made out that there may well have been no damage. I said it is as easy as me getting next doors car registration plate and reporting it going into the back of my, which he did say could be the case. I still do not know the girls names but Im presuming I have had a fued/run in maybe with 1 of them. Also the office offered me to admit it before it got too far (ie. court) but I said no I am not admitting it because it never happened. The call kind of ended with a 'stop phoning me without any evidence' tone.

Time went by then all of a sudden I received a letter demanding the drivers name within 28 days. The letter stated ''the drivers name at the time of the accident''. I telephoned the officer and said what will happen if I reply with my name & signature to this letter because I did not totally understand the letter at all. He then told me I would get took to court and get banned, so I said well I am not replying then because to me that is basically admitting to an offence that didn't take place. He then said well I'll see you in court, so I said ok. I totally misunderstood the letter and the officer mis guided me. I thought if I reply with my name & signature to this letter I was admitting to the offence, but that is not the case, I later found out that if I replied I would have my day in court to prove there was no accident BUT I did not know this and that is whats got me into this mess now. If I would've known I would of give the office my name straight away.

Further more I then received a summons and attended the court this month in which the charges were read out & I pleaded not guilty and gave a 30 second account on the above but the judges were basically telling me this is a seperate offence now to the ''accident''. It has been adjourned for the 30th September, the reason being they said to give me time to get a solicitor/legal aid and to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. I am absolutely fuming with the whole thing and because I am on 10 penalty points (red light, no entry sign, speeding 40 in a 30 zone), I know face losing my driving license for failing to provide a drivers name to an accident that did not even happen!!! I cannot afford a solcitior as they are asking for ridicolous prices (£500+) so looks like I'll be on my own again on the 30th with a very little chance of saving my license.

Any advice would be so helpful. I do not know what to do now, totally lost and shocked at the whole thing. Underneath I have a few points/questions...thank you.

I need my license for potential work. I have been unemployed for over 18 months now and I am currently half way through earning my private hire badge to become a taxi driver. I have paid for my CRB & medical and have learnt 50% of the route test, I have proof of this. I also have an interview in Manchester for a permanent apprenticeship based in Warrington were public transport can not reach, therefore I would need my license again.

Q1: As there was no damage to either vehicle, was the officer job first not to prove the accident before demanding a name of the driver?

Q2: Will I not have a valid point that the officer misled me and I mis understood the letter otherwise I would have given my name? Read more