In-car vaping may be made illegal
If you're used to vaping in your car while the kids are in the back, you may have to get out of the habit.
The UK government is planning to bring in new rules banning in-car vaping in England when children are present. The measure is to protect children from the effects of vaping fumes. A public consultation on the rule change is currently open, and will end on 12 May 2026.
A new Tobacco and Vapes Bill is currently making its way through parliamentary process and the proposed changes, if approved, may be reflected in the final version of that legislation.
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said, “Second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer, and we want to protect children and the sick from harm.”
Smoking cigarettes, pipes, cigars etc when a person under 18 is present in a vehicle has been against the law in England and Wales since 2015, and in Scotland since 2016, with both the smoker and the driver liable to be fined if caught.
In Scotland, a ban on smoking in a car with a child present came into force on 5 December 2016.
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said, “People who do not smoke, but who are exposed to second-hand smoke, can suffer significant harmful effects on their health, including an increased risk of asthma, poor birth outcomes, several cancers, stroke and heart disease. The health risks are greatest for children, pregnant women and people with medical conditions.”
As well as applying to cars and other vehicles, the proposed new rules would ban vaping in areas around healthcare facilities and to indoor spaces where smoking is already currently banned. However, the new ban is not aimed at outdoor spaces such as pub gardens, nor at homes and private gardens.
Shocking figures reveal how bad the UK's drink-drive problem has become
According to data obtained by the RAC via a Freedom of Information request, more than one in 10 drink drivers will offend again after they have been caught. In the last 11 years, approximately 27,000 drink-drive offenders were caught more than once for being over the limit.
The data presented by the RAC shows that 220,638 drivers have drink-driving penalty points on their licences, and that 26,819 of those drivers have been prosecuted twice in the last 11 years for the same offence, and an incredible 2,500 drivers were caught three or more times.
Rod Dennis for the RAC said, “These figures make it painfully clear that licence disqualification alone does little to prevent some convicted drink-drivers reoffending.”
As the law currently stands, the penalty for driving while over the legal limit is an immediate one-year driving ban, an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison. Offenders who are caught more than once may receive longer periods of disqualification.
Despite the substantial penalties already in place, and the increasing social stigma around drink and drug driving, the evidence shows that a significant number of drivers simply are not sufficiently deterred from drinking and driving. Consequently, the government is considering stronger penalties and additional, practical measures to prevent offending.
One solution under consideration is the introduction of mandatory breath-test interlocks. This requires a vehicle to be fitted with a breathalyser device which the driver must use before driving. If the equipment detects a level of alcohol that exceeds set limits, it prevents the vehicle from starting.
For more information on the steps being taken to improve safety, see the government's Road Safety Strategy.
Bent MOT tests earn suspended sentences for tester and mechanic
A mechanic and an MOT tester from Bristol were both given two-year prison sentences which were suspended for two years. The pair were convicted for issuing 223 "ghost" MOT certificates for vehicles that they hadn't actually tested. They were also ordered to carry out hundreds of hours of unpaid work.
MOT tester Owain Shaw and mechanic Jamie Lee operated their fraudulent scheme from Staple Hill Motoring Centre in Bristol. The establishment stated that it was shocked by their dishonest actions. A spokesperson said, "We invested in [their] training and trusted them to carry out their roles responsibly. "Instead, they breached that trust and the confidence placed in them by both the business and our customers.
"We have since carried out a full review of our procedures and strengthened our compliance systems to ensure this cannot happen again."
Staple Hill Motoring Centre also stated that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had accepted that the centre was a victim of Shaw's and Lee's misconduct, and that the centre had not lost its licence to carry out MOT tests.
Claims made in court included that Shaw was seen taking less than a minute to issue an MOT certificate for a vehicle that was not even present, and that DVSA investigations revealed that many MOT tests had supposedly been completed in unrealistically short time periods.
The DVSA stated that the defendants' actions had allowed 223 potentially unsafe vehicles to remain on the roads.
Marion Kitson, speaking for the DVSA said, "MOT fraud is extremely dangerous. Anyone in the industry who is thinking of making a quick buck should think again.
"Our message is clear; if you risk road safety, we will find you, and we will not hesitate to prosecute you with the full force of the law."
Honda Civics recalled because the wheels could fall off
More than 46,000 Civics are being recalled in the UK because of a mechanical issue that could, potentially, result in the wheels literally falling off.
The vehicles affected by the recall are the tenth-generation Honda Civics that were built between 2017 and 2021, and which were fitted with optional alloy wheels.
A statement from Honda said:
Honda has confirmed a safety recall relating to accessory (optional) wheels fitted to certain vehicles. "The affected vehicles were sold in the United Kingdom, and UK customers are included within this recall action. This recall applies to 2017–2021 model year Honda Civic 5 Door. In total, 46,152 units in the UK could be impacted. "Customer notification letters are scheduled to be issued in early 2026. These letters will include a QR code enabling customers to submit images of their wheel sets so Honda can determine whether their vehicle is affected. "In the meantime, customers may continue to drive their vehicles in their current condition."
In addition to the UK cars that are affected by the issue and consequent recall, models sold in Europe are also affected and the same problem has been identified in cars in Germany, France, Portugal, Sweden and Slovakia.
A report by the European Commission said that the wheels on affected cars were not fitted tightly enough and could fall off.
Huge increase in pothole claims
Data obtained by an RAC Freedom of Information request, shows a staggering increase in pothole damage claims received by local authorities between 2021 and 2024. The volume of claims received by the 177 local authorities that provided data increased by 91%, from 27,731 in 2021 to 53,015 in 2024.
The RAC sent the request to 207 councils in England, Scotland and Wales. Between them, those authorities are responsible for almost a quarter of a million miles of local roads. Analysis revealed that Derbyshire County Council reported the biggest jump in claims, from 224 in 2021 to 3,307 in 2024 - an increase of 3,083.
The next most substantial rise was reported by Glasgow City Council where the number of claims more than doubled, jumping from 1,140 in 2021 to 2,794 in 2024 - an increase of 1,654. Oxfordshire County Council's increase was from 488 in 2021 to 1,941 in 2024 - an increase of 1,453.
Despite the dramatic increase in claims during the relevant period, councils are failing to settle many of those claims. 173 local authorities settled only 26% of claims in 2024. Furthermore, the compensation being paid is lower than the cost of the repairs required by damaged cars. The average compensation paid was £390 per claim, while the average cost of repairs to family cars was £590.
The data also suggests that 172 councils rejected nine out of every 10 pothole claims in 2024, with Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Medway and Carmarthenshire and Telford all refusing 99% of the claims they received in 2024.
Simon Williams, RAC's head of policy, said, "The massive three-year rise in pothole compensation claims made by drivers shows what a huge task it is returning the roads to a respectable standard. [...]
“Drivers are still suffering the consequences of years of neglect to Britain’s local road network. But even if you submit a compensation claim the odds aren’t good, with around 40,000 requests for reimbursement turned down in 2024 alone. [...]
“We’re now hopeful the dial will really begin to shift as highways authorities in England were this year given a record £1.6bn by the Government for road maintenance. And for the first time they’ve been required to show how much vital preventative maintenance they’ll be carrying out to stop potholes forming in the first place.
“On top of this, the Government has now announced multi-year settlements which will give councils the certainty they need to plan and deliver better maintenance programmes. This can only be a good thing.
“So, while the figures we’ve analysed are a cause for concern, we hope pothole compensation claims will begin to decline as local authorities increase the amount of preventative surface dressing work on their roads.”
