IN THE NEWS
PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER REPORTED FOR SUMMONS AFTER DANGEROUS A50 STOP
A private hire driver is facing legal action after being caught stopping in a live lane on the A50 dual carriageway to adjust their sat nav, causing significant traffic disruption and posing a serious risk to other motorists. Staffordshire Police Roads Unit brought attention to the alarming incident in a post on X (formerly Twitter), sharing an image of the implicated grey Toyota C-HR. The vehicle is believed to be licensed by Wolverhampton Council, though confirmation was
difficult due to image quality. According to driver’s
the police, the ill-advised stop forced “other cars [to go] swerving out the
way to avoid a collision & also causing unnecessary tail backs,” as stated by the Roads Policing Unit. Their post emphasised: “If you’re lost please don’t stop in a live lane of a dual carriageway to sort the Sat Nav.” Police have not yet released further details, but the driver will face legal consequences for the perilous stop. Drivers are advised to safely exit the carriageway if they need to check navigation or address vehicle issues.
LONDON CABBIE THREATENED WITH BLACKMAIL FOR USING PHONE DRIVING IN SLOW TRAFFIC
A viral TikTok shows a cyclist approaching the cabbie and reprimanding him for using his device while his Hackney Carriage was stationary on Shaftesbury Avenue in West End.
The cabbie can be seen with two phones, which were docked in mounts attached to the vehicle’s centre console. “What do we have over here? Black cab texting while driving. Not one but two phones,” the cyclist said while riding alongside the taxi on a Santander Cycle. After the driver appeared to point to his devices on the docks, the cyclist replied: “It doesn’t matter mate, we’re doing transactions now, so how do we come to a solution, a conclusion.” As the pair travelled slowly down the street, the cyclist offered to delete the clip for cash, saying: “So, shall I just take you to court? Just
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give me a tenner and I’ll let you be.” The driver then pulls over after the cyclist offered to delete the video for money but it is not clear if a transaction was made. But the LTDA
described the
cyclist’s actions as “yet another scam”. It posted on X:
“The law
permits touching a phone screen whilst the phone is in a fixed cradle in exactly the same way it is lawful to touch a fixed screen in a TXE or any other modern car! Tell the
scammers to go forth and multiply.” Steve McNamara, the LTDA’s general secretary, assumes the driver was making a call while stuck in traffic as “many rely on mobile phones to do business”. He said the tactic used by the cyclist is becoming more common and warned those visiting the capital of “another scam”, alongside the likes of phone snatching and overpriced pedicabs. Under current laws, drivers are permitted to use their phone for satellite navigation or swipe the screen for a call, provided it is secured in a cradle. Guilty drivers face up to six points on their licence and a £200 fine, while TfL has a strict policy where drivers can have their licences revoked for using a phone while driving. However,
there is no
specific law against using a phone while on a bicycle.
AUGUST 2025 PHTM
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