3 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

Going off subject (sorry), some of you will know that here in Wales our Sennyd (Welsh devolved government) introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol, hoping to reduce alcohol related problems. Since this came in, the problems have increased, so that worked well! I believe the same happened in Scotland as well. This minimum price means that a 2 litre bottle of cider at my local Lidl just in Wales is £4.50, but an identical bottle four miles away at a Lidl in England is £1.99. I have to do a booze cruise every few months!

It's long proven that increasing the price on such items does does not substantially effect the consumption. They were reviewing the introduction here of a similar tax in NI a few years ago when someone actually studied the statistics. It was quietly dropped never to be heard of again...

If taxation worked to stop people doing things then:

• No one would drink full fat Coca Cola - Sugar Tax
• No one would smoke - Cigarette Tax
• No one would drive a diesel car - Fuel duty

Just a tiny example of how tax doesn't work.

8 minutes ago, unofix said:

If taxation worked to stop people doing things then:

• No one would drink full fat Coca Cola - Sugar Tax

The 'sugar tax' has been totally undermined by retailers who have absorbed the cost internally and now charge the same for full sugar & sugar free drinks...

It also bugs me that I often see 500ml bottles of Lucozade Zero Original at £1.95, yet the sugar standard 'energy' version is sold at £1.79!

Wow, this is a very lively thread! I was thinking about posting something about the compulsory eye tests myself but been beaten to.it.

It seems the action was prompted by the Senior Lancashire Coroner Dr James Adeley and the cases which were involved were featured in the TV series "Cause of Death". If you didn't see the episode, look out for it on catch up. It was quite scary. One of the people was asked to read a numberplate and couldn't even see the car!

I've had (voluntary) tests every 2 years since I got a provisional motorbike licence at 16, so a lot of tests by now!

I also think it would be a good idea to require one at the 10 year renewal, as well as 70 plus. That would, though, leave the anomaly of people who haven't moved house for years so don't need to renew until 70. I only got my first photocard then.

One of the cases in Dr Adeleys report was actually well under 70. A relative of mine and a close friend both suffered serious deterioration in their vision as early as their late 40s, and being the sort of people they are, both promptly gave up their licences, huge blow though it was.

16 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

It's long proven that increasing the price on such items does does not substantially effect the consumption. They were reviewing the introduction here of a similar tax in NI a few years ago when someone actually studied the statistics. It was quietly dropped never to be heard of again...

The only thing is that the minimum price per unit is not a tax paid to government, it is simply more profit for the shop. I believe it is being increased in the near future as well!

45 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

The 'sugar tax' has been totally undermined by retailers who have absorbed the cost internally and now charge the same for full sugar & sugar free drinks...

It also bugs me that I often see 500ml bottles of Lucozade Zero Original at £1.95, yet the sugar standard 'energy' version is sold at £1.79!

Don't get me on the subject of the "sugar" tax....

Some fast food outlets, like Taco Bell for instance, get around it (the complication of the different prices for different soft drinks) by just not selling the normal sugar version. Not only do I prefer the normal version taste wise, I strongly suspect it's better for you than one chock full of artificial sweeteners......
Is there anything in that urban myth that rats will eat sugar but never artificial sweeteners, if so that proves something I feel !

42 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

The only thing is that the minimum price per unit is not a tax paid to government, it is simply more profit for the shop. I believe it is being increased in the near future as well!

Of course it is !

Penalties for uninsured certainly need reviewing - to something like 5x what they should have paid instead of around a measly £300 (I think!) ?

Oh - and you can around the sugar thing by reducing the "serving size", Waitrose sell cakes that serve 16, but you need a laser to cut them, and my cereal is in a smaller box (from 750gm to 700gm) but has more servings...... so a bit like car manufacturers and emission cheat systems ......

 

The next problem will be proving that the eyesight test was actually taken by the driver and not a relation with perfect vision or some enterprising person who has set up a business taking eyesight tests on behalf of blind drivers.

1 hour ago, pcaouolte said:

and not a relation with perfect vision or some enterprising person who has set up a business taking eyesight tests on behalf of blind drivers.

"Such practices are totally rubbish" said Mr. Stevie Wonder, getting behind the wheel of his new self driving Tesla 😎

19 hours ago, Justin Smith said:

Clamping down on non readable registration plates - I don't see how anyone could disagree with that.

Yet many MOT stations turn a 'blind eye' to them, this wasses me right off and what about the near black/smoked plates, they are everywhere, usually fitted to Audi's & BMW's......Strangely!

2 hours ago, Ian Lanc said:

Yet many MOT stations turn a 'blind eye' to them, this wasses me right off and what about the near black/smoked plates, they are everywhere, usually fitted to Audi's & BMW's......Strangely!

Like you I cannot understand how they get away with it. It's not so much the MOT stations (they could swap the plates before and after the test to get around that) it's the fact they have an illegal plate on their rear end and MUST get at least one traffic copper driving behind them at least once a year. How come that traffic cop doesn't stop them when the evidence is right in front of his eyes !

51 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

Like you I cannot understand how they get away with it.

Another factor to consider is there's literally hundreds of ANPR camera's everywhere now, how on earth are these not triggered, I guess the operators just can't be arrsed with it all.

Also knew of one bloke who NEVER taxed or insured his cars, he literally drove 24/7 around with them white & red trade plates, I could see the correct reg numbers, going to 'askmid' every time none had tax or insurance, but that wasn't the end of it.......He wasn't even a trader in second hand cars, just some trade plates he got hold of......Unreal.

55 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

he literally drove 24/7 around with them white & red trade plates

A former colleague did something similar. He imported an Opel in the early 80s when it was cheaper than buying the equivalent Vauxhall and ran it on the foreign plates for ages (presumably without taxing it) until the UK plates changed from X to Y and then finally registered it here.

 

Just a follow up to my post earlier about my driving licence renewal, I applied on line on Monday, as soon as I got the renewal forms, and the new licence arrived today (Thursday). Just got to cut the old one in half & send it back now. 

Great service from DVLA, especially as its holiday season! 

2 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

Just got to cut the old one in half & send it back now. 

save yourself the time and postage. No one checks (or even cares) they just go straight in the bin.

1 hour ago, Alan G H said:

Just got to cut the old one in half & send it back now. 

As I posted on a seperate thread, couldn't do mine online as I hadn't noticed my passport had expired**, so popped the old card in the envelope provided for the paper applications form. No sentimental value to that anyway (and very unflattering photo!😀), unlike my last paper licence which I did keep.

** All sorted now!

Sorry but

wearing a seat belt will decrease road deaths far more than "clamping down on non readable registration plates",  IMHO

If a member of your family was a victim of a hit and run by a car with non readable registration plates, would you revise your view ?

1 minute ago, Paulkp said:

If a member of your family was a victim of a hit and run by a car with non readable registration plates, would you revise your view ?

What, in the same way as if they got run over by an electric scooter?

5 hours ago, Paulkp said:

If a member of your family was a victim of a hit and run by a car with non readable registration plates, would you revise your view ?

I'd feel bad but it wouldn't change my views. How many people die of hit and run (not to say "by a car with non readable registration plates") in a year anyway?

Just now, Ponch said:

How many people die of hit and run (not to say "by a car with non readable registration plates") in a year anyway?

Nobody knows, they couldn't read the number plate 🤣

19 hours ago, Ponch said:

Sorry but

wearing a seat belt will decrease road deaths far more than "clamping down on non readable registration plates",  IMHO

It may well do, but I personally think the principle (that you are prosecuted for not doing something to make yourself safer) is dubious.

The thing about non standard number plates is more a matter of fairness. They annoy me because I cannot help thinking if I did anything remotely illegal with my car I bet I'd get done, yet these people drive around quite brazenly flouting the law, and the coppers don't do anything ! i.e. brings the law into disrepute.

23 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

It may well do, but I personally think the principle (that you are prosecuted for not doing something to make yourself safer) is dubious.

Just think of all the cars that drive around with an 'off' emissions exhaust. Or a tire tread 1mm under, or a headlight slight off aim, or a speedo off 12% rather than 10%, or an MOT that ran out last week, or a tail light just blown. etc etc. The whole thing is a disgrace, they should lock them all up 🤣

On 8/19/2025 at 4:21 PM, StephenFord said:

Just think of all the cars that drive around with an 'off' emissions exhaust. Or a tire tread 1mm under, or a headlight slight off aim, or a speedo off 12% rather than 10%, or an MOT that ran out last week, or a tail light just blown. etc etc. The whole thing is a disgrace, they should lock them all up 🤣

Most of those things put others in more danger as well as ones self. Not wearing a seat belt only puts oneself in more danger. BTW I do actually wear a seat belt, and would do so even if there was no law. Back in the 70s the government ran education adverts and left it up to the individual, which, as basic principle, is my preferred strategy rather than legislation and forcing people do do stuff to protect themselves.