There should be greater use of intelligence-led policing to catch drink drivers who repeatedly and excessively flout the law, according to road safety charity Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

The call from the IAM comes as new figures published today by the Department for Transport show the number of fatal accidents involving drink drivers last year falling by five per cent, from 220 in 2011 to 210 in 2012*.

In the same period, the number of people killed in drink drive accidents decreased by four per cent, from 240 to 230.

The fall follows a year where the number of fatal accidents and killed casualties remained static over 2010.

IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “No doubt the lack of progress in reducing drink drive related deaths will once again spark debate on lowering the limit.

“A new limit will reinforce the message that drink driving is anti-social but it is not clear how it will impact on those who ignore the current limit and who are responsible for the most serious crashes. Intelligence led policing targeting the criminal minority does seem to be delivering and must be enhanced in the future.

“Reducing the limit further may give people a reassurance, but for some that won’t stop them. Knowing there is a greater chance of getting caught, that the police are specifically targeting the persistent few and there is no hiding place for them, is the real answer to taking the long-term risk takers off the roads for good.”

Seven times World Champion Carl Fogarty MBE has confirmed he will be attending the 2014 Classic TT presented by Bennetts with the road racing legend riding a Honda RC30 in the 'Joey Dunlop Road Racing Legend - The Rivals' Parade Lap' sponsored by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and also a Ducati in the Classic Racer Magazine Classic TT Lap of Honour.

Having won the Newcomers Manx Grand Prix in 1985, the Blackburn racer was a star turn at the Isle of Man TT Races between 1986 and 1992 taking three wins and seven podiums as well as the outright lap record in 1992, his speed of 122.61mph remaining unbroken for seven years.

It was his rides in the World Formula One Championship that initially made his name, battling with Joey Dunlop in each of his World Championship winning years, with wins at the TT coming in the 1989 750cc Production, 1990 Formula One and 1990 Senior Races. It's perhaps his runner-up spot to Steve Hislop in the 1992 Senior Race, voted the greatest TT race of all time, that he's most fondly remembered for however.

That race saw Foggy swap the lead with Hislop throughout the six-lap race and although he eventually had to settle for second, just 4.4s behind the Scot, he did have the consolation of claiming the outright lap record on the final lap.

Fogarty, of course, went on to become the most successful World Superbike rider of all time with 4 world titles and 59 world championship race wins before injury ended his career early in 2000 but he's always maintained his relationship with the island, not only stating his love for the Mountain Course but also how his race wins remain the most special out of all his successes.

Speaking ahead of his return to the Island for the Classic TT, Carl commented:

"The Isle of Man holds a special place in my heart and I have said many times before that it was that part of my career which I look back on with the most happiness and pride. I can't wait to see the new Classic TT event for myself after hearing good things about last year's first event and I am particularly excited to be part of the tribute to Joey Dunlop. Joey was a special rider and someone I looked up to and wanted to beat in those early World Championship years."

Carl will also be attending the Classic TT VIP Hospitality events and RST Heroes Dinner. You can join Carl at these events and tickets can be purchased from www.iomtt.com or by phoning 00 44 (0)1624 640000.

14th Annual Stockport Bike Show. 

Bike show, live bands, trade stalls, face painting, bouncy castle, Rodeo Bull, tombola, raffle, Roughleys Bar and more…  All welcome, including bikes, trikes and scooters. Fundraising for NABD, Rainbow Family Trust and The Together trust.

venue: Heaton Lane car park, Stockport, (near Manchester) Cheshire, SK4 1HJ. Midday until 10pm. No drinks to be brought on site. Under 14’s to be off site by 8pm. 
price: £2

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NEW YOUTH SERIES BEING EVALUATED AT OULTON PARK BSB THIS WEEKEND

• KTM looking to bring RC 390 Cup series to support British Superbikes in 2015
• Cost effective youth series likely to be open to riders aged 12-17
• Cup version of RC 390 fitted with track-focused KTM PowerParts
• Static and dynamic display of RC 390 Cup at Oulton Park BSB

KTM UK and MSVR are evaluating the possibilities of creating a UK ‘KTM RC 390 Cup’ to run at selected MCE British Superbike (BSB) rounds throughout 2015.

With MSVR’s expertise and to encourage youth participation in affordable, production based racing
at the most visible level, KTM are fortunate to be in the position to deliver an exciting and colourful motorcycle to feature in a race series that will highlight young talent, alongside the world’s premier domestic series, the MCE British Superbike Championship.

A similar series, powered by the imminent KTM RC 390 production bike, is currently being run very successfully by the German ADAC organization, with a grid of over 30 young riders battling out at selected rounds of the IDM championship and was also a support race for the recent German round of MotoGP at Sachsenring.

The RC 390 is an exciting, light and practical sports bike with a 44hp, 375cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine housed in a steel trellis chassis and fitted with top-level components. The Cup version takes this already energetic machine and focuses it for track use solely, using a whole host of official KTM PowerParts that will also be publically available.

The fully adjustable suspension package not only allows for individual set up for each race; it is also a valuable learning tool
for suspension setups. The bike has adjustable foot pegs and handlebar levers to create personalised ergonomics, making it ideal for young racers that are still growing.

KTM UK will be present at the Oulton Park round of the British Superbike championship this weekend on August 9-10 with one of the ADAC KTM Junior Cup series bikes. Staff will be there to talk to riders and companies interested in getting involved with this potential one-make series in 2015.

KTM UK Marketing Manager, Simon Belton, said:“KTM is a ‘Ready to Race’ company that is also committed to developing future talent, such as with the Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Cup. A UK version of the RC 390 Cup will allow MSVR to provide a very cost effective and competitive youth series along with offering KTM UK a very exciting platform to introduce the production version of the RC 390.

“The intention for this UK series is to follow the rules and formula from the ADAC championship, with details such as age restrictions yet to be set, but likely to be open to riders aged 12-17 years old. Our presence at Oulton Park should hopefully give us the opportunity to talk to potential riders and partners for the series in order to make a full announcement very soon.”

There will also be a dynamic display of the bike over the course of the weekend with Motostar championship contender, Joe Irving, taking the bike around Oulton’s swooping ribbon of tarmac. The bike is the only one in the country and Joe has already had the opportunity to ride it around Snetterton.

Joe Irving, 17, said: “To be honest I wasn’t expecting the RC 390 Cup bike to be as good as it is. I could really ride it hard and the quality of the suspension and brakes is at a really good level. The choice of tyres will be a big factor for this series but I think it will make a great feeder class for series such as Motostar.”

If you have an interest in participating in the
proposed RC 390 Cup series next year, please email [email protected], in the subject line put RC 390 Cup 2015 and include your name, address, post code, age, riding experience and preferred KTM dealer. We will then 
send you details when they have been confirmed.

He was 32 years old and leaves a distraught wife and two small children whose lives have been torn apart.

He also leaves us parents, a sister, brother-in-law and nephew who love him beyond words and are all still devastated and struggling to come to terms with it. Matthew was travelling along the A149 at Castle Rising on his Aprilia. Visibility was good, he was not speeding, his light was on and he was in the correct position. This though was not enough to stop a woman pulling directly across his path, leaving him no chance to break and killing him. She only had minor scratches and bruises.

We have maintained a dignified silence during the18 months of legal proceedings and the woman's subsequent Sentencing of 120 hours community service and a 2 year driving ban with no re-test and no driver’s awareness course.

We understand this was an accident. She did not wake up and think I am going to kill someone today, however this woman now believes she is a victim and seems to think this is too harsh a price to pay for our son’s life and appealed for a reduction in her driving ban. It would seem not having a driving licence is an inconvenience to her. She puts so little value on his life that it is too much for her to stay off the road for 24 months. At least after this period she will be mobile again.

We feel this is totally disrespectful to Matthew's memory and adds indescribable insult to injury.

This absolute lack of remorse is beyond belief. Surely the decent thing to do is to accept the punishment given with dignity and give the family some peace to try to gradually rebuild their lives without being dragged to court yet again! You can read more on the Justice for Matthew Thompson facebook page.

The appeal was held on 1st August. After much deliberation, guidance from the judge and two painful adjournments in which to consider her actions after being advised she could possibly incur an increase in her sentence, Mrs. Maureen Haller decided to abandon her self-funded appeal and accept her original punishment of a two year driving ban. She didn’t do the decent thing but just accepted, after two long hours, that she would prefer this to the alternative of being given a harsher punishment.

We have started two independent petitions. One is an e-petition which can be signed by going to http:// epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions and filling out the Matthew Thompson e-petition. You can use your email address twice so if you know anyone who is not on the internet you can register a signature for them. The Govt. will then send you a confirmation email which you must open and click on the purple link otherwise your signature will not be registered. The other is a paper petition which we are hoping to lobby parliament with if we get 100,000 signatures.

We would like to change the law so that anyone found guilty of causing death by driving is given a mandatory loss of licence for a minimum of two years before they can re-sit a test and also have to take a driver’s awareness course as a minimum sentence with other penalties to be given within the legal parameters at the Judge’s discretion.

Thank you for reading this. We really would like to make a difference and stop others suffering as we have.

Sign now