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PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2019 9:09 pm 
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Usual confusion over the 'taxi' word, but also seems to confuse DVLA points with the council's points system for licence holders, or at least doesn't make the distinction clear :?


Warning for taxi drivers over company signs

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/176 ... any-signs/

TAXI drivers are being warned they could face sanctions for not displaying company signs on their vehicles as council bosses look to protect passengers.

Colchester Council's strict rules for licensed drivers state they must display the company they work for on the doors of their vehicles.

They also have to show information as to whether it is a taxi which can only be pre-booked.

The regulations are designed to protect the public and reassure customers they are getting into a legitimate vehicle they actually ordered.

Council bosses have noticed a spike in the number of people not displaying the correct signs - last year 34 drivers were caught.

And so far this year 29 have already been hauled over the coals by the authority.

It equates to 46 per cent of all offences recorded against taxi drivers.

Drivers can receive six points on their licence if they fall foul of the rules twice and may also be subject to a written warning and even a 28 day suspension from duties if they tot up 12 points within a year.

Repeated breaches can also send insurance costs spiralling for drivers.

The council's cabinet member for public safety Mike Lilley (Lab) said he was concerned to see drivers continually ignoring the rules which are set out to ensure people stay safe.

He said: "Public safety should be of paramount concern to everyone.

"These rules exist for a very good reason, to reassure and protect passengers, but unfortunately some licensed taxi drivers seem determined to flout them.

“The majority of private hire companies and their drivers carry out their trade lawfully and condemn the few that bring the trade into disrepute.

"We hope that all legitimately licensed private hire vehicle drivers will heed our advice, follow the rules, and continue to display the appropriate signs on the doors of their vehicles.”


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PostPosted: Mon May 13, 2019 9:11 pm 
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Quote:
Repeated breaches can also send insurance costs spiralling for drivers.


Really?

But something I've never really thought about - what's the insurance approach to stuff like this, or to more serious licensing breaches like plying for hire?


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PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2019 5:23 pm 
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presumably through the clauses we all have in our policies that say invalid if licensing conditions breached :wink:

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PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2019 10:18 pm 
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Colchester Council's strict rules for licensed drivers state they must display the company they work for on the doors of their vehicles.

What if the driver works for a number of different firms?

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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 3:42 am 
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Sussex wrote:
Quote:
Colchester Council's strict rules for licensed drivers state they must display the company they work for on the doors of their vehicles.

What if the driver works for a number of different firms?


Which brings us back to the issue of dual door signage, and the overarching question of whether it's legal for councils to specify that drivers can only work for one operator, as discussed in the recent Aintree thread.

But by the sounds of it the problem here seems to be an absence of any signage at all, whether the operator's name and/or the 'advance booking only' wording, or whatever they specify down there, precisely.


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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 3:46 am 
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edders23 wrote:
presumably through the clauses we all have in our policies that say invalid if licensing conditions breached :wink:


Indeed, but does a driver have to inform their insurer if the local authority has given them points for overcharging or cherry picking, or for not adhering to a dress code, say?

Or do insurers only need to be informed if there's been a suspension or prosecution?

And does any of the above have any implications as regards the level of premium?

After all, even if we hit a pheasant (say) and use T-cut to get rid of a scuff mark then I *think* that in theory we're supposed to inform our insurer?


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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 6:15 am 
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After all, even if we hit a pheasant (say) and use T-cut to get rid of a scuff mark then I *think* that in theory we're supposed to inform our insurer?


you have to inform your insurers of anything which might result in a claim I'm pretty sure a bird strike doesn't count but if you say hit a cow then police and insurers would want to know as there could be blame on either the farmer or you and a claim following

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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 6:52 am 
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edders23 wrote:
Quote:
After all, even if we hit a pheasant (say) and use T-cut to get rid of a scuff mark then I *think* that in theory we're supposed to inform our insurer?


you have to inform your insurers of anything which might result in a claim I'm pretty sure a bird strike doesn't count but if you say hit a cow then police and insurers would want to know as there could be blame on either the farmer or you and a claim following


I was being slightly flippant about the bird, but even a small one can cause a fair bit of damage, and a pheasant could easily crack the bumper, and/or smash a headlight or windscreen. So to that degree you could potentially claim on your policy for a bird strike, although in practical terms the vast majority of people don't claim, because the damage is usually slight and it's not worth claiming in terms of the excess and losing your no claims bonus etc.

I certainly wouldn't claim for an animal strike costing £500 (say) to repair, but I think that in theory your insurance company should be informed, although again in practical terms I suspect very few would inform their insurers unless they want to make a claim :-$

Indeed police should be informed if you hit certain animals - mainly dogs and certain farm animals - but obviously that doesn't necessarily coincide with whether or not you many want to make an insurance claim (or someone makes a claim against you).

Oddly, the rule doesn't apply to cats, nor to the kind of wild animals that we're most likely to hit, at least in my neck of the woods - deer, foxes and badgers 8-[

https://www.gov.uk/report-dead-animal


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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 2:31 pm 
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I probably average 3 to 4 bird strikes a year 1 in 10 does damage it's amazing how often pheasants bounce off the windscreen and if it's only minor damage it's probably below your excess anyway

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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 7:19 pm 
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edders23 wrote:
I probably average 3 to 4 bird strikes a year 1 in 10 does damage it's amazing how often pheasants bounce off the windscreen and if it's only minor damage it's probably below your excess anyway


That sounds like a lot :shock:

In 105,000 miles in the current motor I can only recall hitting two birds, both of which caused minor damage. First, a pheasant ran into the side of the car, leaving one of those scuff marks which gradually disappears after a few washes :)

Second, a crow flew out and hit the centre of the bonnet, and the badge disappeared into a ditch. I found the badge after a while looking, and just slotted it back in. The plastic grille was broken, but it's not really noticeable after being pushed back into place.

So neither cost anything to repair, so no insurance implications.

Have hit two badgers, one went under the nearside wheel, and must have died instantly, but caused no damage to the car.

The other one hit the lower front and destroyed the lower plastic grille and bent the bumper a bit, but in grand scheme of things not significant damage. Ironically, the badger scurried off in the direction it came from into the trees, but can't see how it could have survived the collision :sad:

Luckily haven't hit a deer with this motor, and a deer strike was the only wildlife collision that's ever put me off the road.

But apart from the fact that anyone reading this will be bored [edited by admin] with it all, sometimes don't think should be going on about this kind of thing in case it tempts fate, and this is the worst time of the year for hitting badgers and deer etc, as they move around due to breeding etc (apparently).

But all in all I suppose things could have been worse, especially as I probably do more late night driving on country roads than most in the trade.

But I suppose your high 'strike rate' could be due to doing 80,000 miles per year on all those airport runs :shock: :wink:


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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:19 pm 
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only once been put off the road by an animal strike and that was a rabbit !!!! managed to fracture a hydraulic pipe which ran along the sump talking 25 years + ago (Austin Montego diesel) managed to do repairs myself but pipe assembly was over £250

and in 30 years of driving a taxi no badgers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:

also 2 muntjac but managed to avoid roe deer including having one running alongside vehicle for half a mile luckily it eventually jumped over the hedge :D

2 Foxes and about 7 squirrel but probably only about 5 rabbits in 30 years :shock: an owl (aerial strike) 1 stoat about a dozen hedgehogs and a small number of cats and dogs

but the biggest problem is normaly pigeons starlings blackbirds and pheasants especially during mating season

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PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2019 10:20 pm 
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Quote:
and the overarching question of whether it's legal for councils to specify that drivers can only work for one operator, as discussed in the recent Aintree thread.

100% certain it's illegal to restrict a driver/vehicle to one operator.

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