New laws to provide better legal protection for drivers to come under the spotlight

17 January 2024

New laws designed to provide police drivers with better legal protection will come under spotlight at the Police Federation of England and Wales’s (PFEW) Roads Policing Seminar.

The seminar later will discuss the new legislation introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and how it is impacting drivers.

The law came into force in November 2022 following an eight-year campaign by the Federation. It now takes into account the high standards of training received by police drivers, which means their driving is no longer judged to the same standard of the careful and competent driving member of public.

To comply with the new law, police drivers must ensure they are ‘in ticket’ and up-to-date with their training.

The Roads Policing Seminar, which takes place virtually on 30 January, features a session titled: 'New driving legislation - does it deliver better protection for officers?' This will explore the new law and forces’ progress in meeting its requirements. 

Dyfed Powys Federation chair Gareth Jones said: “As a Federation we campaigned long and hard for a change in the law to offer police drivers more protection.

“As with any new legislation, it takes time to be fully understood and for any unforeseen issues to come to the surface.

“This is why this session on the new laws is an important one for members who are police drivers, for them to share their experiences, to make sure they’re right across the legislation, that they understand what’s required of them, and they can hear about the progress that’s being made.”

Registration is now open for the Roads Policing Seminar.

Supported by Slater and Gordon Solicitors, it is a chance to engage with those in the roads policing sector, share experiences, discuss best practice, and steer the direction of roads policing for the future.

Topics also include forensic collision investigation, health and safety around electric vehicles, and a debate on the future of roads policing.

The full agenda is available here.

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