Four UK New Driving Laws Officially Come Into Force

Four new UK driving laws came into force in June, and motorists will be fined if they fail to follow them. June 1, 2024, saw the start of four new rules covering scooter usage and low-emission zones, which means that there are now rules and considerations to keep in mind if drivers want to avoid considerable fines moving forward.

As a result of the changes being brought in, local authorities will now be able to request modifications to the trial area and fleet size for any ongoing trials involving e-scooters. Any changes which are approved will be applied from June 1.

The other three laws concern themselves with introducing new Low-Emission Zones in areas across Scotland. Both petrol and diesel drivers are set to be impacted by the changes, which means that these substantial modifications will probably catch more than a few drivers. The zones will operate constantly and use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which will be linked to both local and national databases to identify anyone who breaks the rules. Any vehicles which don’t meet the required standards within the zones will be issued fines upon identification. The rules will be enforced 24/7 every day of the year.

Let’s take a look at the four new laws to understand better what’s gone on:

The transport department has offered an official revision of the regulations that govern e-scooter trials across the UK. Their new changes will give local authorities like councils much greater autonomy with regard to edits they can make. Specifically, any authority that is conducting an e-scooter trial can now make alterations to both the area in which the trial takes place and the size of the scooter fleet used. These requests have taken effect from June 1.

The first city to get a new low-emission zone is Dundee. This change means that certain types of cities are banned from the city centre to cut down on harmful emissions from vehicles. The move comes as Glasgow reports that due to its restricted emissions ruling - the first city in Scotland to do so - they have collected more than £1M from penalty charges at the hands of non-compliant drivers.

Edinburgh is the next city to get a new low-emission zone. It will follow the same rules as the others but also has some scientific backing for the changes. Jill Belch is a researcher from the University of Dundee and feels that it may take a few years to see any real impact on the health and overall well-being of residents in the area. However, her main prediction is that there will be a drop in asthma attacks:

"The first thing we'll see is that the pollution levels will come down, and that's great. But it's not just hospital admissions; it's the long-term effects of dementia and heart attacks."

Finally, Aberdeen will be the next place to get a low-emission zone. The scheme aims to cut down on air pollution in the city, specifically emissions caused by nitrogen dioxide.