Legal

Taxi drivers and other motorists are being targeted by unmarked speed traps after a rise in the number of serious and fatal crashes.

Police in Northamptonshire are ditching high-profile camera vans and are using unmarked vehicles to catch drivers breaking the speed limit.

Taxi drivers never know who’s getting into the back of their cab. It could be sports stars, actors, rock stars, politicians . . . the possibilities are endless as this Uber driver found out.

But even with the use of booking apps, drivers don’t really know who they are picking up – or what their passengers are doing.

Passengers are being warned about the dangers of travelling in illegal taxis which is making the most of the surging demand in towns and cities at weekends.

The warning comes after a council in Wales saw a rise in the number of unlicensed public hire and private hire taxis descending on Merthyr Tydfil at the weekends.

A recent cyber attack at Uber reveals that keeping technology safe and secure is as important as taxi drivers getting passengers to their destination safely.

Following the data breach last month, in a bid to reassure staff, drivers and customers that its systems and data are secure, Uber has released details of the hack and how the firm reacted to stop the breach and improve security.

Taxi drivers and taxi companies are turning to technology more to offer a smoother ride for passengers looking to book a cab.

Booking and payment apps make it easy to connect passengers to the nearest public hire or private hire taxi available to complete the journey.

As technology improves and automated cars and self-driving cars are eventually allowed on Britain’s roads, lawyers don’t think drivers should be blamed when things go wrong.

Laws have been drawn up to allow driver-assistance technology to be used in limited ways initially on British roads, such as hands-free driving in vehicles with lane-keeping technology on congested motorways, up to 37mph.