Young drivers and motorcycle riders aged 17 to 26, have attended a fully funded ‘Skills for the Road’ days at Thruxton Circuit, Andover, last week (5 & 6 August), where they received expert tuition designed to build confidence, improve vehicle control and encourage safer driving and riding behaviours. Additionally, riders were given valuable life-saving skills through event partners DocBike.

The initiative comes as young motorists continue to face a disproportionately high risk of being involved in a collision on Britain’s roads. Department for Transport figures show that young drivers are involved in around one in five serious or fatal car collisions while one in ten motorcycle collisions involve an inexperienced driver; Young male drivers aged 17 to 24 are also four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than drivers aged 25 and over*.

For young riders, the figures are equally as stark, with more than 1,700 riders under 25 years of age being killed or seriously injured in 2025.

Participants took part in a range of practical sessions covering vehicle handling, hazard awareness, road positioning, observation skills and vehicle maintenance. The training enabled them to safely explore the capabilities of their vehicles/motorbikes in a controlled environment while learning the techniques.

“Ultimately, we want to make our roads safer for everyone, and our young driver and rider days are a big part of that. Young drivers & riders remain among the most vulnerable road users due to their lack of experience which is why opportunities like this matter,” says IAM RoadSmart Road Safety Manager, Shaun Cronin.

“Developing confidence, awareness and good decision-making skills early in a driver’s or rider’s life can have a lasting impact. These sessions are about empowering the next generation to stay safe on the road, while making driving and riding more enjoyable. We hope to expand this programme in the future so that even more young people can benefit from this type of training.”

More than £8million worth of vehicles – including a Ferrari Monza worth £3.7million – have been seized in a crackdown on antisocial driving in central London.

Officers from the Met Police, supported by Motor Insurers’ Bureau, seized a total of 90 vehicles between Friday, 7 August and Sunday, 9 August in an operation targeting uninsured drivers, anti-social and dangerous driving across Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea. This is the highest number and value of vehicles seized in the operation’s five-year history.

This included a Ferrari Monza SP2, which had only been in the UK for a day, for driving without insurance and not in accordance with a license. The motorist only had a provisional driving license and had been in the car for less than half an hour when he was stopped by Met officers. The exclusive supercar was one of only 499 made by the Italian brand, with one model selling at auction for £3.7million earlier this year.

“We regularly hear from local people who are fed up with people driving cars dangerously in the area, or with modifications which make them a nuisance to those who live nearby.

“Through operations like this we’re arresting these drivers and seizing their cars so we can keep our roads safe and send clear message that we won’t put up with their reckless and dangerous behavior,” said Special Chief Inspector Geoff Tatman, who led the operation.

The operation featured 120 officers, including 95 from the Met’s Special Constabulary and Vehicle Enforcement Team. During this operation, alongside the 90 vehicles seized, stops for suspected insurance offences also enabled officers to detect a range of other criminal activity, including arresting a man suspected of possession with intent to supply Class A, B and C drugs, and a man who was found with 19 bank cards in other people’s names and more than £2,500 in cash.

More than 1,500 Arriva North London bus drivers are set to strike in August over working conditions during extreme heat.

The drivers, represented by Unite, say they have had enough of working in bus cabs that can become unbearably hot when temperatures soar. And the union representing them has accused Arriva North London, a TfL contractor, of not acting on previous complaints about conditions.

Since January 2026, bus drivers in London have been locked in several disputes with operators. Unite‑represented drivers in east London, employed by the East London Bus & Coach Company (part of Stagecoach), staged walkouts in March, April and May over fatigue caused by long‑distance shifts and inadequate breaks.

Why are London bus drivers striking over the heat?

This time the dispute follows complaints that Arriva North London has failed to adequately address high temperatures inside its buses. Unite says most of the company’s buses have air-cooling systems rather than air conditioning.

There is a difference. The cooling systems draw in outside air and circulate it around the bus. Unite says they can reduce the ambient temperature by a maximum of around 10°C, but drivers reported that during the latest heatwave the actual reduction was sometimes only two or three degrees.

The union says drivers have described conditions as unbearable and reported increased fatigue during the heatwave. And there is a safety argument beyond employee comfort. Unite has warned that extreme heat can affect driver health, wellbeing and fatigue.

Which London bus routes will be affected by the August strike?

The strike action is expected to cause delays and cancellations across North London, although the exact bus routes affected have not yet been released.

Drivers involved work across 10 Arriva North London garages: Barking, Clapton, Dartford, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green.

That means passengers could be facing disruption across a sizeable chunk of the capital’s bus network — particularly unfortunate timing for anyone who has already discovered that London’s definition of summer is now apparently “several consecutive days of weather that makes public transport feel like a sauna”.

The strike comes after more than 1,900 drivers across the 10 garages were balloted for industrial action over the hot working conditions.