Driving law changes launching in July will see all car owners impacted by new speed limiters and more

With the new rules being introduced over the next month, GB News has rounded up the most important driving law changes in June that could impact you.

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Speed limiters

From July 7, the European Union will mandate that all new vehicles will need speed limiting technology in the form of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems as the bloc looks to address road safety issues.

The ISA technology has the ability to use GPS data to locate the vehicle, as well as look at speed limit signs, to alert the drivers that they are breaking the law, either with an audible or visual notice.

Despite leaving the European Union, the Department for Transport has commissioned new research to look at the benefits and implications of these technologies in Great Britain, with updates expected in due course.

General Election

The long-awaited General Election will take place on July 4 when voters will find out which political party will run the country for the next five years and what motoring policies they will bring to the table to help make lives easier for the UK's 42 million licence holders.

The Conservatives have run on a platform of being the party for motorists, headlined by the "Plan for Drivers". This includes plans to reverse the controversial Ulez expansion, ban the implementation of blanket LTNs and 20mph zones, as well as investing more money into roads.

Labour has pledged to tackle car insurance costs head-on by challenging the Competition and Markets Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority to make changes. Keir Starmer's party will also reinstate the 2030 deadline for the petrol and diesel car ban.

The Liberal Democrats will prioritise the development of electric vehicles with more charging points, a reintroduction of the Plug-in Car Grant and restoring the 2030 deadline to ban vehicles with internal combustion engine vehicles.

Reform UK has been the most bullish in its motoring policies, much like most of the terms included in the manifesto. The party will ban any new Clean Air Zones, scrap the existing car ban policy and slash fuel duty by 20p per litre to help drivers save at the pumps.

The Green Party have made what could be the most controversial pledge by planning to outlaw the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2027, following a complete ban on ICE vehicles in 2035.

Whoever is declared the winner, likely in the early hours of July 5, is unlikely to make any immediate changes as they get settled in power, although the rest of the year could see new driving laws launched.

Car tax

Drivers can breathe a sigh of relief now that planned car tax changes have been scrapped, as they could have set motorists back hundreds of pounds a year.

It would have seen any double cab pick-up trucks which were purchased from July 1, considered as cars and vans, rather than commercial vehicles, meaning people could have seen a fivefold increase in Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) taxes.

However, HMRC quickly performed a U-turn on its actions and quickly scrapped the rule changes. It stated it had “listened carefully” to views of the motoring industry and withdrawn the guidance.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• 2035 petrol and diesel car ban deadline will be 'corrected' as Giorgia Meloni blasts 'ideological madness'
  
• Driving law changes you may have missed in June - Petrol and diesel face daily fines and new parking rules
• M5 closed: Driver 'injured and trapped' after lorry crashes into bridge with severe traffic delays ongoing

Consumer Duty

While the original rules for Consumer Duty were introduced on July 31, 2023, the end of July will see the deadline for companies to abide by the new rules.

Consumer Duty will require firms to act to ensure they deliver good outcomes for customers, including major car insurance and motor finance providers.

M25 closure

Motorists around the UK will be forced to brace for yet another closure of the major motorway this month as roadworks on the £317million project continue.

Between 9pm on Friday, July 12, and Monday, July 15, at 6am, the motorway will be shut between junctions 10 and 11 to construct and install a bridge on the western gyratory of the roundabout at J10.

The new bridge will consist of 68 beams weighing 16 tonnes and four other beams weighing 40 tonnes in a bid to make the stretch of road safer for motorists and reduce pollution.