news 2018

The lowering of the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in Scotland has had no impact on the number of road traffic accidents, a new study has found. The research, led by the University of Glasgow and published in The Lancet, evaluated the impact of the change in legislation which occurred in Scotland in December 2014, when the blood alcohol concentration limit for drivers was reduced from 80 mg/dL to 50 mg/dL.

Intergenerational power relations may be just as important as male-female power relations for women's economic empowerment, according to new UCL research. The study, published in  World Development , was conducted in rural Nepal where mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law often have fraught relationships, as their survival and well-being depend on gaining favour with male family members.

A change in culture within the NHS is needed to ensure that managers are less resistant to hearing, and acting upon, bad news, research led by the University of Birmingham has found. Research led by the University's Health Services Management Centre found that any future whistleblowing policies must deal with the 'deaf effect' amongst NHS managers, where entrenched status and power differences between different professional and occupational groups can limit open reporting cultures.

While Government-imposed restrictions on immigration can reduce overall migration, they can also be ineffective or even counterproductive, pushing more would-be migrants into unauthorised channels, finds new research carried out in collaboration with the University of Birmingham. The study, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigated how individuals are likely to move from one country to another based on varying levels of restriction.

While Government-imposed restrictions on immigration can reduce overall migration, they can also be ineffective or even counterproductive, pushing more would-be migrants into unauthorised channels, finds new UCL-led research in collaboration with Royal Holloway and University of Birmingham. The study, published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , investigated how individuals are likely to move from one country to another based on varying levels of restriction.

Professor Clare McGlynn of Durham Law School tells how her research has helped to shape a law on upskirting and why more comprehensive legislation is needed to protect victims from all image-based sexual abuse. Moves to legislate against upskirting - the act of secretly taking a photograph under a victim's skirt - hit the headlines when a planned law to criminalise the act stalled in Parliament.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham and insurance law firm Browne Jacobson LLP are using eye-tracking software to help insurers write policies that are much easier to read and understand. If you've ever found an insurance document difficult to read, then you are not alone. A new study has found that one of the reasons for this is the number of 'uncommon words' which are used in most policies.

Ground-breaking research aimed at improving bird welfare during poultry production has directly led to a change in EU law. The new regulation, which was brought into force on Friday 18 May, makes it legal in the European Union to use Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) - proven to be a humane method for the pre-slaughter stunning of broiler chickens.

EU citizens and their family members living in the UK under EU law are at risk of 'falling through the cracks', with their rights of future residence in question after Brexit, researchers say. The study, led by the University of Birmingham, found the nature and quality of rights of many EU citizens and their future residence in the UK would be thrown into question, particularly for children, whose status is dependent on their parents.

PA 75/18 Consumers often fail to see important information about online services - which can lead to unexpected costs, according to new research. When you are buying a service online, what do you look at on a website? Connection Services (for example) offer connection to a small number of organisation's customer service phone lines -for a cost.

A new report published today looks in detail at what research is being undertaken about modern slavery in the UK and what research we still need. Modern slavery is a brutal abuse, denying people their dignity, safety and freedom. It affects millions worldwide and thousands here in the UK. In order to see more victims rescued and more perpetrators behind bars, experts need to know about the scales, causes and consequences of modern slavery and about the strategies to combat it.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have found that people with intellectual disabilities receive much lower levels of support and guidance when making difficult decisions, especially those related to legal issues such as wills, advance decisions and power of attorney. The new findings come from the 'Everyday Decisions' project, undertaken by academics from University of Birmingham's, Law School.

PA 51/18 Poorer countries with 'bad' neighbours are more likely to perform less well when it comes to human rights according to new research from the University of Nottingham. In the paper, ' Good neighbours matter: economic geography and the diffusion of human rights' published in the journal Spatial Economic Analysis , Professor Todd Landman from the University of Nottingham and his co-authors, use data from a wide range of countries to investigate the geopolitical and economic aspects of human rights performance.

38/18 A higher number of men with learning disabilities are victims of forced marriage than previously thought, suggesting that better education and training is needed to recognise those at risk. This was just one of the findings of the new study - ' My Marriage, My Choice' which shows that there appears to have been a reversal in trends related to gender, with more cases of men with learning disabilities now being reported than those of women.

Two legal scholars from the University of Birmingham's Law School have argued for the repeal of the 8th Amendment - Ireland's law preventing abortion taking place. In their new book, 'Repealing the 8th: Reforming Irish Abortion Law', Professor Fiona de Londras and Máiréad Enright propose new legislation to make abortion care lawfully accessible should constitutional change be approved in the Irish referendum.