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LONDON - They are the behemoths of bling: lumbering metal status symbols gloriously pimped, filled with flashing lights, neon bars, heavy bass beats and screaming revellers who can now arrive in the kind of style that was once available only to Hollywood stars and the super-rich.
Whether it's the chrome-covered Hummers of hip-hop lore that take your fancy or gaudy pink stretch Chryslers, limousines are as much a feature of the average British city centre on a Friday night as the hordes of partygoers who increasingly choose to travel in them.
Time could be running out, though, for the thousands of stretches that cruise through towns packed to the rafters with clubbers, stags, hens and excitable teenagers for as little as £200 ($518) a night.
Council chiefs are preparing a crackdown on the giant vehicles amid fears that many do not comply with road safety legislation. The Local Government Association (LGA) estimates that 40 per cent of the 11,000 limousines on Britain's roads, particularly those vehicles built to hold more than eight people, are operating illegally. About 5000 new cars are expected to join the national fleet by the end of next year.
In what some limo companies fear will become a damaging development, the LGA has announced that councils will link up with police to increase roadside spot checks and haul the illegal limousines off the road - raising the prospect of some alcohol-fuelled revellers being decanted on to the pavement some distance from their next watering hole.
Legitimate operators warn that the majority of limousines will end up being classified as illegal because the legislation makes it all but impossible for many vehicles to comply.
They have vowed to begin protesting against what they believe is unfair treatment of an otherwise flourishing industry. After ferrying thousands of racegoers to Ladies Day at Ascot tomorrow, more than 500 limo drivers will take a short break from chauffeuring to hold a summit outside the famous racecourse to discuss how they can lobby the Government.
There are fledgling plans to hold a "go slow" protest by driving en masse into London, similar to the demonstration by lorry drivers last month.
The remarkable rise in popularity of the giant American-style stretch limos over the past 10 years has caused concern in government circles that the largely unregulated industry has got out of hand, with many companies allowing more passengers into their cars than is legal and safe.
Police have warned of the danger of youngsters hanging out of the windows of vehicles. There are also fears that a small but growing number of illegally run limo companies are operated by criminal gangs that simply ignore safety legislation, fail to pay insurance and, in some instances, simply weld together previously written-off cars to turn unsafe vehicles into "luxury" people carriers.
Under British law, any car which carries fewer than eight people, including a limousine, can be licensed by the local council as a taxi.
But problems begin with the larger American-style vehicles that are usually shipped in from abroad and have become the most popular style of limousine, particularly for teenagers.
As these larger limousines have the capability to carry more than eight people - some of the largest have space for 30 revellers - the Government's Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa) treats them as passenger-carrying vehicles and, like a bus, they require a special licence and a certificate that proves they are safe.
Assessment criteria includes adequate turning circles and headroom, as well as access to fire escapes and fire extinguishers, which only a small number of recent models incorporate.
LGA transport spokesman David Sparks said: "While many limousine operators conduct their business in a safe fashion, we will crack down on the reckless minority who put passengers and pedestrians in serious danger.
"Our message to parents is: don't swap style for safety when you book a stylish limo for your son or daughter's prom."
During the past two years, Vosa inspectors have begun carrying out random spot checks to ensure that the rules are being followed, while the number of prosecutions against limousine operators is increasing.
Those caught face heavy fines. In August last year a Bradford businessman, Muhammad Saleem Nawaz, was fined £14,200 and given 31 points on his licence. Chauffeurs were found to be driving without insurance and using fraudulent registration plates.
Those legitimate operators who believe that they are being victimised by the Government are angry that vehicles they have spent large amounts of money legally importing into the country may now be deemed illegal and impounded.
They say operators like Nawaz are in the minority and that most companies are desperately trying to find a way to comply with safety legislation without resorting to selling off all their larger American limousines.
Limousine operators are so worried about the future of their industry that they have began forming organisations to lobby the Government for clearer guidelines.
Earlier this year, a petition was handed into Downing Street, signed by more than 200 companies calling on the Government to work "with this industry instead of against" it. Meanwhile, membership of the National Limousine and Chauffeur Association, the official trade body, has almost tripled in the past three years.
- INDEPENDENT
