This week Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, announced plans to combat careless driving in the UK by the introduction of immediate fines and penalty points.
Under the current law, any driver caught tailgating or under-taking could face court, but under the proposed plans, police will have the power to issue a fine and award penalty points to offenders on the spot. The fines are thought to be set at around £80-£100 combined with three fixed penalty points.
In a bid to make Britain’s’ roads a safer place the plans will look at driving offences such as weaving in and out of traffic at speed, tailgating and undertaking. Not only that, but any disqualified drivers may be required to retake and pass their driving tests before they are re-issued with a license and legally allowed to drive on the road
The plans have been created to tackle “aggressive and incompetent” drivers on our roads and Hammond maintains that the proposed changes are about encouraging better driving as opposed to punishing motorists.
Fines and fixed penalties have been in force for many years for anyone caught speeding. Under the new regime, motorists who are issued a penalty for ‘reckless driving’ will have the right to appeal against the decision.
Hammond is also keen to clamp down on more severe motoring offences such as driving while under the influence of drugs. He has also made it clear he wants to prevent drunk drivers from being able to dodge charges by demanding a blood test instead of the standard breath test. Courts will be pressed upon to support the tougher approach and will be encouraged to seize vehicles for very serious crimes.
There is also speculation that later in 2011 we could see the speed limits on our motorways being increased to 80mph, and in more rural areas speed limits could be lowered in an attempt to reduce the number of serious accidents and fatalities.
Hammond has been tackling motoring issues head on since the new coalition government took up office. With the Labour Government being accused of waging a ‘war on the motorist”, Hammond is keen to review many of the decisions made by the previous government, and claims he will review the speed limit on our motorways “if it is in the interests of the economy”.
This move is likely to be supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers who are thought to have a ‘10% plus 2 mph’ allowance on speeding drivers facing prosecution.
A spokesman from DFT has commented, “We need to make sure we are looking at the right criteria when considering speed limits. This means looking at the economic benefits of shorter journey times as well as considering the implications for road safety”.
And the RAC motoring group have also declared their support for the changes to speed limits, providing there is “good evidence” to back it up.
This article was brought to you by Think Insurance, the specialist motor trader insurance provider.