Expanding police power to award on-the-spot fines for careless driving is the headline initiative of the government’s latest road safety plan for Scotland, England and Wales.
The initiative is part of the Strategic Framework for Road Safety, released by the Department for Transport.
I’m sorry officer, what exactly am I being fined for?
Police will gain the ability to award careless driving penalties of between £80 to £100 (up from the current fixed penalty fine rate of £60) and three demerit points for cases of undertaking, tailgating and careless merging (‘cutting-up’).
Currently these offences must be referred to the court system for prosecution. The new approach aims to allow police greater discretion in targeting genuinely reckless drivers, and reduce demand on the court system for relatively minor offences.
A spokesman for the Department for Transport (DfT) said, ‘The strategy will focus on cracking down on the really reckless drivers through more efficient enforcement.
By giving the police the tools to deal with those who present the greatest danger to others we can make our roads even safer.’ The legal definitions of careless driving, and the boundary between careless driving and dangerous driving will not change.
Article from Car Magazine
