New measures to combat ‘anti-social drivers’ come into force

12.00 | 14 August 2013 | | 10 comments

Drivers who put other road users at risk face on-the-spot penalties under new measures introduced on 16 August.

The changes in the law give the police powers to issue fixed penalty notices for careless driving, giving them greater flexibility in dealing with less serious careless driving offences – such as tailgating or middle lane hogging – and freeing them from resource-intensive court processes.

The fixed penalty will also enable the police to offer educational training as an alternative to endorsement. Drivers will still be able to appeal any decision in court.

In addition, existing fixed penalty levels for most motoring offences – including using a mobile phone at the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt – will rise to £100 to bring them into line with the penalties for similar non-motoring fixed penalties.

The stiffer penalties for anti-social driving were welcomed by Edmund King, president of the AA.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr King said: “We are pleased to see that at long last new powers and fines will be given to the police to tackle the top three pet hates of drivers – tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle lane hogs.

“It is worrying that three quarters of drivers see others using mobile phones behind the wheel on some or most journeys. This epidemic of hand held mobile phone use while driving has already cost lives and our members have demanded action.”

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Anti-social behaviour is just as big a problem on our roads as it is in society generally.

“Powers that give the police more freedom to act against anti-social driving behaviour on the spot, rather than have to waste time and effort on expensive court procedures, are a good idea, because they will both make our roads safer and also free up valuable resources.

Stephen Hammond, road safety minister, said: “Careless driving puts innocent people’s lives at risk – that is why we are making it easier for the police to tackle problem drivers by allowing them to immediately issue a fixed penalty notice for low level offending rather than taking these offenders to court.”

Simon Best, IAM chief executive, said: "If the police target the worst and most persistent offenders this could be good news for road safety. If, however, it just becomes another numbers game with thousands of careless driving tickets issued then the impact will be limited. The IAM believes that driver retraining courses have a much bigger potential to actually improve poor driving than simply issuing a standard fine and should always be offered as the first stage of prosecution."

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    The Road Safety GB purpose for providing this publicly available newsfeed is to facilitate open discussion about road safety policy and practice with a primary focus on education, training and publicity.

    We have house rules and moderate the site to ensure that posts meet our requirements for mutual respect and an exchange of views and information about road safety.

    If the moderators consider that a post does not meet these requirements, they will respond to the sender to explain this. Where possible we encourage senders to revise their post if there is an element of concern and usually they are happy to do so.

    Occasionally a subject is raised or a comment made that we feel would be addressed more appropriately through other channels that are more directly connected to the subject than the Road Safety GB website.

    Our Editor is contacting Pete to establish his specific concern and will discuss it with him.


    Honor Byford, Vice Chair, Road Safety GB
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    Well Honor it is certainly much more democratic than this particular website which deletes and edits comments that don’t play along according to the agenda.


    Pete
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    The reduction in roads policing is apparent on our roads and motorways despite what ACPO tell us about their forces. Drivers will still have an option to go to court or take a course as before, so a Soviet system has not been created. What has been created is an opportunity for the Government to introduce a lower tier of roads policing. We already have civil servant HATOs patrolling, the next stage will be to increase powers beyond directing traffic to enforcing offences to go directly to Government coffers.


    Olly, Lancs
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    Without doubt, in my mind, there is a direct correlation between the reduction in Traffic Police patrols and the ever diminishing standards of driving. The spot fines are an excellent idea in principle but, as others have mentioned, are there sufficient police around to enforce them? The other point, disappointingly, is that the close following penalty is in place largely because that is an irritation to other drivers, and not because it is fundamentally dangerous behavior. As is well known 30% of crashed are front to rear end shunts, caused by people being too close and not being able to stop in time if things suddenly go wrong in front.


    Nigel Albright, TAUNTON
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    We don’t need more laws, we need coppers willing to enforce the ones we already have in place.


    rick, downham market
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    If anyone is offered an “on the spot” fine, they have the option to decline the offer and go to court to have their case heard and decided by the judiciary if they so wish. Unlike the Soviet model.


    Honor Byford, North Yorkshire
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    It would be interesting to see what involvement, pressure that NDORS may have had. It will certainly increase the income for the many ADIs involved in the NDORS diversionary programme.


    Keith
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    We waste, or rather spend time, money and effort on the court process because its existence saves us from tyranny. Police as judge, jury and executioner? Sounds like the old Soviet Union to me.


    Duncan MacKillop, Stratford on Avon.
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    This is not about ‘new’ offences and poor driving that have been hitherto unenforceable. It still comes under the banner of ‘careless driving’ – it’s just the procedure which has become more streamlined designed to involve less time in Court. From now, once the ticket is issued to the driver, it should stop there, rather than automatically involve a Court appearance (for both sides). However, it will still require the Police to stop and speak to the driver in the first place, so I can’t see how it will take up more, or less, of the Police’s time on the road and at the end of the day, it still depends on their willingness to act when they see it. As a lot of careless driving is captured by the speed camera vans, I would hope that the SCPs will consider gearing up to prosecuting offenders ‘through the post’.


    Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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    I feel this is a great idea and gives the police more powers to enforce. However, it concerns me that there seems to be a continued reduction in Roads Traffic Police on our roads to combat this behaviour. People will continue to drive carelessly, use mobile phones, hog the middle lane knowing full well the liklihood is they will not get caught. I would hope that Stephen Hammond will push to have more traffic police nationally so these new ‘measures’ can be put in to action and enforced.


    Rob – Calderdale
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