Flexible speeding fines unveiled

[Ian (GPX)]

Flexible speeding fines and a fresh crackdown on the use of mobile phones in cars are among new road safety measures being unveiled on Tuesday.
The proposed new laws would also allow courts to force the worst drink-drivers to retake their driving tests.

Seriously poor drivers could also be made to go into retraining.

Ministers want to cut the number of people killed or seriously in road accidents by 40%, and by half for children, by 2010.

The government says it is half way towards meeting the targets, which are based on the average for the years 1994-1998.

But it says more progress is needed: in 2003, 3,508 people were killed and 33,707 seriously injured on Britain's roads.

Phone fines

The Road Safety Bill was promised in last week's Queen's Speech.

It will provide powers for a new system of speeding fines to match the punishment to the severity of the offence - something ministers have consulted on.

On speeding, the government is also set to clarify which vehicles can exceed the speed limits in emergency situations, such as the police and those carrying donor organs.

The bill, which has been widely trailed, is also likely to raise the penalty for using a mobile phone from £30 to £60, with three licence endorsement points.

The move follows figures from the RAC suggesting use of mobile phones by drivers had actually increased since a ban was introduced.

Drinking loophole

There will also be higher penalties for people driving carelessly or inconsiderately or using cars in a dangerous condition.

The moves against drink-driving will also include enabling police to take evidence at the roadside.

And they will close a loophole that allows offenders who pose a high risk of re-offending to continue driving while medical inquiries are carried out.

Ministers want to ensure foreign drivers cannot escape punishment in Britain. Police will be able to issue on-the-spot fines to drivers with no British driving licence.

Police will also be promised help in using motor insurance data and automatic number plate recognition to detect uninsured drivers.

Motorists' welcome

The bill will also try to tackle accidents linked to driver fatigue through trials of motorway rest areas and a pledge that rules on drivers' hours will be better enforced.

The planned variable fines for speeding offences have been welcomed by motorists' groups.

The RAC said it was important to distinguish between those travelling a couple of miles over the speed limit in a non-residential area away from schools and other dangers, and those travelling at high speeds or in sensitive areas.

The move is also being seen as an attempt to deflect anger about speed cameras.

The Conservatives have pledged to remove those speed cameras which they say only raise money rather than improve road safety.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Effectively this is a large increase in the number of points people will get for speeding . Failed policy, so rather than scraping it they are just making it even nastier.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[tgabber]

Note that there are no details about what 'flexible' means...
____________________
"It's all about dislocating expectation"
Kawasaki KMX125 -> Aprilia RS125 -> Kawasaki ZZR600

[map]

[tgabber]

[zx636]

Has dear Mr Jamieson in for a shock when his quote "The changes were needed to "defend the majority" of safe drivers against a minority of dangerous ones comes back to bite him in the ass.

Does this wally really belive that the majority of people stick to the speed limits, what planet is he living on.

[jamie192]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Roughly your chances of dying on the road are around 1/250. Think I would far rather be concered about the 1/7 chance of dying from smoking or the 1/20 chance of dying a drinking related death.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[map]

[stevo as b4]

Well apart from the non explained variable speeding fines that may be imposed and whatever implications this would potentially have, im in favour of most of the points mentioned. I think an automatic 12month ban should be given to people who get caught using mobiles, driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and drivers of obviously unsafe vehicles, where the defects would knowingly be identifyed by the drivers. This followed by a re-test and possibly a probation period of 12months for any serious driving offences, that would result in their license being revoked and yet another test to be taken.
The issue with driving when tired and this as a contributory cause of accidents is the only area that is not easy to do something about. There are many factors involved here, not least being that particually with motorways and long stretches of dual carrigeways that adequate rest/service areas should be provided, which they are not in many areas. i drive around 30-130miles per day, at work, and i can think of many main A-roads and dual carriage way routes where adequate rest facilities and safe places to stop such as laybuys/ Service areas, are not provided.

[instigator]

Why not re-educate stupid pedestrians and the parents who let their kids run about the streets.

twats.

[killa]

[stryker]

[quote="map"]

[Kickstart]

[mchaggis]

Something which you should take into account with regards to those statistics is how they classify "serious injuries". In their eyes, serious injuries include such minor things as broken fingers and perhaps things like concussion.

Hence 'bikers get so many more serious injuries than car drivers' because bikers break fingers, wrists, collarbones etc all the time, which aren't serious injuries. They need hospital attention, perhaps that's what their serious injury classification is based on?

Of course, the death statistic is open to enquiry as well, say for example, a biker pulls up on the hard shoulder and promptly gets obliterated by an eighteen-wheeler, does his death count in so far as he would have been dead no matter his mode of transport?

Just a few thoughts.

Oh, and Killa127, do you get off on trying to devalue Kickstart's contribution? He's adding a lot more constructively than you are imo.

As an afterthought, it occurred to me that if they were being truly flexible, it would be with the speed limits at the top end. Whether you are doing 60 or 80, if you hit a pedestrian they are almost bound to die, so it makes little difference if you're exceeding a high speed limit by 10-15 mph.

If you hit someone at 45 vs 30, that difference could be all important in whether they live or not. Hence I would suggest they should be more strict in built up areas where there are plenty of people to kill, and less strict in NSL/ motorways where there are bugger all/ no pedestrians to hit and kill.
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I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[Kickstart]

[Fortuna]

You are more likely to be a victim of street crime i.e. mugged assaulted than be in a road accident in some areas.
Yet speeding is the highest "crime" in the UK.
Don't make sense to me.

[mchaggis]

[Fortuna]