Fixed penalty fines lead to fears about car insurance premium hikes
Fixed penalty fines are back in the news. This time, the government wants to permit police to issue fixed penalty fines for offences of careless driving.
Fines of £60 and three penalty points could now be issued to motorists stopped by police for minor careless driving offences. And more fixed penalties could also lead to a hike in car insurance - at least for some.
No guidance is available currently about the distinction between serious cases of careless driving and the minor offences that are the subject of this latest ministerial proposal.
Currently, magistrates courts can order fines of up to £5000 be paid by motorists found guilty of this driving offence - and licences can be endorsed with up to nine penalty points.
It is a controversial proposal because more powers are being handed to police that would require officers to act as jury and sentencer.
Media reports indicate that the police may act less than independently because they have targets to achieve and may be fettered by financial considerations.
It is a battle against "habitually bad drivers", say the government. Transport department figures show there is a low level of law enforcement against careless drivers.
In 2006, 28,900 convictions for careless or dangerous driving caused 480 deaths while 92,700 convictions for drink-driving was responsible for proportionately less deaths (540).
Transport officials are believed to be keen to see increased levels of police action against bad drivers which is expected to reduce the number of deaths on UK roads.
It does not take much stretch of the imagination to envisage that the likes of Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson and a vocal minority of other drivers - fed up with the war on motorists - will undoubtedly make known their disgust about this latest offensive against millions of motorists who earn huge sums in revenue for the state while using UK roads.
Reflecting upon the proportionately higher number of deaths that can result from careless driving, does the lobby fighting for the motorist have a case?
It seems not. By focusing police attention and resources on careless drivers, less people are likely to die on Britain's roads. That must surely be the overriding issue. There seems to be nothing else that would be pre-eminent here.
Quite rightly, however, motorists could complain about being inconvenienced or worse, persecuted, just for driving more or less reasonably to get from A to B.
While the government is immediately pushing to introduce fixed penalties for careless driving, there is no statement at the same time from the police about how 'minor' and 'serious' careless driving offences will be interpreted by officers.
This is a worrying omission and smacks of lack of preparedness. And it does not bode well for implementation of a new enforcement scheme.
How will it be proved that motorists are driving badly? A traffic cop's word against a motorist does not lend itself to consensual policing. Potentially, resentment is likely to build.
And when most motorists simply consider themselves way too busy - in this modern society - to try to fight a fixed penalty notice, resentment will build still further.
Let's hope the police focus on those drivers who we often see breaking speed limits, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting up other motorists, developing road rage and running red lights. They deserve it. You and me? We're just average drivers trying to get through the day and reach home. Our driving is fine.
