Motor Lawyers Blog – Motoring News

A further review of the penalty points system has been proposed by the Government.

For some time, there has been concern that the Fixed Penalty system has not taking into account the severity of offences as drivers travelling at 33 mph in a 30 zone are likely to receive exactly the same penalty as those travelling at 42 mph. The current proposal would mean the introduction of higher fixed penalties for higher speeds with drivers travelling at more than 45 mph in a 30 zone or in excess of 20 mph above other limits facing 6 points. Although some Police forces refuse to issue Fixed Penalties for such speeds in any event, there is no clear approach and regional variations have long been an area of concern.

If a 6 point speeding Fixed Penalty is introduced, it would mean new drivers could have their licence revoked immediately and the 6 month totting up ban could arise after just 2 offences.

In a general review of motoring offences, consideration will also be given to lowering the drink drive limit, introducing a specific offence for driving under the influence of drugs, greater enforcement of seat belt contraventions and more severe punishments for careless driving.

Although part of the plan is to no doubt reduce the number of cases being referred to Court, the probability is that it will only make drivers even more inclined to dispute cases, given there would be a far greater risk of losing a licence than there is under the current “totting up” system.

No date has been announced for completion of the review but indeed, this is a topic that has been raised on numerous previous occasions. However, it seems that it is now much more likely to be progressed.

Related Legal Links
Speeding Offences
Fixed Penalty Notice
Penalty Points System
Totting Up
Careless Driving
Drink Driving
Seat belts

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