£80 on-the-spot Fines Proposed for Careless Motorists

Police set to implement new fines?
Image creds: Stock.xchng

On the 11th of May, the government announced the planned issue of new fines for motorists deemed to be driving ‘carelessly’. Likely to come into force in England, Scotland and Wales in 2012, the measures have already attracted a degree of controversy, although the proposals have not yet passed through parliament.

Defining 'Careless'

The suggested £80 fine would be issued on-the-spot and would be accompanied by 3 points on offenders’ licence. Currently, a similar sanction would have to be issued by the courts; therefore this announcement, by Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond, would represent a real change in vehicle policing strategy.

Drivers should be aware of these proposed new measures, as it is yet to be seen how ‘careless’ driving will be defined, but it is likely to be a broad ranging measure. In the absence of a working definition as of yet, critics are already railing against a policy they are describing as ‘simplistic.’

With business drivers covering huge distances across the UK, any new fines will naturally be a concern for fleet managers. However, fleet managers are in a position to offer training that can ensure a higher standard of driving, overall, than the average motorist. Indeed, if these measures are introduced it could benefit business drivers by penalising road users who are less well trained than themselves.


Old News?

While this story has received headline coverage across the UK media, it should be remembered that this policy is not a new suggestion. On February 20th 2009, The Times ran a story suggesting that an almost identical measure was set to be enforced under the previous government. Then, the proposal was for a £60 fine, and three points. Interestingly, many of the reservations around defining ‘careless driving’ were still the same. Even the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents stated that it was “concerned about the subjectivity in deciding what constitutes careless driving”. This subjectivity is something that will continue to fuel the debate after this latest announcement.

For this reason, we will be following this story closely as it develops. It does seem, however, that the issue of defining what constitutes ‘careless driving’ is not a new concern, or one that has yet been allayed by those seeking to implement the fines.

For business drivers in particular, it would seem that there are more positive measures, such as additional training and realistic mileage targets that could reduce the instances of careless driving amongst this key demographic, without having to resort to punitive measures.