Tougher fines to punish speeding motorists come into effect
Written by News on 24/04/2017
Motoring groups have welcomed tougher new punishments for the most serious speeding offences.
Drivers caught excessively exceeding legal limits will now be hit with harsher penalties in England and Wales.
Magistrates will be empowered to fine motorists caught doing 51mph in a 30mph zone, or 101mph on a motorway, 150% of their weekly income rather than the previous level of 100%.
AA president Edmund King said the changes were "an effective way to penalise offenders", while the Sentencing Council said the move aims to ensure there is a "clear increase in fine level as the seriousness of offending increases".
Some 244 people died on Britain’s roads in 2015 in crashes caused by a driver speeding.
Mr King said there is "no sensible reason" for excessive speeding and added: "It is only right that these extreme offenders are punished severely."
He went on: "Responsible drivers will welcome the changes coming into force today.
"The majority of drivers who keep to the correct speed, as well as driving to the conditions, won’t be affected. It is only those who deliberately drive dangerously who will end up in court."
The maximum fines allowed by law remain the same, which means speeding drivers cannot be fined more than £1,000 unless the offence takes place on a motorway, where the limit is £2,500.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said that although the new measures "underline how seriously the courts take speeding offences", the limit on fines means there is not a "level playing field".
He also questioned whether police have enough resources to ensure the tougher punishments have an impact on road safety.
Officers dedicated to full-time roads policing in England and Wales – excluding London – fell by 27% between 2010 and 2015.
Mr Gooding said: "While we broadly support linking the amount of the penalty with income, the cap on the level of fines means that this link is broken for high-income drivers – hardly a level playing field.
"For speeding penalties to be effective three things have to be true: they have to be severe enough to hurt, motorists need to know what they are and believe there is a realistic prospect of being caught if they go too fast.
"We worry that other pressures on police time will seriously undermine the effectiveness of this stiffening of sanctions."
(c) Sky News 2017: Tougher fines to punish speeding motorists come into effect
