On-the-spot fines planned for careless driving

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13356057

Police can next year probably had out fixed fines for bad driving.

Judge and Jury in one car. I hope they will have the evidence recorded so you can dispute it.

I don't like the sounds of it.
As an RAC spokes man said on the news there time and money could be spent better to improve road safety.

The solution, as always is quite simple.

If you dont drive like a tool, you'll be alright

I actually think it will save money, will save all the summons and court time taken by those the police currently decide to prosecute.

i think people who would normally have been spotted and ignored wil now be pulled over for the sake of it and will have no defence itll be their word against ours!

traffic cars have cameras. you will have the right to appeal.

so wont be just like normal policemen in cars on their own slapping u wuith fines willy nilly?

The 2nd line of StuyMac's post says it all !

everyone makes mistakes sometimes like taking their eye off the ball for just a second and normally thatd be fine cos its a mistake and were human but it some jobsworth gets power gone to their haed over it then were screwed

Mistakes are mistakes, and can generally be differentiated between them and careless driving.

However, it only takes a driver to their eye off the ball for a second to make a huge mess!

When driving, driving should be at the top of your list of priorities, not 3rd or 4th on the list after changing CDs, checking a phone etc....

The video in the link shows some examples, and all are calculated inconsiderations for other road users - thats not a mistake, thats a calculated decision which has the potential to cause an accident.



These are concious inconsiderations, not mistakes....

Its also just the process that is new, in the past these offences have been delt with through a court, so its not like they are introducing new laws.

The new system doesn't really make any difference to that. Basically there are two ways to be done for careless driving - the first is having an accident and the second being visually observed to be driving erratically. In both cases whether its an on the spot fine or being formally charged you are still dependent on the same factors.

One unfortunate thing is that the outcome of you error governs your penalty, not the seriousness of your error. So while someone might make a big careless mistake like going through a red light and getting away with it scott free because he doesn't hit anyone, someone else making an innocent mistake like being distracted for a split second by a loose animal might hit another car and seriously injure someone and get a harsh penalty.

people who cut up etc get pulled when seen anyway and wil get a telling off and let on there way it now just means the police wil make more money its simple really if you think about it

Will it make the roads any safer ??
Not one iota!
And of course you can appeal against it,You can take a day off work then pay for a solicitor to defend you if you get away with it its only cost you a days pay and the Solicitors costs, It costs the Police Feck all as its us that pay for them in the first place,The speed cameras are too expnsive to maintain so this is the new get rich quick policy for the plods!!!

They generally get let on their way because its not worth the cost of taking them to court for it.

Now they can be delt with on the spot, so more instances will be delt with and punished, and it will save the cost of taking these people to court.

They can already deal with you at the roadside for speeding via fixed penalty, so I dont see the problem with giving them more powers. Wether it makes the police / government money or not, inconsiderate driving is a pet hate of mine, and even if they took the money off these drivers and burnt it in front of them, that would be a result.

As I already said though, if you dont drive like an idiot, you'll be fine

Maybe it will make people think twice before cutting others up, undertaking etc... I know im guilty of the odd undertaking manouvre, when the pleb in front is doing 30 in say a 50, and wont move into the left lane to let overtaking traffic pass, but im gonna think twice about even doing once these powers are bought in.

I wish the police would start cracking down on all the driving stupidity, not using indicators in one thing that really annoys me for example.

Im not particuarly worried by the new laws, it seems pretty simple, if you cant do the time (or afford the pay the fine in this case), dont do the crime. The Highway code is there for a reason.

The court system in England is being cut back, with numerour county and magistrate courts facing closure, the legal system is costing absurd amounts of money to run, and this may not only make the roads safer, but will also save time for both police and the legal system, and money for the legal system; it could potentially save millions of pounds, money that could be better spent on the NHS, or keeping the roads safe by getting more traffic police on them to enforce these new laws.

Just another fund raising scheme to attack easy targets. However they should spend some time patrolling the M53 & give fixed penalties to the a*******s who drive in the middle or outside lanes either on a virtually empty motorway or while not overtaking anything. The other irritating people are those who come down the northbound sliproads at junctions 2 & 3 & immediately pull out into fast moving traffic in the middle lane, although they have at least 1/2 mile to change lanes.

Bob.

It's just another small step on the inexorable path toward becoming a Police State. They nibble away at freedom one little bit at a time, until one day, you wake up and realize that it's all gone. One day, people may realize that we all just can't be intimidated into "good behaviour", where every waking hour, we are under constant surveillance and had better toe the line or we will be nicked and fined!
I thought the British system of justice said that the Police had to prove, in a Court of Law, that the alleged offence had indeed occurred and even then, there was a presumption of "Innocent unti proven guilty"? Where does ths leave us then - and what will be the next thing "they" (who are supposed to represent US?) will allow the police to summarily punish us for?
Thin end of the wedge if you ask me (which OK, you didn't!)

I can't really see how you, as an American, can comment on our judicial system and the benefits of innocent until proven guilty; Guantanamo Bay and Abu Graeb spring to mind...

Most of the British systems seem to be following the American model and we are gradually (rightly or wrongly) becoming the same.

BTW CVCVCV isn't an American

Must have been there a while then?

here we go again,

Come on lads

My comment wasn't a dig, just genuinely interested based on the use of the letter Z instead of S a couple of times.

The use of Z is a bit of a conundrum - until WW2, printed British English used the Z then for some reason it changed to S. The Americans have continued with the traditional use and we have drifted.

Most English dictionaries still have ize but beware of what you think is an English dictionary, most are not!

I don't know how long CVCVCV has been state-side.

Not directed at anyone in particular, as far as i know CV is there now and was very oppinionated on the osama thread seemed very patriotic to me, each to their own though

Seemed to be repping the yanks imo

On the spot fines for bad drivers eh? Seems kind of sexist....

I ain't payin no on the spot fines end of!
I pay enough in road tax every year they ain't blagging more cash out of me, hate this damn country.

Goverment just looking for more revenue, robbing gets as you said we pay enough and look at the kip of the roads round here, will be sending the council a nice bill for a rear shock that i've just had to fork out on after running over an Abyss on Greasby road,

Its nowt to do with saftey just money, money, money if they are so concerned about saftey why increase motorway speed limit to 80, because they know more people will do 90 - 100 and they can dbf them more.

it may learn bus drivers how to bloody pull into bus stops withot there ass end sticking out do they think that because there rear end is sticking out gives them the right to just ind and pull out bloody bus drivers has enyone ever seen a bus driver getting pulled over by the law. ??

Been living in the US since 1996. Born and bred in Wallasey Village. Now have dual citizenship (even though neither country formally acknowledges that there is such a thing!)

I do try and remember to spell things the English way on here but I forget sometimes!

Your perception of both countries (native and adopted) I think changes a lot after living in the adopted one for some time.. I'm sure mine has, after oh, 15 years here now, this year...
If I do seem to be repping America, well its not really intended that way, just trying to get you to see things about your own country from a different perspective. Sometimes, "the onlooker sees most of the game" (and this I'm quite sure, also works both ways...!) Some changes happen so slowly and gradually that you may not notice the cumulative effect until it's too late, like the hour hand on the clock, it really is moving..! But being away a few years and then coming back, wow! You see the changes. All those cameras, for example... I got quite a shock, to be honest! - same thing with al the steel shutters on all the shops - it is so damn UGLY to see. But you guys maybe, don't even notice them, they've crept up on you... just as government controls can, over all aspects of life. Freedom is something you don't miss until you wake up one day and it's gone. I see nothing wrong with people that want to "guard their freedoms jealously" (as do many Americans). I honestly do admire this about my adopted country and I wish I could do so more, about my native one, is all. I do not want the government to do everything for me from cradle to grave. I don't want to think that the only reason people obey the law or behave themselves in public is because big brother is watching ver us 24/7. I want to let people be responsible for their own behaviour, not the government.
OK sorry - I didn't mean this to turn into a rant... sorry if it did!

Good to see your view on things cv

Cheers Ste!

I want to see the definitive description of what is Tailgating !

WHY : Well driving back from work the other day the traffic was now running at about 50 instead of the the 70mph.

When the traffic slows you naturally keep a bit closer to the car in-front, closer than any highway code recommendation for stopping at a safe distance. But you naturally close the gap after the 3rd car has under took and slipped in front of you. After the first or the second car its more then enough to decide to stay closer.

Is that Tailgating or is that keeping up with traffic?
Until there is a definitive "Tailgating" description were all at risk of a ticket.

Something to think about.