Speeding cash cow

Government plans to introduce a two tier speeding penalty system are being proposed, with drivers hitting the faster band being charged 6 points and £100 fine.

I guess that if they take 6 points from you, it is unlikely you're going to be speeding again in a hurry, so best the government financially milks it the first time...

But the Government is planning to drop a previous proposal to introduce a lower fixed penalty, of two points and a £40 fine, for driving only a few miles per hour over the limit.

I don't recall this proposal, possibly because I'm so cycnical I would have ignored it the moment I saw it. Only a fool would believe such short term headline proposals.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety welcomed the Government’s retreat from the idea of a lower penalty.

Rob Gifford, the council’s director, said: “Lowering the penalty for any speeding offence would encourage drivers to take more chances.”

He also called for police to be given more discretion to enforce even minor breaches of the limit. Under current Association of Chief Police Officer guidelines, drivers are given an allowance of 10 per cent plus 1 mph over the limit. This means they will not be fined at speeds lower than 35mph on a 30mph road, 46mph on a 40mph road and 79mph on a 70mph road. Mr Gifford said: “Police need the flexibility to enforce any breach of the limit, even 1mph over it.”

Who is this numpty and why the bloody heck is he allowed to give advice to Parliament? Anybody advocating the enforcement of speed limits breaches of 1mph is off their rocker. The reason it's 10% plus 1mph is because this is the widely accepted margine of accuracy in speedometers. Now doubt, he'll next be advocating fining car manufacturers on an ad-hoc basis if cars that break speed limits are proved to report within the speed limit...