New Driving Laws Hit Scottish Motorists Hardest

Following the recent introduction of new fixed penalty fines for lane hogging and tailgating, Scottish motorists have emerged top of the pile as the UK’s most inconsiderate drivers writes the Book Your Theory Test Today blogger about the new driving laws hitting Scottish motorists.

According to figures published as part of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request nearly 1,500 Scottish drivers have been on the receiving end of fixed penalty fines for various motoring offences.

The FOI request, which was issued to all 45 UK police forces, revealed that 5,472 motorists had been stopped for inconsiderate driving since the rules were implemented.

1,454 out of the 5,472 motorists were caught committing driving offences on Scotland’s roads, the most of all police areas covered. However, Book Your Theory Test Today must stress that the area policed by the Scottish police force is bigger than any other in the UK.

Book Your Theory Test Today understands that various motoring groups are highly supportive of the no tolerance approach towards bad driving habits, which includes accelerating through puddles and mounting a kerb. The groups say that the new rules will reduce accident rates and improve driving standards.

In a recent blog post, published by Book Your Theory Test Today, we revealed that the offences could incur on-the-spot fines of £100 and the addition of 3 points on a driver’s licence. However, punishment can be reduced if the offending motorist agrees to take a safe driving course.

Book Your Theory Test Today says: “Prior to new laws being introduced, motoring offences such as tailgating, failing to give way at a junction, causing another motorist to take evasive action, and purposely entering the wrong lane at a roundabout before pushing into the nearside lane to avoid queuing, all went unpunished because of the process of bringing such offences before a court.”

In a statement from Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, he said: “Since Police Scotland was formed, they’ve issued a lot more traffic-related tickets, so Scottish motorists should be aware now that there’s a big push on enforcement.”

A statement from Professor Steven Glaister, Director of the RAC Foundation, he said: “The encouraging thing is that the new powers of enforcement are being used by the police. The long-term test is whether accident rates fall.”

Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, speaking on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: “Officers have found the new procedures very helpful as they seek to improve standards of driving and maintain the safety of all road users.”

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 at 10:14 am and is filed under UK Driving Law. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.