New £100 on-the-spot fines will come into force on Friday 16th August as police are empowered to deal with drivers hogging the middle & outside lanes of Britain’s motorways and those who tailgate other road users.
The fines may come as a surprise to many drivers, new and seasoned, as they are penalised for offences they may not know existed.
Under the new offence of ‘careless driving’, police will now have the power to punish the culprits of dangerous motorway driving which has blighted many of Britain’s major roadways in recent years. As well as receiving a £100 fine, offenders face the prospect of three points on their licence.
In a recent survey conducted by Populas on behalf of the AA, approximately 12 million drivers (29%) stand to fall foul of the new legislation. Those surveyed admitted to hogging the middle lane of a motorway on a regular basis.
The research found that a staggering 40% of younger drivers fall into the category of drivers who hog the middle lane of motorways. Many of the young drivers admitted to the offence believing that, in free-flowing traffic, the middle lane is the cruising lane.
The Highway Code however, dictates that the middle and outside lanes of a motorway should be used for overtaking purposes only.
As well as presenting the police with new powers to administer fines, the Government has also taken the decision to increase the cost of the penalty for driving offences.
As of Friday 16th August fines will increase from £60 to £100, and will be handed out to lane hoggers, drivers using a mobile phone whilst driving and tailgaters.
Prior to the new legislation police had to pursue such matters through the courts resulting in costly legal fees and use of police resources which, if a case proved to be unsuccessful, ended up costing more than the original £60 fine.
New powers will also allow the police to issue similar fines to those caught doing handbrake turns, wheel spins, forcing their way into an orderly queue of traffic, ignoring ‘lane closed’ signs and getting into the wrong lane at a roundabout.
However, instances where there is no ‘victim’, offenders will be offered the chance to complete a ‘driver awareness course’, costing around £100.
Should an offender opt for the ‘driver awareness course’ they will avoid getting points on their licence, but will incur an increased cost in their insurance premium.
The new legislation has been welcomed by the AA even though its effectiveness on busy motorways, such as the M25, has been questioned.
Tags: Car Legislation, Driving Fines, Driving Laws, Driving Legislation, Driving Penalties, Driving Penalty Points, UK Driving Laws
