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Soaring number of fixed penalty fines questioned



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Published Date: 10 August 2008
By Nicholas Christian
THE number of cases in which motorists have been offered a fixed penalty for road traffic offences had doubled in three years.
In 2004/5 there were 18,631 such cases, but in 2007/8 there were 36,910.

The figures were revealed by Scotland's top law officer, Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, in response to a parliamentary question from Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell.

Mitchell said: "What is not clear from these alarming statistics is how many of these cases were young drivers who, having been dealt with so leniently, then went on to contribute to the number of serious or fatal motoring accidents.

"If, on the other hand, these were really trivial offences and not ones which involved a serious threat to the safety of the public, then this begs the question: are these fines being imposed to deliver better drivers or are they merely revenue-raising cash cows?"

A Crown Office spokeswoman said that most of these penalties were explained by the introduction of new road traffic offences, such as using a mobile phone while driving.



The full article contains 184 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

Dr Blockbuster aka Vince,

DUNBAR 10/08/2008 00:18:36
"... then this begs the question: are these fines being imposed to deliver better drivers or are they merely revenue-raising cash cows?"

Dr Blockbuster doesn't think the jury will be long out on this one!
2

Teofilio Cubillas,

10/08/2008 00:30:01
Please spare us populist 'cash cow' drivel from our elected representatives. It's bad enough in the Daily Mail.

To repeat. If you don't want a fixed penalty, don't exceed the speed limit and don't drive while conversing on a mobile phone. I'm not being holier than thou about this - I've got three points on my licence for speeding, but I don't whinge and think it was the government taxing me by stealth - it was because I was driving at 40 in a 30. Margaret, you're a Tory - tell people to take responsibility for their actions instead of bleating about government conspiracies.
3

chippie lover,

toll booth 10/08/2008 03:26:41
Best way to get people attention is by hitting them where it hurts the most....
4

Dileas,

10/08/2008 08:19:47
It's Time - that Kenny MacAskill was replaced by someone who actually wants to tackle this enduring Labour legacy of being soft on real crime while hitting the motorist to try to create the perception that we still have a criminal justice system.
5

Mad Jock,

East Lothian 10/08/2008 08:36:07
The last time we saw a breakdown of motoring convictions, some 5 years ago, it showed a massive increase in speeding offences, and a drop on convictions for offences where actual police work was required, as opposed to a robot. Offences such as drink driving, no MOT or tax, dangerous driving, no insurance. Reliance on speed cameras was the root cause of this. With ANPR technology, the detection rates for driving with no tax, insurance and MOT have increased somewhat, but the re-offending rates, I suspect, are the same. The fines are no deterrence, as the sort of scum who get caught don't care if the fine is less than either the value of their car or the actual cost of insuring it. In other words, it's worth taking a chance.
Penalties for using a mobile phone, which, it has been suggested, is more dangerous than drink driving, are perhaps a little lenient, but still need a real policeman to stop and penalise a driver.
The traffic cops are doing the best that they can, but with limited or reduced resources. Paperwork takes them off the beat when they could be out dealing with offenders, and perhaps the fixed penalty is an easy way to reduce this.
I am sure that many of us have seen the cop pursuit shows on TV, and are somewhat enraged by the leniency of the courts. What is the point in banning a driver who has no licenece in the first place, and who obviously doesn't give a damn whether he has one or not. He's going to drive an untaxed, uninsured, no MOT car when he feels like it. The courts will slap him on the wrist, fine him £100 and ban him for another five years.
6

jarmon,

texas 10/08/2008 22:32:42
Hmmm...it sounds like the police there are like some of the ones here. Here the speed limit can be 35mph,you can be driving 30 mph,and get a ticket for going 40.

 

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