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New motoring fines can now be applied

(13 posts)
  • Started 11 years ago by chdot
  • Latest reply from tammytroot

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Lane hogging and tailgating on-the-spot fines in force

    The fines apply in England, Wales and Scotland

    Careless drivers across Britain who hog lanes or tailgate can now be punished with on-the-spot police fines.

    Under the new measures, officers can issue £100 fines and three points rather than taking drivers to court.

    Ministers said it would make tackling problem motorists easier. The AA said a third of drivers risked facing a fine.

    Fixed penalties for a number of offences, including using a phone or not wearing a seatbelt while driving, have also risen from £60 to £100.

    "

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23713732

    That's SO unfair no balancing measures for cyclists...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Twelve million drivers admit breaking the law by driving in the middle lane

    "

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2391203/Millions-motorists-face-fined-range-sweeping-new-police-powers-tackle-careless-drivers.html

    "
    Motorists call for tougher fines for uninsured drivers

    "

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/10242977/Motorists-call-for-tougher-fines-for-uninsured-drivers.html

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. amir
    Member

    I always get surprised by the uproar over lane hogging. Yes, it may be considered antisocial - though by law it shouldn't be if the driver is lane hogging at the speed limit. But it isn't dangerous as aggressive tailgating and speeding. I am glad there's a crackdown on tailgating - the police could rake a fortune on the A720.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. AKen
    Member

    When I'm driving through Glasgow on the M8, there's no way I'm leaving the middle lane until I'm entirely ready to do so. Slip roads off the outside lane! Who ever thought that was a good idea?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. Darkerside
    Member

    Ooh, I prepped an article about this last night, in an odd moment of remembering...

    http://www.darkerside.org/2013/08/100-fine-for-careless-driving/

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. neddie
    Member

    On Forth FM this morning, Neil 'rent-a-quote' Greig said something along the lines of:

    "You get 5 people tailgating a slow vehicle so how will the police be able to pull them all over. What will happen is the one the at the back will get pulled and that will be seen as unfair. This will put a strain on police/driver relations..."

    So the fact they're all doing it, means it's unfair to punish anyone? Better to just let them all away with it and be Nice.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. Darkerside
    Member

    Surely you only tailgate the vehicle directly in front of you? Therefore they're all committing identical, independent offences, and it's pot luck who gets pulled over.

    The random element will presumably add a frisson of excitement to law-breaking.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. Kim
    Member

    The Institute of Advanced Morons are saying they support the introduction of fines but don't want them to be used. So nothing new there then, we still have the culture of the Sacred Driving Licence, it really is time it was stopped.

    The attitude that the police shouldn't enforce the law because it will be unpopular really is utterly ridiculous. When are we going to hear people saying "we can't prosecute car thieves because it might upset them"?

    It should also be remembered that IAM where one of the drivers behind the Nice Way Code...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. threefromleith
    Member

    I wondered how long it would be before someone posted a comment on the BBC story saying they should tackle cyclists who ignore the Highway Code, jump reds etc. And, true to form, someone did at around comment 1004 or so!

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. fimm
    Member

    @Darkerside does middle lane hogging come under "driving without due consideration for other road users"?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    Saw a BBC report on this at lunchtime and there was the classic line that the police wanted to ensure motorists it wasn't to 'penalise' them. There's so much 'softly softly' around anything to do with bad driving it's unreal.

    Tailgating is dangerous. End of story. And Neil Greig is just a moron of the highest order - how can you support the fines but not want to see them used? And ANY law is unfair if you judge its 'fairness' on whether everyone doing it gets caught or not.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. PS
    Member

    I'm interested in how they define "middle lane hogging" - How long would you need to stay in the middle lane to be seen as hogging it? What speed would you need to be doing to hog (as amir says, high 60s/70mph in the middle lane means you are not holding up any law abiding drivers).

    Unpredictability at high speed is dangerous, so the swerving in and out of lanes that you get from militant lane-hog-punishment-passers is way more dangerous than the individual sitting in the middle lane (and, after all, there is a third lane to overtake them in if you need it).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. tammytroot
    Member

    Agree with Aken, the motorway thru Glasgow is terrifying if you are not a regular user and I would feel safer hogging the middle lane until I got near my exit.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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