CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Over 4,000 foreign drivers escape speeding offences in Scotland"
(9 posts)-
Posted 10 years ago #
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It would be interesting to know what proportion of total speeding offences these 4,000 represent.
I agree with this though:
IAM’s director of policy and research, Neil Greig said: “The high numbers of foreign speeders on our roads show how important it is that Scotland joins up with the rest of Europe to harmonise motoring offences and give the police extra powers to pursue dangerous drivers. Progress on this issue has been very slow and in the meantime thousands of drivers are avoiding fines and bans simply because their cars cannot be easily traced. By including cross border enforcement among new devolved powers the Scottish government could further enhance its road safety credentials and deliver safer roads even sooner”
Posted 10 years ago # -
According to this report, in 2013 "65,424 drivers were caught speeding" between April and December.
So that's 88,000 per year approximately? Thus foreign drivers are 4.5% of the total, approximately.
Posted 10 years ago # -
http://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/our-performance/ about 82,000 in 2013-4, but then in q1 of 2014-5 there were almost 12,000 less than in previous year, so about 70,000 detections of UK vehicles around the same time as 4,000 Foreign drivers. But statistics on monitoring speed cameras and traffic flows show about 86,000 vehicles exceeding the limit at camera sites on an average day (2011) IIRC.
Most of the 86,000 wouldn't have been above the threshold for prosecution although the Police and Government in Scotland say that is confidential.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Amazing how they can can trace drivers across borders, so difficult to do with modern technology <sarcasm>
A few years ago, the FAM(fast & modified) crowd from Norn Iron were going south to avoid penalty & tear up the ROI's roads. And vice versa for the ROI's FAMs.
Lo, the authorities harmonised the enforcement so that points incurred either side of the border are totted by the DVA or NDLS as appropriate to the driver's domicile.
Oh no, having started in Mar 2014. slated to finish end of 2014, it has stalled: "The mutual recognition of penalty points is a challenging project for which there is no agreed framework,"Posted 10 years ago # -
4,000 foreign drivers... and a million British drivers.
I don't see how a country that turns such a blind eye to speeding can complain about foreigners getting away with speeding.
PS My favourite example of "blind eye" was when the speed limit in the Southside was cut to 20mph... and a subsequent survey found around 2/3 of drivers were observed breaking the limit and that the average speed was over 20mph.
Posted 10 years ago # -
EN version -
Posted 10 years ago # -
Those silly foreigners. Don't know how to behave when they come over here.
Maybe there should be a guide book that tells them that, if they want to speed in Edinburgh without risking a fine, they should speed in Queen's Drive.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Just some sillyness to pass a cold lunch,
How is it determined these cars are foreign. Does some one inspect the pictures and look to see if the number plate is in an unusual format?
Are the foreign figures separate to the invalid? Or is this just any number that does not appear to come up or can’t be read?
Unless the vehicles are verified as foreign then would be an invalid.
If speed cameras just use the DVLA access, not the PNC then would expect more invalids in Edinburgh as more government.
Government cars can have “blocked or suppressed” plates that do not appear on the DVLA access this can be standard for some roles. Government workers, or in fact anyone in theory can get there can get their number plate blocked so it does not appear on the DVLA. Its typically government workers or people that work in outsourced things someone said on the internet.
MOD government departments, police, security, etc can have their own private car blocked or suppressed, as can MOD, government departments etc. Police, Army, government can ask their boss etc if can have plates blocked the forms on line for some police department web sites., for the public need to write to the DVLA fee paying department someone said on line.
I had a car drive in to the back of my car when it was parked outside my house 2 years ago one night the driver drunk crashing in to another car the in the street before parking I guess at least 10 miles an hour in to the back of my car. The car that crashed in to my car had blocked plates.
The insurance company could not access the number and said was invalid; the police were not allowed to give the details to the insurance company just Gallagher Basset a claims handling company after an £80 fee for a police report. Never got a pay out and because blocked, can’t get paid out the uninsured or untraced fund, because its not technically untraced just details can not be given to insurance.
I am not suggesting that all the cars are blocked or suppressed plates just that out of the invalids may be many plates that are not foreign unless verified as foreign.
Of course foreign cars may be more likely to break the law, from ignorance of the rules, or because know wont get a ticket, crown cars or private cars with blocked plates may be less inclined to worry about speed cameras also possibly. Diplomats, private cars, I went to buy the car that was the Chinese embassy persons old car, had never been mot or taxed or some previously as diplomats dont have to , in the end I decided not to, to avoid any complications with insurance. From uk government workers, to Scottish European workers private cars that not registered, to embassy employees to people that have number plates that are hard to actually read or get poor pictures.
I don’t know may be its just the queen that speeds a lot-). Not looked at this report but unless includes number that cant be read, invalids, and has some verification mechanism for foreign plates then may be its just bunches every “other” together.
The foreign cars that get tickets, how many are foreign people that do not live and work in Scotland.
It depends on how many speed cameras areas have, how different regions verify foreign cars. With freedom of information, the information sources can not always be checked not the same standard of information that is completely public but even if it is correct, and proper verifications not included invalids still small numbers out of general speeds.
Also some people who are aware they wont get a ticket, the Queen or Obama etc could drive around with foot to the board to save the inconvenience of slowing for speed cameras, prime ministers have “form” for speeding Tony Blair allowing his driver using the bus lane. It the sense that their business is more important than others the presidential Jag is not an emergency vehicle its not a police car, ambulance or fire truck. This sense of being too important to concern one self with the law does not just apply to prime ministers it’s a natural thing that everyone one thinks their own business is the most important thing, as it is to them.
Whether the prime minister gets to a meeting enhance future earnings or whether someone gets to the mill on time.
Someone may just save the inconvenience of slowing down for a speed camera. Is this one car speeding 4000 times or 4000 cars? Etc. There could implications for safety, if its one person they are probably safer than if 4000 as they have previous speeding experience, and how to address depending if independent events or linked.
In my ignorance tend to think quite a small issue as small numbers even if all foreign but I suppose is a bit sloppy that don’t have shared number plate system in Europe yet.
Until recently Uk cars could speed abroad but read somewhere some sort of joint agreement was being considered dont know if came to anything.
Its the left hand drive lorries I dont like, but thats more of a car problem on the motor way, on a bike a left turning european lorry may be safer.
Posted 10 years ago #
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