Government proposes variable speeding fines

The government is planning to introduce a flexible system of speeding penalties.

09:45 16 May 2004

The government is planning to introduce a flexible system of speeding penalties.

The Department of Transport says a consultation exercise on the scheme will begin after the local and European elections in June.

Under the proposals, motorists caught driving way over the speed limit face up to six points on their licence; while those caught driving just marginally over the limit will be given as few as two points.

The new plans will be outlined next month. Motorists currently receive three points on their licence if caught speeding, regardless of how fast they were going, and an automatic ban is handed to anyone who accumulates 12 points, or four offences, within three years.

However, with 30,000 motorists suspended in 2002, ministers are worried that people who need their licence for work are losing their livelihoods.

Many motorists are becoming frustrated by the increased use of speed cameras, with critics arguing that they have more to do with the Treasury's coffers than road safety.

Announcing the new plans, transport secretary Alistair Darling insisted that cameras contributed to safety on the road.

"Independent research shows that they reduce death and serious injury by 35 per cent at sites where they have been placed," he said.

"We must reduce speeding but the public must have confidence that the punishment fits the crime."