Motorists face £100 fines for hogging motorway middle-lanes and other offences

Police will issue £100 fixed penalty fines for new careless driving offences as well as increasing the fines for existing offences.

08:42 13 June 2013

New rules fining motorists who drive carelessly on main roads are coming in just in time for the summer rush, the government announced today.

 

The crackdown on anti-social motoring will see drivers facing on-the-spot fines of £100 for a range of offences including road users' pet hates of hogging the middle lane and tailgating.

The new fines will be introduced swiftly in July before Britain's motorways become crowded by holidaymakers getting away during the summer holidays.

Police will issue £100 fixed penalty fines for new careless driving offences as well as increasing the fines for existing offences.

The fines will target drivers who:

• Hog the middle lane of motorways
• Drive too close to the car in front, known as tailgating
• Cut-up other drivers
• Block the outside lane on a dual carriageway.

It is thought that only drivers who consistently behave in this way over half a mile or more will be targeted.

Fines for existing offences will rise from £60 to £100 for those who:

• Use a handheld mobile phone while at the wheel
• Jump red lights
• Fail to wear a seat belt.

They will also earn motorists three penalty points on their licence with the exception of the final offence of not wearing a seat belt.
All the fines will apply to those using motorways, dual carriageways and three-lane highways.

By issuing fines at the roadside, there will be no need to take the offenders to court and drivers will still be able to appeal to the courts if they feel the police's decision is wrong.

 
Serious examples of bad driving will still be taken to court while occasional offenders will be offered the chance to go on a driving course in the same way those who are repeatedly stopped for speeding are at the moment.

Stephen Hammond, road safety minister, said: "Careless drivers are a menace and their negligence puts innocent people's lives at risk. That is why we are making it easier for the police to tackle problem drivers by allowing them to immediately issue a fixed penalty notice rather than needing to take every offender to court."

Tim Shallcross of the Institute of Advanced Motorists commented: "For on-the-spot fines you need on-the-spot policemen."

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