A new government service has been introduced allowing anyone who has been charged with a minor motoring offence, such as speeding, to make a plea online. The “Make a Plea” system was piloted from August last year in Manchester and, following this successful trial, where more than 1,200 people used the service, the government is to roll it out gradually across the rest of England and Wales from this month. The courts presently process thousands of minor motoring offences every year and this new scheme, which can be used as an alternative to the present methods of either court attendance or a postal plea has been designed to reduce case time and costs for the courts and the police, it will also allow the police to focus on those cases that are more complex and demanding and is part of plans by the government to modernise our courts. Mr Shailesh Vara is Courts Minister and he said “Digital technology gives us an opportunity to make the justice system simpler, clearer and faster – and part of this means reducing or removing the unnecessary movement of paper, and people, around the system.” Anyone wishing to enter their plea will be able to access the “Make a Plea” system via the secure website 24 hours a day; they will also be able to view the details of their case and any evidence against them. The new system will mean they may be able to avoid having to attend the court in person and anyone making a guilty plea may result in a discount on any fines imposed by the court. Mr Vara stated that “The new ‘Make a Plea’ service is reducing case time and costs for the courts and the police, ensuring that they can focus on the most complex cases. It makes it easy, simple and quick for people to access justice.”
The government is also giving consideration to extending this type of service to other low level crimes as part of key government objectives for improved use of digital technology, Mr Shailesh Vara said that “Wider modernisation of the courts has included investing £160 million in digital technology for courtrooms including video links, wifi and improved IT systems to end the system’s reliance on paper.”
For more information about the new “Make a Plea” system please visit the government website at Make A Plea
Special thanks Lee Haywood for providing the image.
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It is now just over a year since we saw the introduction of Fixed Penalty Notices for careless driving; a recent survey for the AA shows that around 74% of drivers have noticed no change at all in the behaviour of other drivers.
Tailgating is one of the top hates of UK motorists and it is included among the less serious offences that could result in the issue of a Fixed Penalty Notice, middle lane hogging and using a mobile phone whilst at the wheel are also examples of less serious offences of careless driving for which a Fixed Penalty Notice might be issued.
Although careless driving has actually been an offence for many years the police were only given the power to fine offenders for less serious breaches of the law a year ago, however there has been concerns voiced about how effective the new Fixed Penalty Notices can prove to be if the police are not prepared to enforce them. The Automobile Association Head of roads policy, Paul Watters, said “Careless driving has been an offence since the eighties, but it was hoped that giving police the power to fine people for less serious examples of it would encourage drivers to change their behaviour, without clogging up the courts.” Mr Watters added “These results show that enforcement must be a priority if these green shoots of progress are to be maintained.”
So just how effective have these new police powers proven to be so far? Well so far it seems that the new rules are having a small but positive effect, with almost a third of drivers saying that they have taken note of the new law and have changed their driving accordingly. The survey results show that those drivers who have modified their driving after the change in the rules vary quite significantly according to which area of the UK they live, for example, the greatest proportion – at 32% – of drivers who are most likely to say they are making reductions in tailgating, etc live in the North West of England, whereas those who live in Scotland are the least likely to make any changes at 26%.
Will a more visible police presence make a difference? It appears that most members of the AA certainly think so, 82% feel that this is crucial! There is quite a contrast between age groups however; with 66% of drivers aged 18-25 feeling that a more visible police presence will make a difference, compared to 85% of those aged over 65.
Hopefully these new police powers will continue to make a positive impact on the behaviour of those motorists who annoy most of us with their poor driving, Paul Watters said “Tailgating, middle lane hogging and using a mobile phone at the wheel are the top pet hates of driver. Not only are they an irritant, but they are dangerous and the only real and sustainable way to curb these behaviours is through detection, enforcement and ideally with warnings and education as a starting point.” We couldn’t agree more.
Special Thanks Axion23 for providing the image.
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If you are about to go on holiday to Europe and intend to drive then you had better make sure you stay within the law, Brussels is watching you! British motorists can now be pursued through the European courts if they are caught committing any of a variety of motoring offences whilst driving on the continent, new powers granted to the police across Europe will allow them the right to access details of British drivers from our very own Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). This latest clamp down by Brussels is the result of a ruling by the European Court of Justice and is due to begin within the year, the UK had opted out but the ruling meant that this opt out was overturned. This new ruling unfortunately has not taken into account the fact that driving laws and restrictions differ across the whole of Europe, along with levels of enforcement and penalties. British motoring groups, such as the AA, have described the ruling as a nightmare, Edmund King, President of the AA said “Our Government should indeed oppose this at all costs. It’s a nightmare. It opens up a hornets’ nest.” He also said “There is not a level playing field across Europe in terms of penalties and regulations and levels of enforcement.” He added “Here in Britain we have speed awareness courses for first-time speeders. Other countries don’t.” The AA have also suggested that there is already evidence of French police targeting British drivers, pointing to the disproportionate number of speed cameras that can be found on roads leading to channel ports. So which particular offences are included in this latest Brussels clamp down? If you are caught on camera whilst committing offences including those such as speeding, failing to stop for a red light and using a mobile phone whilst driving you will receive a fine through the post, if you do not pay the fine then the matter may well be pursued through the European courts. Under current rules a British motorist who commits a motoring offence whilst on the European continent can only be fined by the police if they have been actually pulled over by a police officer, the officer would be able to issue a fixed penalty or even insist the offender accompany him/her to the nearest ATM to pay the fine immediately. The current rules do not extend to British motorists who commit motoring offences that are caught on camera. The European Commission said “The measure will also mean UK police forces can collect fines due from drivers from other parts of Europe.”
Special thanks Shaun Dunmall for providing the image.
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Middle lane hogging, tailgating and using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving are the top three pet hates of law abiding motorists in the UK but now these anti-social drivers are facing a crack down Police have been granted new powers that are intended to cut through bureaucracy, until now the only way to deal with anti-social behaviour on our roads has been through expensive and time consuming court procedures, now driving in an anti-social way can prove very expensive with the introduction of new legislation that will enable police to issue on the spot fixed penalty notices Anti-social drivers will now face fines of £100 and a three point penalty on their licence, offences are to include hogging the middle lane, driving whilst using a hand held mobile phone, tailgating, cutting up other motorists, failing to give way at a junction and using the wrong lane on a roundabout.
Although some of the changes may be considered controversial, such as middle lane cruising and incorrect use of roundabouts, they have been broadly welcomed by motoring organisations, who say that this kind of anti-social behaviour is costing lives and the new powers will free up valuable resources and make our roads safer
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