Error parsing XSLT file: \xslt\FacebookOpenGraph.xslt UK drivers to face driving offence fines from abroad
Cookies on Businesscar

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time

BusinessCar magazine website email Awards mobile

The start point for the best source of fleet information

UK drivers to face driving offence fines from abroad

Date: 20 October 2014   |   Author:

UK drivers will be pursued for fines by European authorities when committing an offence abroad following a revision to cross-border rules.

Under the new rules, a UK-based driver caught speeding on camera in France would receive details of the fine when they got home.

The UK, Ireland and Denmark originally opted out of the Cross Border Enforcement Directive, which allows EU member states to share information on drivers to pursue speeding fines, in November last year. However, a revision by EU transport ministers has forced through legislation, which will mean all countries in the union must now comply.

The European Court of Justice has said member countries will have until May 2015 to prepare for the new legislation, but has extended the deadline to May 2017 for the UK, Ireland and Denmark to prepare for the changes.

A spokesman from the Department of Transport told BusinessCar: "We are now happy that information will be secure when shared between member states to pursue drivers and we will comply with this new directive."

Currently, drivers that are caught on the spot will be issued fines, but those caught on camera are not pursued when they return home.

A total of eight offences will be covered under the cross-border laws, including speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, jumping a red light, not wearing a seatbelt, not wearing a helmet on a motorbike, driving on the hard shoulder and using a mobile phone while driving.

The DfT will allow prosecuting authorities to perform a search using the full licence plate number of the vehicle committing the offence. Upon deciding whether to follow-up on the traffic offence in question, the authorities in the EU state will send a fine, written in the relevant language, to the owner of the vehicle.
According to the European Commission's statistics, non-resident drivers account for approximately 5% of road traffic in the EU. However, 15% of the number of detected speed offences are committed by non-resident drivers.

Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council, said: "These rules mean foreign-registered drivers are no longer able to ignore traffic laws safe in the knowledge that they won't be penalised when they return home. They are a smart way of deterring people from dangerous driving when they go abroad but will also help member states follow up on traffic offences when drivers put other people's lives at risk."



Share


Subscribe