According to Brake, the road safety charity, every day eight people are killed and nearly 10 times as many are seriously injured on the UK’s roads. Statistics like these emphasise the dangers of driving and yet there are still people up and down the country who increase their risk every day by speeding.
Speed cameras have become common place on our road network in an attempt to enforce safer driving. To increase their effectiveness, new transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, is keen to increase the number of cameras that measure average speed as a means of enforcing safer driving. But despite this, there are still too many drivers ignoring the rules of the road.
In a suburb of Norwich, residents are so concerned that they have taken a proactive approach to this issue, using radar guns to record vehicles speeding past their homes as part of a Speedwatch scheme. Members patrol the roads in the area and pass the details of speeding motorists to the police who then issue a warning letter to offenders.
This is a great initiative and the residents of Norwich will be joined by drivers across the UK in welcoming new Government proposals which could increase punishments for the most dangerous. The scheme effectively tips the balance on the side of the safe driver and could see the worst offenders banned from the roads after two indiscretions. In the Government’s consultation paper, being caught speeding just above the limit could result in a reduced penalty of two points while points for being significantly over will increase.
As things stand, most speeding offences are punished with a fixed penalty fine and three points. If adopted, the proposal is that “anti-social drivers” who are exceeding the speed limit by a serious amount will automatically get six points. The upshot is; get caught twice and you’re banned from driving.
The recommendations also go wider than just speeding. The Government is considering reducing the drink drive limit and creating formal drug-drive limits. It seems ridiculous that people are driving under the influence of illegal substances and some prescription drugs without being exposed to serious penalties, a situation that looks likely to change.
The number of people killed on British roads last year fell by 7% to just over 2940. This is real progress but there is no getting away from the fact that nearly 3000 deaths is a lot. These new proposals provide a sensible deterrant which could reduce this figure by identifying and dealing with the worst offenders on our roads. As ever, law abiding road users wont have a problem but irresponsible drivers. watch out.