saw on the news this morning that traffic police might be given the power to give on the spot £80-100 fine and 3points to careless drivers instead of having to take them to court about it.

I'm all for it tbh. The amount of close calls I've had due to retards either being on their phone or just generally not knowing how to drive and cutting me up and not indicating ECT.. Is ridiculous. Maybe this will get them off the road?

What do you lot think?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13356057

Not a fan, police will have too much power, give out fines and points for whatever they want.

I noticed that one of the offences is undertaking.

So if some retard is doing 60 in the middle lane of the motorway, with nothing to the left of him. I'm the one in the wrong for using the empty first lane instead of waiting with the rest of the motorway to get past him on the right?

Bad times imo, although some old bill are professional and do their jobs properly there are also some power crazed wankers that will happily do you for some bullshitting made up offence just because they are having a bad day. Points are a very serious punishment that should only be handed out by courts (if its proven you have done wrong) or by the dvla (or who ever it is) when done by a camera. Making the police judge and jury is a crazy idea imo.

Also they are discussing making.drivers remake their tests if they get banned, which in theory is a good idea, but it could have a flipside where banned drivers just think 'fuck it I don't have a licence any more' and carry on driving. Although this is where the courts need to do their bit by giving out harsher sentences if they do.

all this means is if you get pulled by a police officer having a bad day and feels like taking it out on someone else they can fine you without proper evidence

...they can fine you without proper evidence

Exactly, innocent until proven guilty.

...they can fine you without proper evidence

Exactly, innocent until proven guilty.

thats been the case with section 59s for years. non disputable too so a cop on a bad day can fuck you over =[ as I've found out

I notice the Sun are reporting this in their usual balanced and gracious manner 'BOY RACER WAR!, £100 crack down on danger driver's'

yet again a stupid idea, as the fact still remains there are not enough police officers to enforce it or make a difference.

In the last 10 years of me driving, i have seen people drive like idiots around me, and not once has the combination of idiot and police officer ever happened.

So it will change nothing, only aggravate drivers even more.

I have said a good plan would be to make a specific traffic force, say 30 vehicles (unmarked), with officers to match. Cameras all around the car recording.

They patrol each city daily, the usual busy routes. If they see someone say, change lanes without indicating, drifting, jumping lights.

They pull them over, show them the footage, fine them say £50 but no points.

They can contest it, if they genuinely think they did not do wrong, which will result in it going to court and if proven guilty they get a bigger fine.

It is revenue that will flow in, and for once be coming from the right "bad drivers". The worry of knowing that they may be about, will also make people take that little bit more care that they can so easily get away with now, and when they introduce their silly new idea.

pull them over, show them the footage, fine them say £50 but no points.

i think this is a good idea, repeat offenders should be £50 x however many offences

i.e. no previous careless £50

1 previous, £100

2 previous, £150 etc etc.

Is it not disputable then? I thought it was..

I think we should do what the Australians have done, which is a fine if you're caught driving in the overtaking lane not overtaking anyything. They're talking about this on Jeremy vines show on radio 2 right now btw

i.e. no previous careless £50

1 previous, £100

2 previous, £150 etc etc.

Perfectly logical system, and the money collectors can't complain either.

or even so just keep it the same fine, the smarmy cocky drivers who have more money than sense can keep driving like nice people in my book as long as they are paying for the privilege.

When they have a big accident and kill someone, this will be back to the normal laws already in existence, but when they check their record and it shows up with the 3 or 4 fines i outlined before, that can go towards judging the case.

also, why not use this information to power insurance prices too, if you have no fines you get a better rate, again hit the shit drivers where it hurts them, basically telling them, drive safer you get cheaper insurance. (i know they say it currently, but hell we know it does not)

Make it a law that if you have a clean license without the fines i said before you get a certain discount on any insurance quote.

I am sure insurance companies would be angry at it, but they are turning into the banks of the insurance world, dictating to us what we pay.

^^^but that's what they do already but instead of fines it's points, more point higher insurance.

i'm not sure they are allowed to take past offences into account when passing judgement? i've seen it a few times in newspapers where they say that some thing was with held from the jury until after sentencing incase it swayed their judgement on the case at hand. must admit tho i have no experience or knowledge of this it's just what i assume from the papers.

tbh i don't think there is any thing wrong with the current system except as pointed out the lack of police. when i was 17 you would see old bill cars all the time (most of the time pulling us ), but now i can do a weeks driving without seeing one of them.

i don't think the police (as individuals) should be given the job of judge and jury, some of them just can't be trusted with that responsibility. people may say that if it can be contested it's not so bad, but is it? really? if you contest say a charge of undertaking where you've been given 3 points and a £100 fine, if it's your word against a coppers who do you think they will believe? a young driver in a modified car or a police officer with 20 years experience? how are you going to prove that you weren't under taking? every one in the other cars around you would of just carried on on their journey so there won't be any witnesses.

but as it is i can't see it being a problem for most people because there really isn't enough police on the beat to enforce this, but i'd be pissed if my nice clean licence got tainted with points because some unprofessional plod was having a bad day

For me the fact they want to do this, plus charging crims by post is worrying

I can envisage the day when you get £100 fines plus points because some jobsworth has watched you on CCTV lol

For me the fact they want to do this, plus charging crims by post is worrying

I can envisage the day when you get £100 fines plus points because some jobsworth has watched you on CCTV lol

it wasn't me driving officer

The current system isnt flawed at all.

Takes a bit more time through courts but that is democracy and justice.

You cant just give a conviction (driving or whatever) without it at least going to court.

On a similar note, i heard in the same story on Radio 1 this morning that they are trying to sort out a gradual licence so that in the first year you cant drive on a motorway, carry passengers under 25 or drive at night.

I know no one who is introducing this will ever read this but just incase it gets googled or some shit:

You people need to have a long look at yourselves in the mirror. You have all grown up, enjoying the benefits given to you throughout the 50s 60s and 70s where youths had power. You had money for the first time and you know what you spent it on??? Cars and hanging out with friends.

Now you are over the fucking hill you have turned bitter and twisted at anyone younger than you and are convinced they are the cause of all your problems.

You drove when you were 17, no one told you who you can drive, when you can drive, where you can drive.

Get your old, useless nose out of everybodies business and teach the youngsters how to be better, dont just put them in a cell and say "well now you cant cause a problem"

I bet if the 17 year old version of you saw you now, he/she probably wouldnt have bothered carrying on anyway.

Sorry for the rant, just needed to express it to people who would hopefully understand.

And before anyone asks, I'm 23 and have a licence, these changed wont affect me in the slightest.

I am assuming they would have to have video evidence to support it as the system could be abused by the law ? Its just another way of getting added revenue from the car driver as if insurance and road tax isnt enough ?

I am assuming they would have to have video evidence to support it as the system could be abused by the law ? Its just another way of getting added revenue from the car driver as if insurance and road tax isnt enough ?

yes, they get enough in tax and insurance, but if this was brought in, surely that would cause insurance to fall not go up as much...?

They say tailgating will be an offence.

So you're in your 1.0 maybe 1.3 Polo driving down a country lane, and your being held up by some moron doing 35mph.

You know your little polo is totally gutless, but there's a straight coming up and you know if its clear you can do him.

So you're sitting close behind the slow car in 2nd, maybe 3ed screaming the engine, round the corner onto the straight and punch it to over take the slow car then BOOM.

Cop shop on patrol, says your tailgating and driving aggressively. £50 fine.

I'd be furious.

seriously? thats a classic example of why the law will be introduced

This is the world we live in today Gents, the government just need MORE MONIIEESS as easily as is humanly possible. They'll be making millions! Driver makes a slight mistake, oop £100, 3 points which means even more money for the insurance companies too! Win win situation, no?

Bunch of total and utter TWATS.

Edited 11 May, 201115 yr by Iscariot

its all a con,the bigbrother rip off machine just rolls on and on...

Seriously? That's a classic example of why the law will be introduced.

The point is that driving style is necessitated by the low power output of these vehicles, and not malicious attempt to intimidate the driver in front speed up.

In a more powerful car you can easily hang back and just glide past people without thrashing your car to the limiter.

Having commuted in both lower and higher powered vehicles, I know if you want to make progress in a smaller car you have to plan your overtakes before hand otherwise you'll be going nowhere fast. Literally.

In the above example, if the straight wasn't clear you'd drop back until the next overtaking opportunity.

In the above example, if the straight wasn't clear you'd drop back...

...to get the drop on the slow moving nob head