New Fixed Penalty Notices

Berlin Police Transport

Tomorrow, Friday 16th August 2013 sees the introduction in England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) of a new Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for careless driving and a rise in existing fixed penalty levels for most motoring offences.

These changes will NOT be introduced into Northern Ireland!

The Department for Transport (DfT) in GB states, “The changes will give the police powers to issue fixed penalty notices for careless driving, giving them greater flexibility in dealing with less serious careless driving offences – such as tailgating or middle lane hogging – and freeing them from resource-intensive court processes. The fixed penalty will also enable the police to offer educational training as an alternative to endorsement. Drivers will still be able to appeal any decision in court.

In addition, existing fixed penalty levels for most motoring offences – including using a mobile phone at the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt – will rise to £100 to bring them into line with the penalties for similar non-motoring fixed penalties.”

The changes which include:

  • not wearing protective headgear for motorcyclists – the £30 non-endorseable fixed penalty notice becomes £50
  • a non-endoresable (where the driver does not receive points on their licence) £30 fixed penalty notice will rise to £50
  • an endoresable (where points are given) £60 and non-endoresable fixed penalty notice will rise to £100
  • an endorseable £120 fixed penalty notice will rise to £200
  • the fixed penalty notice for driving with no insurance will rise from £200 to £300

come after a public consultation with road safety groups and police forces.  The consultation took place from 14th June 2012 to 5th September 2012.

The DfT also states, “As with other existing fixed penalty notice offences, such as speeding, police forces will also be able to offer careless drivers the option of remedial training.

Endorseable road traffic offences contribute to a significant number of casualties. For example, in 2011, excess speed contributed to 213 deaths and using a mobile phone while driving contributed to 374 road casualties.

Though penalty levels will increase, penalty points will not change. Fixed penalty notices for parking, waiting and obstruction offences will also remain unchanged.”

Chief Constable Suzette Davenport ACPO lead on roads policing said, “These measures should also act as a reminder to careless drivers that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

The vast majority of drivers are law abiding, but some are still not getting the message. The most serious examples will continue to go through court, where offenders may face higher penalties.”

Edmund King, AA President said, “We are also pleased to see that at long last new powers and fines will be given to the police to tackle the top three pet hates of drivers – tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle lane hogs.”

At Right To Ride we hope that the new FPN for careless driving will not be a failsafe easy option for examples of dangerous driving that still needs to be dealt with by the courts.

As mentioned above – these changes are not coming to Northern Ireland at this time.

However a review of penalties will be considered in Northern Ireland for road traffic offences committed here.  This review is a medium term measure in the DOE’s Road Safety Strategy to 2020.

Further work is also being completed after a recent consultation paper which sought views on proposals to introduce the mutual recognition of penalty points between Northern Ireland and Ireland for the offences of speeding, drink/drug driving, non-wearing of seatbelts and using a mobile phone while driving.

Original Source – Department for Transport (DfT) – Click Here

Information & Links

PSNI – Fixed Penalty Offence Codes – Click Here
nidirect government services – Endorsements and penalty points – Click Here
Northern Ireland Courts And Tribunals Service – Fixed Penalties – Click Here

New offences and changes to penalty levels in Great Britain

(Effective from 16 August 2013)

The police get new powers to issue fixed penalty notices for careless driving offences which have previously only been dealt with in court.  This gives them greater flexibility to deal with less serious offences like tailgating and middle lane hogging.  The police will be able to offer educational training as an alternative to endorsement and drivers will still be able to appeal any decision in court.

£30 non-endorseable FPN becomes £50

Examples include:

  • Neglect of traffic regulations (e.g. failing to conform to traffic signs – give way, roundabout vehicle priority, box junction road markings)
  • Negligent use of motor vehicle (e.g. not in proper control, driver not having full view ahead, opening door as to cause injury)
  • Vehicle registration and excise licence offences (e.g. not displaying tax disc, registration mark not easily
  • Motorway offences (e.g. stopping vehicle on hard shoulder)
  • Vehicle or Part in Dangerous of defective condition (e.g. windows not clear and unobstructed, no windscreen wipers)
  • Neglect of Pedestrian Rights (e.g. driving elsewhere than on the road)
  • Lighting offences (e.g. lamps not showing steady light, misuse of head/fog lamps)
  • Noise offences (e.g. causing unnecessary noise, sounding horn at night)
  • Load offences (e.g. exceeding weight restriction)
  • Cycle and motorcycle offences (e.g. cycle on foot path, not wearing protective headgear for motorcyclists)

£60 endorseable FPN becomes £100

Examples include:

  • Using a mobile phone whilst driving
  • Speeding offences
  • Motorway offences (e.g. reversing on a motorway, driving on hard shoulder/central reservation)
  • Careless driving (e.g. tailgating, middle lane hogging)
  • Neglect of traffic directions (e.g. not stopping at red traffic light)
  • Neglect of Pedestrian Rights (e.g. stopping within limits of zebra/pelican/puffin crossing)
  • Load offences (e.g. danger of injury due to number of passengers or manner in which they are carried)
  • Motorcycle offences (e.g. carrying more than one passenger)

£60 non-endorseable FPN becomes £100

Examples include:

  • Failure to wear a seat belt whilst driving
  • Vehicle test offence (use of motor vehicle without test certificate)
  • Miscellaneous offences (failure to display vehicle licence)

£120 endorseable FPN becomes £200

  • Duty to identify driver

£200 endorseable FPN becomes £300

  • Driving without third party insurance

Source the AA – Click Here

Share Button

Comments Will No Longer Be Posted

  1. Must say that i have never known anyone being done for tailgating… it seems that there is no graph to indicate at what distance the following vehicle should be relative to the vehicles speed.
    What happens when a vehicle is overtaken, as i have been ,when doing 60 mph or so on a motorway and the overtaking vehicle then cuts me up by returning to my lane some 20 ft ahead of me.[ generally without need to do so ie; getting out of the way of any other faster moving vehicle]
    I would be guilty of tailgating unless i slow as directed by the Highway Code. Yes it tells me to and at what point will i no longer be considered tailgating. Add to this surely if someone cuts in front of me and that causes me to brake or swerve or otherwise slow down then arent they then guilty of driving without reasonable consideration. It happens all the time.
    Further about middle lane hogging what if the offending vehicle is travelling in that lane but at the maximum speed, would he be guilty of any offence as those that would wish to overtake would in themselves be breaking the law by speeding past him.
    Would the police please, please go out onto our motorways and report each and every HGV for both of those offence. One….Tailgating….. as they can usually be found following another HGV [ slip streaming] by about 20 ft or so. and second] travelling at 1 mph faster than the vehicle being overtaken , or not, usually not and blocking up two lanes of the motorway thus causing considerable dangerous congestion behind where vehicles pile up into a constant tailback of other vehicles all tailgating as they have to slow due to the actions of the HGV drivers.
    Eventually after several miles they sort out who is the fastest and traffic continues to speed up and eventually when one gets further down that motorway one wonders what on earth had caused the blockage in the first place. There being no sign of any incident or accident anywhere to be seen.

Speak Your Mind

*