Excessive Speed
Speed is one of the main causes of injury on roads throughout Britain. Claims for whiplash compensation often result from accidents in which motorists have driven too closely to others at excessive speeds and government officials are keen to reduce the impact of compensation claims on the UK economy. Curbing speed, it is thought, should help to reduce accident rates.
Deterrent or Disingenuous?
Justice Secretary Ken Clarke estimates that raising fines for speeding motorists will generate an additional £30 million every year. The money, he argues, could be used to compensate crime victims. However, a victim's surcharge of £15 is already levied on offenders who are fined in court and there has been no suggestion that the surcharge will be altered to accommodate the proposed £40 rise in speeding fines. Critics, therefore, have condemned the government for planning to introduce another so-called stealth tax when motorists are already suffering from the effects of higher insurance premiums.
The increase might appear to be a veiled attempt to raise cash by a cash-strapped government, but will it also serve as a deterrent for speeding motorists? The simple answer is maybe. Nobody can predict how drivers will respond to the threat of a £100 speeding fine. Would law-breaking motorists suddenly change their driving habits if fines increase by £40? Is a £60 ticket not a sufficient deterrent? If not, would £100 be more effective? Why not £150 or £200? Why not £500? Though a line must be drawn somewhere, the principal objective of deterring dangerous driving perhaps ought not to assigned an arbitrary value.
Perhaps fines should not increase at all. It could also be argued that increasing fines to better support the victims of crime is futile. If more money were spent on policing the roads, installing speed cameras and improving road signage, would road traffic accidents not fall in proportion? Would fewer victims not require less support, thereby reducing their burden on the public purse? Claims for compensation have become an issue in the UK, so would it not be more prudent to propose ways in which the number of road accidents can be reduced rather than focus on fining offenders more?
Road Safety
Regardless of whether the proposed increase would serve as a deterrent or stealth tax, its reach would extend far beyond speeding motorists. In a bid to improve road safety, the rise in fines would also apply to motorists who fail to wear seatbelts and those who use mobile phones while driving. Drivers who ignore traffic signals and pedestrian crossings would also be affected by the increased penalty.
On this basis, it would be unreasonable to argue that higher fines are unfair, but on the issue of speeding the theory is less clear. Reported casualties among road users in Britain have been on the decline for a number of years. Speeding is still a serious problem in the UK, but traffic-calming measures, cameras and speed-awareness campaigns have already encouraged drivers to slow down. It remains to be seen whether higher fines would achieve the same.
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By Sophie Banat
