Tougher Penalties For Speeding Drivers To Be Announced

Tougher penalties for motorists caught speeding have been proposed by ministers in a bid to reduce road deaths.

Drivers who break the speed limit by a significant margin twice could be given six penalty points, meaning they would be banned from the roads after two offences, under the proposals.

Provisional figures showed this month that the number of people killed on the roads in spring this year fell by 20% compared with the same period in 2007. There were 580 fatalities in April – June, compared with 721 in the same three months last year.

In all of last year 2,946 people died, 57 of them child pedestrians.

Road Safety Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick said he believes more could be done to reduce the numbers further.

He said: "Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world and the number of people killed or hurt has fallen dramatically in the last decade. But too many people are still dying on our roads.

"To tackle this we must crack down on the most dangerous drivers - the selfish minority whose reckless behaviour can have a catastrophic impact on innocent victims and their families. But I am also clear we must ensure balance and not impact unnecessarily on the majority of motorists who drive safely.

He added: "The consultation I am launching today will send a very clear message to the dangerous minority that if they ignore the rules of the road, they will be caught, and they will be punished in a way that fits the crime."

Among the proposals announced, Mr Fitzpatrick said the government would provide £2 million to fund the introduction of new digital breath testing equipment, to help free up police resources, as well as helping the police introduce targeted drink drive checkpoints to strengthen deterrence.

Also, he is seeking views and evidence on the question of reducing the legal alcohol limit, on which he has a "completely open mind".

"We are proposing a major review of remedial training and testing schemes to ensure consistency and common standards," he added.

(JM)