Government targets careless drivers

London: Motorists are to be hit with on-the-spot fines of between £80 (Dh481) and £100 for careless driving as part of a major package of road safety laws being portrayed as a break from the previous government's supposed reliance on speed cameras.

The fixed penalty notices have been designed with a view to clamping down on "boy racers", who drive aggressively by tailgating, undertaking or cutting up fellow motorists, along with other offenders such as repeat law-breakers and those who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Ordinary motorists should not fear the tough new penalties, the government will insist in its overall road safety strategy - the Strategic Framework for Road Safety.

Distinction

"We want to make a clear distinction between those drivers who are a real danger to road safety — reckless, dangerous drivers and those who are merely occasionally careless or who make an honest mistake," Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said in the Daily Mail.

"That means much more emphasis on enforcement against those who represent the biggest risk and a big increase in the use of education for those who make minor transgressions."

He signalled a determined break with the previous administration's strategy.

However, the scrapping of grants to put up speed cameras sparked warnings last year from road safety campaigners who said that lives could be put at risk.

Additional measures in the package include re-tests for disqualified offenders before they regain their licence, an end to the right to request blood tests rather than breath tests for drink-driving, and seizures of vehicles belonging to the most dangerous offenders.

Other measures include a post-test qualification for new drivers to encourage lower insurance premiums.