Police won’t back off on fines for drivers going 1mph over limit
MOTORISTS could still face fines for travelling at just 1mph over the speed limit despite a furious public backlash.
Chief constables have commissioned a review into the ‘buffer zone’ that protects drivers from punishment if they go slightly too fast.
The top officer responsible for national roads policing is pushing a tougher approach amid fears over the number of death and injuries.
Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said informally-adopted guidance leads many drivers to think ‘it is OK to speed’. In private meetings he has questioned whether the ‘ implicit acceptance of excess speed’ above the official limit remains acceptable.
But senior colleagues want the focus to remain on preventing motorists speeding in the first place rather than a heavy-handed enforcing of the law.
The decision to hold a review comes despite a public outcry earlier this year over hugely controversial plans for a zero-tolerance approach to speeding.
It follows an apparent public climbdown from Mr Bangham who said he did not support a draconian crackdown.
And he has admitted it would not be ‘proportionate or achievable’ to put thousands of road users before the courts for everyday driving.
The move to abolish the buffer could lead to thousands of extra drivers facing speed awareness courses, tickets and even prosecution for marginal offences. Its proposal led to fellow officers of all ranks, campaign groups and lawyers hitting back, branding the plans unenforceable ‘madness’.
Some pointed out that proceedings would lead to legal wrangling over the accuracy of speedometers and police radar guns. And that in many situations, including motorways, creeping over the limit by a small amount is unlikely to put anyone at increased risk.
Drivers are effectively allowed to speed within a ‘ buffer zone’ calculated by increasing the speed limit by 10 per cent plus 2mph. This means that a motorist could
‘Encouraging speeding’
go up to 35mph with impunity in a 30mph area, and as fast as 79mph on a motorway.
Anyone caught going marginally above this buffer zone for the first time will be allowed to take a speed awareness course. Repeat offenders will be given a £100 fixed penalty notice and three points on their licence and those who travel faster face a court summons.
In a paper presented in April, Mr Bangham said fatalities increased by 4 per cent in 2016 after years of decline. He noted public support for tough action against drink-drivers and those who use mobiles at the wheel.
But crackdowns on speeders are ‘actively resisted’ despite the fact speeding was a factor in 15 per cent of fatal crashes in 2015. Mr Bangham added: ‘The existing speed enforcement guidance (in particular the now publicly stated 10 per cent + 2 allowance) could in fact be encouraging driving at these more dangerous higher speeds rather than the actual speed limits.
‘If properly understood and applied, the guidance may provide forces with the necessary flexibility but over time its rigid application and understanding are often misunderstood, with an expectation that the “norm” is “it is OK to speed”.’
Mr Bangham faces opposition from other police leaders who are also concerned at losing public support if motorists suspect they were being treated as cash cows.