Jury out on spot fines
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New proposals to expand roadside penalties meet a mixed reception from CM's operators'
panel. Pat Hagan reports.
haulage is foreign drivers fleeing the country to avoid prosecution after being stopped — and crucially the plans include measures to crack down on rogue foreign drivers.
Under the proposals, any foreign driver suspected of an offence too serious to be punished by a fixed penalty will have to pay a roadside deposit of £300 per offence. If they do not turn up at court to challenge the offence, they will THE CONCERNS lose that deposit. But will the scheme simply be a revenue-raising exercise for Vosa, as Aradical new system of on-the-spot pensome of CM's operators' panel alties and endorsements being considsuspect, or a fairer system that ered by the Department for Transport saves operators from the inconcould have repercussions for all drivers and sistencies of court rulings?
operators in the road haulage industry.
The plans, up for consultation until 30August, would allow the police and Vosa officials to impose instant fines and endorsements as an alternative to court. At present only the police can impose fixed penalties. These are for a limited number of offences, some of them endorsable. Most are for speeding and attract a £60 fixed penalty with three penalty points.
The proposals radically expand the range of penalties and suggest a graduated scheme,starting at around £30 for a minor offence such as an incomplete tachograph centrefteld or an engine oil leak, up to £200 for a more serious offence such as a tachograph not being fitted in line with regulations. In between will be a range of fines to cover a host of offences. mostly linked to tachograph and drivers' hours failings.
One of the biggest bones of contention in