Tighter Speed Limit Enforcement in UK

Most drivers in the United Kingdom (UK) stick their driving lesson Liverpool within the speed limit, however if today they commit just a small margin of error previously allowed by the police for anyone who might unknowingly exceed the limit, they will face some penalties.

This has been traditionally set at 10 % plus two mph of the posted speed limit, so in a zone of 50 mph limit you would usually reach more than 57 mph before the police would issue a speeding fine. The figure was derived from five which is the 10 per cent of 50, plus two mph –all in all is 57 mph, the seven mph of which is an allowed error or excess.

However, UK’s police forces have already been set to do away with any margin of excess such as, for example, the seven mph previously allowed error for the 50 mph speed limit. The reason behind is to improve road safety at this time when the number of serious injuries and road fatalities has increased for the first time in many decades.

Another reason is the far greater improvement of accuracy of the speed cameras the police forces are now using to measure speed of the vehicles, as well as the increased usage of average-speed cameras that could offer a more precise or perfect measurement.

On the other hand, the police force in Scotland has recently announced it’s abandoning the previously given discretionary allowance, so any driver exceeding the speed limit by even one mph will face penalty.

If a motorist is again caught exceeding the speed limit even by a thin margin, he/she will be fined £100 and three points on his/her driving licence. For anyone exceeding the speed limit by a larger margin, the points and fine will be automatic.

Whilst the driver’s safety benefits of staying within the speed limit are obvious, campaigners for road safety said this could lead to some motorists who spend more time to watch their cars’ speedo than the road ahead, thus risking themselves of possible collision.

AA President Edmund King said that the UK needs motorists who can concentrate on what’s on the road ahead, not to always look at the speedo. If a driver exceeds the limit by two mph, he/she shouldn’t do it, but it’s better to do it unknowingly without often looking at the speedo and just stay focused on what’s going on around and on the road ahead.

Another concern of campaigners is about such unbending and rigid enforcement of speed limits. It could consequently tie up the courts with bulk of paperwork. Even with fines now automatically generated, the courts will still have to process every case.

Meanwhile, not all police officers have been convinced that the move to zero tolerance of driving over the speed limit is a better idea. Some police officers said it will eat up all of their time in the enforcement of other laws of the land, which will lead to some other offences to be left unattended.

Also, many police officers are worried that it will create a gap between the drivers and the police which could mean that many drivers won’t anymore be willing to help the police in some other matters of law enforcement.