Police criticise weekend of driving 'madness'

Police in Grampian have criticised the driving of some young motorists after 28 cases of careless or drink-driving over the last weekend, describing it as ‘madness’.

Leslie Harrold, road safety manager for Grampian police, said that it was lucky no one had been killed in these incidents, one of which included a motorist travelling at 104mph.

He commented that many of these youngsters spend a lot of money while learning to drive and going through the process of passing their test: “They then throw all that away by driving in a dangerous manner…driving is a privilege that can be so easily lost.”

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Over and above driving bans, the penalties for careless and drink driving must reflect the fact that they put innocent people in mortal danger – at present they do not.”

Increased seatbelt fines from today

Drivers and passengers caught not wearing a seat belt will from today face a new on-the-spot penalty of £60.

Alan Campbell, the Home Office minister said: “By increasing the fixed penalty, we are sending a clear message to motorists that we will crack down on them if they are caught failing to take this vital safety precaution. This is not about taking money from motorists, it’s about doing all we can to keep the public safe on our roads.”

Illegal number plates face £60 fine

The penalty for displaying an illegal number plate has also been doubled to £60.
The greater use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras by the police has lead to an increase in the number of people using illegal number plates in order to evade detection. The police use the cameras to spot uninsured and stolen vehicles, but the software finds certain fonts, sizes and colours impossible to read.