Anthony Bangham, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on road parking, has called for an end to the 10% buffer used at present for motorists who are going over the speed limit. Currently set at 10mph + 2%, this gives motorists a little leeway for things such as out of calibration speedometers (which are very common) or if they accidentally speed whilst overtaking, but taking this away will remove any such leeway.
Bangham’s reasoning behind his statement is that the public need to be “embarrassed when they get caught…they need to understand the law is set at the limit for a reason. They should not come whinging to us about getting caught. If booked at 35 or 34 or 33 (in a 30mph zone) that cannot be unfair because they are breaking the law.” That’s fair enough for those who purposely speed, but we doubt even Bangham could put his hand on his heart and say he has never accidentally gone 1mph over the speed limit.
The other thing to consider is the increased risk of accidents; with motorists fearing fines, will we be seeing slower drivers and related accidents via overtaking? What about sharp braking as people see their speedo heading to 1mph over the speed limit? Bearing in mind that not everyone has cruise control, people would be wise to err on the side of caution and remain slightly below the speed limit than try to be dead on and accidentally go over. Whether this would cause more road rage than is already seen on our roads remains to be seen.
Sir Greg Knight, Tory MP, has warned against this, saying this would be an “overly aggressive policy against drivers”. He went on to say that this would, in essence, make criminals of motorists who were trying to obey the speed limit whilst keeping an eye on the road. It certainly wouldn’t win Bangham many fans, especially with the increases in fine amounts that were introduced last year. With the minimum penalty now set at £100 and 3 points on your license, many would find it very unfair to be slapped with such a fine for a small, accidental error.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
