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Published on: 03/08/2016 06:42 AMReported by: roving-eye
Liberal Democrats are complaining that thousands of foreign drivers who've
been caught speeding in Britain have escaped fines totalling £7.2 million
in the past 4 years because police have failed to track them down.The
police have also been unable to catch dangerous drivers from abroad who
have used their mobile phone at the wheels, driven without a licence and
ran red lights.
Over 7,300 foreign drivers have avoided paying fixed penalties – which
soared from £60 to £100 in August 2013.
These worrying figures mean dangerous drivers who could have faced court
for flouting traffic laws have been free to carry on driving down British
roads. Lib-Dem national leader Tim Farron MP said British taxpayers had
lost out as a result of an ‘unacceptable’ failure to find convicts.
He said: "We should not be losing over £7million in speeding fines, we need
to be doing much more to recoup that money."
"This lackadaisical out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude to this problem is
frankly unacceptable. ‘That cash could be used to fix our crumbling roads
or used to help bring down the sky high cost of motoring."
A Freedom of Information request to police forces across the country
revealed that Thames Valley was one of the worst forces for catching
drivers, with 9,234 speeding foreigners being let off. Greater Manchester
Police had 92 drivers running lights but never tracked them down, and
others who did not wear seat belts and failed to comply with traffic laws
were never found.
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No mention of the road safety aspect here, which in my opinion says that collecting fines is more important than improving road safety.
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If you look around Southport it's amazing how many right hand drive cars are around with PL/LT/LV plates on them....
Yet I'm pretty sure you can't register a RHD car in most of these countries, I am reliably informed that definitely in Lithuania one of the 'road worthiness' tests makes sure the steering wheel is on the 'correct side'.
I suggest SOME (by no means all) of our newer neighbours having brought a car over with them and got away without Tax/Insurance/MOT for a while have had their cars get too old so have transferred plates.
The UK law is quite clear....If a car is here for 6Months or more (does not have to be continuous) it must be re registered over here.
Since I last moved 8 years ago there has been a blue escort on Claremont Rd with BG plates and there is no way it would pass an MOT now....The same people have just bought a RHD 4x4 with BG plates...for example.
It is DIFERRENTIAL treatment that causes race related tensions...Its not about petty complaining, it's in the British nature to want 'fair play' to be seen...
It's the same reason people complain about 'travellers' , they seem to gat away with things tax paying citizens with a known address can't.
It's the same reason people complain about differing dress code rules in schools (Muslim headwear etc).
And it's the same reason people have issues with illegal immegrants working cash in hand and not having to pay tax etc as others do and obviously being able to undercut legitimate workers who would have to pay..
It's all too easy for anyone with an 'agenda' or the PC brigade to label a societies wish for equal treatment and application of laws/rules as Racism...it's not. It's the basis of a community and a democracy...
Ironically it's the fact that the people of this country have fought so hard for thousands of years to get where we are with a legal system, policing by consent, democracy and have the society we do that makes others want to travel half way around the world to live here...only to try and change it!
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I suppose there is a quit pro quo here i.e. how many UK drivers break the law while driving abroad and don’t bother to pay the fine. I know my nephew was stopped for speeding while driving a hired car in Florida he was a day from coming back to the UK, so he just ignored the fine – I don’t suppose he is the only one who has done this !
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But what does this "Call for" actually amount to? Will pressure be put on anyone to change the law? This seems like just an excuse for yet another press release - all Farron is doing is making a statement.
It is saddening how politicians (of all parties) assume that we are gullible enough to be impressed by this stuff.
Here's a suggestion for politicians - rather than "calling for" something (or, even worse, "slamming" it) - why don't you just get on and do something about it. And then tell us about your successes.
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peterv6153
I agree but fines are tip of the iceberg and seperate issue....I bet the hire car was tested as roadworthy, taxed and insured......
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Originally Posted by
roving-eye
Liberal Democrats are complaining
No surprise there then....
Given that this come across as more about money than safety they'd be better "calling" for the diplomats to pay up given the fines racked up are much higher:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/uk-owed-mor...lomats-1571869
As for helping lower the sky high cost of motoring what would £7m over 4 years do given road tax and fuel duty generates at least £32bn a year, £7m is a rounding error it wouldn't even cover 4 years of southports parking revenue if it all was focused nationally to the southport parking plight.
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