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DRIVERS MAKE A PENALTY POINT
Poll finds the majority of us have lost faith in the system
By Ian Dow
THE majority of drivers think penalty points are an ineffective and unfair way of dealing with speeders.
Two out of three motorists quizzed in a recent poll said the penalty point system didn't deter people from breaking the law, while only one in six thought speed cameras promoted road safety.
The research, conducted by insurance intermediary The A&A Group, also showed the youngest drivers - 16 to 25-year-olds - had the highest average number of points - seven - on their licences.
That number dropped to just over five for 26 to 34-year-olds, 4.5 for 35 to 50-year-olds and three for those aged 50 and over.
Tony Allen, chief executive of The A&A Group, said: "It is time for a debate on how best to police the roads in an era when roadside officers are being replaced by mechanised cameras.
"Often no account is taken of the circumstances of the offence. We recognise the difference between someone caught doing 85mph on a motorway and someone doing 50mph in a school zone.
"Motorists have lost faith in the points system, so now is the time to take a fresh look at how best to police the roads and punish people who break the laws according to the severity of the offence. An alternative idea is stepped penalty points - the further over the speed limit the more points. This could even be tweaked for different roads so, for instance, much harsher penalties and smaller margins for roads near schools."
He added t h a t speeding drivers should be educated rather than criminalised.
He explained: "Another option might be to offer, where applicable, speed awareness courses as an alternative to a fixed penalty and points. Under this rule the £60 fine would be taken as payment for the course but the driver escapes points on their licence.
"Whichever way you look at it, the current system is simply criminalising drivers and an alternative needs to be found."
Paul Smith, founder of the Scotland-based Safe Speed road safety campaign, said: "There are major flaws and false assumptions in the claims made for speed cameras and the whole 'speed kills' system of road safety.
"The inescapable conclusion is that we should return to the excellent road safety policies which made our roads the safest in the world.
"That means a return to using highly-trained traffic officers who exercise discretion. They can issue a warning or charge a driver. They can identify the dangerous driver, the drunk dr i ver and the uninsured - all things that a camera can't do.
"Far from saving lives, speed cameras a re a dangerous distraction and are creating resentment against the police from people who would normally support them."
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