Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers will be at risk of fixed penalties which can be issued on the spot by the police. The new measures announced by Department for Transport last week come into effect next month and give the police greater flexibility in dealing with these less serious driving offences and freeing them from the time consuming activity of taking drivers to court.

The fixed penalty will also enable the police to offer educational training as an alternative to endorsement. Drivers will still be able to appeal any decision in court.

At the same time DfT has also announced that existing fixed penalty levels for most motoring offences, including using a mobile phone at the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt, will rise to £100.

The fixed penalty for careless driving will be £100 with 3 points on the driver’s licence but the most serious examples will continue to go through court where offenders may face higher penalties.

Roads minister Stephen Hammond said: “Careless drivers are a menace and their negligence puts innocent people’s lives at risk. That is why we are making it easier for the Police to tackle problem drivers by allow them to immediately issue a fixed penalty notice rather than needing to take every offender to court.

Association of Chief Police Officers lead on roads policing chief constable Suzette Davenport said: “The new penalties are absolutely necessary to deal with drivers who are putting people’s lives at risk and police will not hesitate to enforce them.”

The AA welcomed the move. “We are pleased to see that at long last new powers and fines will be given to the police to tackle the top three pet hates of drivers – tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle lane hoggers,” said its president Edmund King.

(Photo: Google Maps)

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