Do Higher Fines Really Work to Reduce Your Speed?
The government is planning to increase speeding fines by more than 66 per cent from £60 to £100. At a time when many people in the UK are experiencing financial hardship, the proposal has puzzled many motoring experts. Excessive Speed Speed is one of the main causes of injury on roads throughout Britain. Claims for whiplash compensation often result from accidents in which motorists have driven too closely to others at excessive speeds and government officials are keen to reduce the impact of compensation claims on the UK economy. Curbing speed, it is thought, should help to reduce accident rates. Deterrent or Disingenuous? Justice Secretary Ken Clarke estimates that raising fines for speeding motorists will generate an additional £30 million every year. The money, he argues, could be used to compensate crime victims. However, a victim's surcharge of £15 is already levied on offenders who are fined in court and there has been no suggestion that the surcharge will be altered t