Camera-dodging drivers face new fines

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Car Rental News - 18/11/2010

 

The penalty for obscuring car number plates is being doubled.

From February, drivers who obscure the number plates on their vehicles will be hit with a fine of £60. The penalty is going up from the present £30.

The increased penalty is designed to punish motorists who take deliberate steps to prevent their detection by speed cameras or automatic registration recognition cameras employed by police. Motoring organizations welcomed the move.

Drivers from abroad found committing number plate or seatbelt offences are to be hit with higher on-the-spot fines of £60. This is being done in order to close a loophole that currently allows foreign drivers to escape being prosecuted in British courts.

Speaking on Monday, Mike Penning, who is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, said the new fines will ensure the law is enforced ‘fairly and proportionately’. Mr Penning added that updating the legislation is going to ensure that penalties levied for all number plate offences are consistent.

Motorcycles found to have insufficient tread depth will land their riders with new fines of £120, double the current level. This brings the penalty in line with those levied against other non-commercial vehicles. The new fines come into force on 1 February, 2011.

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