Speeding fines and driver awareness courses could soon cost you up to a third more
The penalty for speeding may increase to a minimum of £130, while the average driver retraining could set you back £120
DRIVERS may soon have to fork out up to a third more when they're caught speeding, taking the minimum fine up to £130.
Speed awareness courses, formally known as the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) could also see a £30 price hike - with the average four-hour training costing up to £120.
Alison Hernandez, the Police and Crime Commissioner who has taken a lead on road safety, has asked ministers to increase the speeding penalties.
PCC for Devon and Cornwall, Hernandez told her local BBC radio station that she'd like the extra funds diverted from the Treasury to the police departments that enforce and encourage road safety initiatives.
The minimum speeding fine is currently £100 - plus three penalty points - however, this could increase based on your weekly income up to a maximum of 175 per cent or £2,500 depending on speed and severity.
Meanwhile, some drivers are offered a speed awareness course if they meet certain criteria, which varies from region to region as well as its cost.
Hernandez also argues that, as punishments stand, the penalties for not wearing a seatbelt or littering from a car window could be higher than that of speeding, according to .
She said: "I believe the law-abiding public feel it is wholly appropriate that those who are caught breaking our laws and making the roads more dangerous for all of us should be helping to pay for road safety activities.
"It is the 'polluter pays' principle. An additional £20 or £30 per offender could really make a difference to our communities.
"We could increase the level of fines that are paid for motoring offences and divert some of that money back into police forces to support work on road safety. That money currently goes straight to the Treasury.
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"We could charge a levy or additional fee on people who take training courses in lieu of a fine and points, a point I recently raised with the Road Safety Minister.
"Some may say this is penalising the motorist unfairly and using enforcement to generate money. That is not true.
"If people stick to the law then it does not affect them. If they routinely break the law and drive in a dangerous way, then why shouldn't they help fund the additional activity we need to do to keep our communities safe on the roads?"