From today, motorists face yet more laws designed to penalise them. Already they are subject to all manner of nonsense and now there is to be more.
Anyone caught, and caught is the operative word, using a mobile telephone or not wearing a seatbelt, will face higher 'on-the-spot' fines; should they dare to argue and refuse the instant penalty, they will no doubt face even harsher penalties in court, where there will be no mercy. Additionally, so-called 'tailgaters' or 'lane hoggers' will also face new 'on-the-spot' penalties, with fines of £100 and 3 penalty points being issued by police; again, should drivers wish to argue their case, the courts will no doubt take the word of the police rather than listen to the accused drivers and penalties are likely to be even more harsh.
In my view, 'on-the-spot' penalties are almost always wrong. The supposed offender is effectively accused, tried and sentenced without any opportunity to mount a defence, with every stage of their prosecution being managed by the same people; this cannot be justice, however it's defined. When it comes to the new offences of 'tailgating' and 'middle lane hogging', how will these be enforced ? As a rule, there are very few police vehicles on our roads and the roads themselves are often so busy that both offences will be almost impossible to either determine or take action on. How close will a driver have to be to the car in front, for how long and at what speed, to be accused of tailgating ? How long and under what specific conditions will a driver have to be in the middle lane in order to be accused of 'hogging' it ? These laws are little more than propaganda from a government desperate to be seen to be doing something, or anything, rather than nothing. They are, of course, also likely to be money-spinners as well, effectively just another tax on the already hard-pressed motorist.
Nonsense such as this is the mark of a government in terminal decline. May it soon be put out of its misery.
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