10:33am Monday 31st August 2009
FOREIGN drivers will be given on-the-spot fines by Cumbria’s traffic police to stop them evading penalties.
From this week, officers have new powers to take cash or credit card details from motorists who commit driving offences.
Although all drivers will be subject to the new rules, the enhanced powers will be seen as particularly useful when foreign motorists break the law.
In some cases, drivers from outside the UK have escaped penalties simply by returning home.
Now Cumbria Police says officers will be trained to issue on-the-spot penalties to prevent that happening.
The legislation has been ntroduced across the UK to create a level playing field between UK and non-UK motorists to ensure every motorist is dealt with fairly.
Previously, officers were forced to arrest drivers who provided non-UK addresses for offences as there was no other alternative.
Fixed penalties will range from £60 to £300, depending on the nature and severity of the offence.
Non-UK motorists refusing to pay will not be allowed to continue their journey until payment has been made while drivers in the UK face fines and prosecution in the usual way.
Chief Inspector Kevin Greenhow, of Cumbria Police, said: “Our county’s roads are park of major networks that are used constantly by locals, tourists and hauliers.
“From now on we will be able to apply the law consistently and fairly so that every driver faces the same penalties when they commit offences.
“Before now, if motorists provided a non-UK addreses, we would have had to arrest them and take them into custody to ensure that we got the corect information to process court orders or fines.
“This new streamlined, speedy process allows all motorists to be confident that we are dealing with offences immediately to make our roads safe and it removes the frustration of motorists escaping fines or prosecution because of where they live.”
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/trade_directory/