Speeding fines for overseas visitors

From today's "Daily Telegraph"

"Foreign drivers will face on the spot motoring fines from late next year as Britain falls into line with many other members of the European Union."

"The scheme will apply to non-arrestable roadside offences such as speeding ... "

I'm not usually a supporter of more regulations, nor of on-the-spot fines, but I do feel that this may help reform a minority of arrogant overseas drivers who knowingly break the law at the moment ...

A valid point Graham, and I agree that it's not right for those on foreign licenses/plates to deliberately flout the law knowing that it will be too much trouble for the authorities to follow up (and don't even get me started on the "diplomatic immunity" fiasco). 

I don't think the "on-the-spot" fines will be quite what people imagine them to be though, where a cop pulls over  a speeding driver and money is handed over then and there.   Such an arrangement would be unconstitutional under English law, since it would amount to a fine being imposed before conviction.   

There are already cases in those areas where parking enforcement has been handed over to local councils and the latter are trying to tell people that the fine must be paid with no option to go to court.     

I don't think the "on-the-spot" fines will be quite what people imagine them to be though, where a cop pulls over  a speeding driver and money is handed over then and there.   Such an arrangement would be unconstitutional under English law, since it would amount to a fine being imposed before conviction.

I didn't want to quote the whole article (copyright issues) ... but here's a bit more:

"Provision in the road safety bill will allow British police officers to demand a motorist who is unable to produce proof of a British address to leave a deposit equivalent to the maximum penalty a court can impose for the offence.   If the motorist is either cleared - should the case go to court - or a lesser fine be imposed, the difference will be refunded ....."

I don't know if that's what people would imagine ....