This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7086290.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Rising speed penalties pondered 'Tougher laws plan' for speeding
(about 10 hours later)
Drivers caught speeding could be given more penalty points on their licence depending on how much over the speed limit they are. Motorists caught driving well over the speed limit could face tougher penalties, under plans to be considered by the government.
Ministers are looking at a scheme under which the worst offenders would get six points on their driving licence. The worst offenders, such as those doing 45mph in a 30mph zone, could have six points added to their licence.
This raises the prospect that drivers could face being banned from driving for two speeding offences. This could result a driving ban - given when 12 points are accumulated within three years - for just two offences.
The Department for Transport is to start a public consultation on the proposals by the end of the year. Transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick said the government was "determined" to cut levels of "excessive" speeding.
It says its aim in carrying out this consultation is to ensure the punishment better reflects the degree of excessive speeding by motorists. 'Dangerous'
A report in the Times says those driving at 45mph or above in a 30mph limit could receive a fixed penalty of six points and a £100 fine. He also said there could be smaller penalties for drivers who "just drift over the limit".
This is in comparison with the existing flat rate of three points and £60 fine. Mr Fitzpatrick told Sky News: "Just crossing this threshold... I would consider a different offence to someone driving 50mph in a 30mph limit."
Flagrant abusers He added: "We have a consensus that speeding is wrong and dangerous.
Drivers receive an automatic six-month driving ban for reaching 12 points within three years. "We are asking how best we can enforce the speed limits we have to protect road users and members of the public who may be walking along the road when people are driving dangerously."
More than 1.1m drivers have six or more points on their licences and would be banned immediately from driving for one more offence, under the new points system. It is not getting at the ordinary motorist. It is getting at those who flagrantly break the speed limit Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
The Department for Transport is launching a consultation within the next few months, with the findings expected next year.
Under the plans, people driving at 45mph or above in a 30mph limit could receive a fixed penalty of six points and a £100 fine.
Those caught doing 70mph in a 50mph zone or 94mph in a 70mph zone would face the same sanction, it adds.
The existing flat rate for speeding is three points on a licence and a £60 fine.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "We welcome measures where people who are grossly above the speed limit get tougher penalty points.A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "We welcome measures where people who are grossly above the speed limit get tougher penalty points.
"It is not getting at the ordinary motorist. It is getting at those who flagrantly break the speed limit.""It is not getting at the ordinary motorist. It is getting at those who flagrantly break the speed limit."
Paul Smith, founder of campaign group Safe Speed, said: "Drivers will rightly be concerned that they will be faced with losing their licences for six months after two perfectly routine cases of driving safely. 'Concerned'
But Paul Smith, founder of campaign group Safe Speed, said: "Drivers will rightly be concerned that they will be faced with losing their licences for six months after two perfectly routine cases of driving safely.
"We all know that exceeding the speed limit isn't automatically dangerous.""We all know that exceeding the speed limit isn't automatically dangerous."
The government has a target of reducing deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 40% by 2010 compared with the average figure for the mid-1990s.
Last month, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety introducing more 20mph zones in towns and cities in an effort to reduce accidents.