The maximum fines magistrates are allowed to impose could increase dramatically under proposals put forward for England and Wales by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
Under the new rules, fines for the top offence level (level 4), which includes speeding on the motorway, could rise to £10,000 from £2,500, while fines for breaking the limit on dual carriageways and other roads will also increase four-fold, from £1,000 to £4,000. Meanwhile, for the first time, magistrates will also get the power to impose unlimited fines for more serious offences, such as careless driving or driving without insurance.
Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said that fines “set at the right level” are a good punishment for criminals and also deter them from offending further but motoring groups have described the increases as “draconian” and are concerned that they could deter innocent motorists from challenging speeding tickets for fear of being hit with crippling penalties.
As a spokesman for the Automobile Association said, for the vast majority of drivers, the existing £2,500 fine for speeding on the motorway is deterrent enough against reoffending
Meanwhile, the National Motorists Action Group has described the rise in fines as “disproportionate”. A spokesman for the group described the current situation, where a motorist accused of speeding can take the £60 fixed penalty and either three points on their licence or the option to complete a speed awareness course.
However, if the motorist decides to challenge the allegation, he or she could face six points and a fine of £2,500 if they were driving on a motorway and £1,000 for other roads but, as the spokesman says, people facing a potential £10,000 fine would have to think very hard about challenging the allegation of speeding, so many innocent people would probably not do so.
Magistrates collected fines of £284m during the 2012/13 tax year, a record amount, which continued to rise the year after. They were given the power to impose unlimited fines for certain fences under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 but the Government is only now tabling the appropriate legislation to put that ruling into effect.