Drivers who hog the middle lane or tailgate other cars are set to face on-the-spot fines of £100 and three points on their license, under new plans unveiled today. 

Police are also expected to get powers to issue instant fixed penalty notices for not giving way at a junction or using the wrong lane at a roundabout.

Details of crackdown on anti-social motoring were released by the Government in a statement to Parliament this morning.

The decision came after ‘extensive’ public consultation with police forces and road safety groups – with the government aiming to bring the changes into force in July.

But is a mere £100 fine enough to make roads safer? Julie Townsend, Deputy Chief Executive for road safety charity Brake said the fine is ‘not enough to pose a strong deterrent to potentially life-threatening behaviour, like using a mobile at the wheel’. 

“We welcome the introduction of on-the-spot fines for careless driving, to make it easier for police to catch and prosecute risky law-breaking drivers,” she explained. “We are also pleased to see a much-needed rise in driving offence fines, but think this doesn''t go far enough. It''s crucial we encourage greater respect for laws on our roads, which are in place to protect people''s lives, and higher fines can help achieve this. 

“We are also calling on government to stem worrying cut-backs in traffic policing levels. We believe traffic policing should be made a national policing priority, to ensure we have sufficient numbers of officers enforcing vital safety laws on our roads.”

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at RoSPA, added: “We supported the proposals in last year’s consultation because we believe that they will make it easier for the police to enforce careless driving laws, and so discourage such driving.

“However, there is a certain amount of subjectivity in deciding what constitutes ‘careless driving’ and what is sufficiently minor and suitable for a fixed penalty and what is more serious, meriting prosecution in court. There must be as much consistency as possible in the use of this new power.

“Therefore, we hope to see a clear definition of the sorts of ‘careless driving’ that may result in a fixed penalty notice and the reasons why, publicised widely. Training for police officers in the use of this new power, and a robust monitoring system, will be needed to ensure consistency in the application of fixed penalties for careless driving.

“RoSPA strongly supports the use of remedial driver training as an alternative to the fixed penalty notice. It is better to seek to change offenders’ behaviour and help them to improve their driving or riding so they are less likely to re-offend.”

Institute of Advanced Motorists director of policy Neil Greig said: “This is a major change in traffic law enforcement and the IAM is concerned that issuing fixed penalty tickets for careless driving downplays the seriousness of the offence.

“Carelessness covers a wide range of poor to reckless driving behaviour that often merits further investigation.

“This could free up traffic police time and allow them to maintain a higher profile. But without traffic cops out on the road to enforce this new approach it will have little impact on road safety.”

The penalty for those found not wearing a seatbelt will also rise by £40 to £100. 

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, added: “Anti-social behaviour is as big a problem on the roads as it is in wider society. Giving police more discretion to act, and freeing up resources to allow them to do so by cutting procedural delays in court, is good news.

“We are also pleased to see that the stick is accompanied by the chance of re-education for moderate offenders.

“Raising the fine level to £100 is justifiable to tackle the plague of handheld mobile phone use which slows drivers'' reaction times even more than being at the drink-drive limit or taking cannabis.”

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