The government is consulting on introducing stricter penalties for motoring offences to assist police in identifying offenders and improving road safety. Proposals include the introduction of penalty points and vehicle seizure for driving without a valid MOT, failing to identify a vehicle keeper, and using false number plates.
Current laws for insurance fraud, specifically making a false declaration, allow for imprisonment and fines but exclude penalty points. The government is seeking views on adding disqualification to these sanctions. Under section 1 of the Fraud Act, such offences can carry up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The government stated:
“It’s harder for police to identify who is using a vehicle because some offenders go to great lengths to hide who owns it or who was driving – this makes it harder for the police to keep the public safe and pursue offenders.”
The consultation also addresses prosecution timeframes. For camera-detected offences, it is proposed that the six-month statutory time limit (STL) begins when driver details are confirmed, rather than the date of the offence. In cases involving death or serious injury caused by unlicensed or uninsured drivers, the government proposes extending the STL from 6 to 18 months.
Additional measures include allowing electronic communication with witnesses and suspects under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 to update legal processes.
