‘Soft Target' Motorists – Half of all Court Cases are Driving Offences

Daily Mail, Friday October 28, 2005
By James Slack and Ray Massey

Almost half of all criminal cases punished by the courts last year were less serious motoring offences.

The number of serious crimes dealt with by judges and magistrates, such as violent attacks, fell by five per cent.

But summary motoring offences – such as speeding or not wearing a seatbelt – soared by seven per cent to 707,918.

The vast majority – 622,642 – were punished with fines, with motorists handing over an average of £428 each for a total of £266.5million.

Motoring groups said the figures, released by the Home Office, showed the Government had declared war on drivers.

RAC Foundation spokesman Kevin Delaney, former head of traffic policing with the Metropolitan Police said there is one law for motorists and another for hardened criminals. He added: “If burglars, thieves and anti-social yobs were tackled by the police with the same enthusiasm and zero tolerance as motorists, drivers would understand.

“The problem is that most motorists are law-abiding and that makes them a soft target. Unlike hardened criminals, they tend not to bash the copper who stops then for speeding. If we lived in a society where criminals were caught, motorists would not mind being prosecuted as rigorously. But there's much less tolerance of motorists from police who may turn a blind eye to more serious or difficult offences. Over the years, the incentive for police to tackle soft-target motorists has increased.”

Marc McArthur-Christie, of the Association of British Drivers, said: “The Government has declared war on the motorist while declaring surrender on serious crime.” Summary motoring offences do not include the more serious crimes of dangerous driving or causing death.

The court punishments are in addition to the 1.9million motorists fined £60 and penalised with 3 points on their licence last year after being snapped by the country's 6000 speed cameras. Drivers appear in court for speeding if they contest a camera's findings or refuse to pay.

The vast majority of motoring fines were for insurance offences, up five per cent to 201,689, licence offences (167,477) and speeding (145,219.) The courts fined 22,181 people for ‘neglecting traffic directions' such as passing through red lights.

Some 33,000 people lost their licences last year for getting 12 points under the ‘totting up' system – a rise of ten per cent.

The 2004 Sentencing Statistics show the total number of offenders sentenced by the courts reached 1,547,300 – the highest since 1989.

Convictions for indictable offences, so serious they could be dealt with by a jury or crown court, were down five per cent to 317,000. They range from murder, wounding and rape to fraud and drug offences.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: “This huge increase in summary motoring offences shows the police are focussing too much on motorists and not enough on catching serious criminals. This has to change.”

Figures yesterday showed that the number of people evading road tax increased last year – with the lost tax increasing by £18million.