Motorists could face £100 speeding fines

Speeding drivers could soon be facing speeding fines of £100 as the government takes steps to fill the funding gap for the victims of crime.

It is proposed that around £20 of the proposed 60 per cent to will go to the victims’ fund under proposals put forward by the Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke.

In addition those motorists who tailgate, overtake on the inside or cut up other drivers could find themselves facing a fine as opposed to being taken to court.

The moves, which are being branded by motoring groups as yet another “tax” on motorists, are intended to raise around £50 million per annum – a major slice of the £66 million which the government spends on victim and witness support services.

Currently only those fined by courts pay towards this. However, Mr Clarke wants to extend this to all criminals, including those jailed for the most serious offences with the contribution possibly being on a sliding scale rising to £120 depending on the seriousness of the offence.

Proposals include a £120 surcharge for anyone jailed for more than two years, while those sentenced to six months or less in prison would face a surcharge of £80. In addition, the Government is proposing to increase the maximum amount that can be deducted from benefits to repay the surcharge from £5 a week to £25 a week, ‘ensuring that offenders pay more, more quickly’.

The proposals have also put forward the view that criminals should no longer be able to claim compensation for being victims of crime. Approximately 20,000 offenders received more than £75 million from the scheme in the last ten years.