Drivers shafted again!

Can someone please explain.....

SPEEDING DRIVERS MAY FACE VICTIM LEVY

Motorists convicted of speeding may have to pay compensation for victims of crime, the Goverment has proposed.

The plan, from David Blunkett, is one of several changes to the funding of victim support services.

Drivers fined for speeding etc would face a levy of an extra £5 or £10 towards a Home Office fund, providing victim and witness compensation and support.

As motorists do we not already pay enough to Goverment coffers?

Why not punish the perpetrator, rather than the all too easily targeted driver?

A tax by another name once more???????

Ease off the gas, you've been warned!

Originally posted by claycraft

Why not punish the perpetrator, rather than the all too easily targeted driver?

I took it from that that they are punishing the perpetrator. If youre speeding, youre breaking the law. The only people being targeted are the ones in the wrong. Stick to the speed limit, dont get fined. Makes perfect sense to me.

The largest levies (of around £30) would only be raised on those motorists "given a prison term or suspended sentence" for speeding or alternatively a lower levy for those "speeding or driving without insurance". This seems pretty fair to me, you would have to be driving pretty damn fast to qualify for this levy, or alternatively be bad enough to drive without insurance.

Read the full, correct story at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3390315.stm

As I understand it this levy is not just for traffic offences - it is for any offence. I may be wrong but I think that is what Baroness Scotland said last night on Newsnight. Seems to me the motorists are getting a bit paranoid

The story makes it clear that anyone done for speeding will be charged the levy, which is ridiculous.

The criminal injury scheme pays compensation to victims of crime who have been suffered either physical or mental injury. Why are drivers caught for no more than speeding, and who have caused no such injury, being made to pay?

In my opinion it would be better to have prisoners (real criminals) working to raise money for the scheme. If they don't work to 'pay their dues' to the scheme, then they can forget about parole. This country has gone far too soft and is punishing the wrong people.

I don't get people who are complaining about these 'stealth taxes' as they've become known. Would you rather people got off scott free? Surely it's good that the fines are going towards something productive? If you want to avoid these 'taxes' then just don't break the law!!

Originally posted by Sidla

I don't get people who are complaining about these 'stealth taxes' as they've become known. Would you rather people got off scott free? Surely it's good that the fines are going towards something productive? If you want to avoid these 'taxes' then just don't break the law!!

Nobody has said abolish speed restrictions and fines for speeding have they?

It is being suggested that it is wrong to fund the criminal injuries compensation scheme by charging an additional levy on motorists that speed. They pay for their offence with a fine and points on their licence - why should they now be expected to pay for other peoples crimes as well?

Isnt there a phrase about "doing the crime and serving the time"

I might have it worded a bit wrong, but I always took it to mean that if you commit a crime you should do so in the understanding that you will get the rule book chucked at you - mickey mouse extra charges or not - if you are caught

People who do not speed, or drive without insurance, or burgle or whatever, wont be paying

That means all us I trust......?

Not me Belle. Like 99% of the population I break the speed limit every time I get in my car. This doesn't make me some boy racer driving as fast as I can, performing hand-brake turns and wheel spinning at every opportunity. It simply means that I, like most drivers, go over 30 mph when conditions permit. I can't believe that there are so many people who post on this forum that pretend they never speed and make out like it is some BIG crime -"don't do the crime if you can't do the time" rubbish!

This is no more than another stealth tax. Are they going to reduce tax in any other area to "reward" all the good people who never speed (all 1% of you)? I don't think so. Therefore it's no more than another way for the government to get more money without having to raise income tax - after all they wouldn't want us to think they are the party of high taxation would they!

God, it pains me to talk like this. I now despise this government almost as much as I did the Thatcher Government.

Originally posted by Zamo

Not me Belle. Like 99% of the population I break the speed limit every time I get in my car.

You can't excuse speeding by saying "everybody does it, so it must be OK".

Originally posted by Sidla

You can't excuse speeding by saying "everybody does it, so it must be OK".

The thing with speeding is that there are so many circumstances that should really be taken into account before you decide whether someone is driving dangerously e.g. their level of skill, reaction times, type of car, weather conditions, number of other vehicles on the road, visability etc, etc. Now I know that in reality this isn't practical so instead we have fixed speed limits to try and keep speeds down. This works to a certain extent but the reality is that every time someone drives there will be times when it is safe to drive more than the prescribed limit. 99% of people will follow their own judgement in these circumstances and I don't think the label of "criminal" is really justified.

I think we all agree that speeding is against the law and is punished by way of fines and points.

Sadly we now live in times where speeding is almost the norm,in my line of work it is almost vital that I constantly break the speed limit.

This does not mean that I go screaming through residential areas at 60mph,I still respect the fact that peope live their lives there and children can be around at anytime and drive accordingly.

While most people wont admit to speeding on a regular basis,its a fact that most people do.

I have admitted to speeding due to my work,however if I am caught speeding then I must pay the price by way of fines and points because that is the law.

So this levy may make us think twice before hitting the gas,it may make peoples jobs abit harder but as with all things,thats life.