Are the police failing law-abiding drivers?

How many times have you spotted another motorist chatting or texting on a hand-held mobile phone while at the wheel?

What about tailgating, hogging the middle lane of the motorway, or just ignoring the speed limit?

They are all illegal acts but, according to the most current RAC Report on Motoring, handful of of us actually anticipate the lawbreakers to be prosecuted or even caught since of a lack of police to enforce the regulations.

So I guess that means I’ll have to content material myself with shaking my head and muttering dark oaths when I witness such transgressions. And their name is legion, particularly on the college run.

Road rage

Effectively more than half of motorists (60%) think there aren’t sufficient police officers on the roads.

What’s a lot more, 40% reckon anybody committing an offence, such as aggressive driving, will a lot more than likely escape conviction. No wonder law-abiding motorists are frustrated.

David Bizley, RAC technical director, says: “Motorists are tired of continually seeing other drivers breaking the law and receiving away with it, so it is hardly surprising that they want to see a higher police presence on our roads to enforce motoring legislation a lot more successfully, which would also act as a genuine deterrent.”

Wise moves

Mobile phones are a certain bugbear: the study found that 3 quarters (75%) of motorists routinely spot other drivers talking on mobile phones.

A bit odd then that only 8% of drivers admit to making use of a hand-held phone on most journeys.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubting the expanding concern about the perceived lack of comeuppance for the lawbreakers and the threat they pose to responsible drivers.

It is also ironic, offered a current government crackdown on careless driving.

Ton of difficulty

Final summer, the police have been provided the power to problem on-the-spot fines of £100, plus 3 penalty points, to drivers who commit careless driving offences such as tailgating or hogging the middle lane.

The fixed penalty for most other offences, which includes using a mobile telephone at the wheel, also went up from £60 to £100.

Candid camera

Of course, it is 1 issue providing the police additional powers, it is really one more giving the police added resources. But at least there’s the trusty camera to monitor the road menace.

In reality, the only offences that motorists believe are properly enforced are targeted traffic lights and speeding violations, exactly where you are more most likely to be caught by a camera than a police officer.

In the survey, half the motorists with speeding points had been trapped by a speed camera, but only a quarter (24%) by a police officer.

Quickly and loose

Speeding is undoubtedly the nation’s weak spot, with 40% of motorists admitting to breaking the limit on nation, urban and 20mph roads.

Drivers discover it even harder to stick to the speed limit on motorways, exactly where 67% admit to driving quicker than the law allows, which could probably clarify why 70% of drivers believe the speed limit on motorways must be raised to 80mph or above.

Could our want for speed have something to do with the truth that fixed speed cameras are not utilised to enforce 70mph on motorways?

What ever the reason, it’s certainly one law far more motorists are ready to break – at least although there’s tiny hope of obtaining caught.

Are the police failing law-abiding drivers?