House courts from abroad: EU states pursue errant Brit drivers

Think you can get away with breaking the speed limit or operating a red light when driving your UK car abroad? Feel again!

The European Parliament is cracking down on drivers who commit visitors offences whilst in other European Union countries. Foreign governments will be able to pursue the errant driver in their residence state, making use of that country’s judicial system.

Finders keepers

And they’ll be in a position to go after the registered keeper of the vehicle, which indicates you could be fined for an offence even if you weren’t driving at the time it was committed.

The new law was passed in February and ratified this week. It will come into impact across most of the EU in May, despite the fact that Brits (along with the Danes and the Irish) will have some breathing space – the government is nevertheless negotiating with the EU to iron out a quantity of ‘discrepancies’.

British, Danish and Eire drivers will feel the force of the new legislation from Might 2017.

Quel dommage

An estimated 500,000 Brit drivers a year commit site visitors offences in France alone, so this improvement will have main implications for UK motorists.

It indicates the registered keepers of autos exactly where the driver has been caught drink- or drug-driving, speeding, making use of a mobile phone at the wheel or ignoring red lights or traffic signs even though abroad will be tracked down and fined at their residence address – in our case, courtesy of records held by DVLA.

If the vehicle’s keeper refuses to stump up the fine, the foreign authority will be capable to apply to the courts in his or her residence country for redress.

Fast & loose

The law adjust comes soon after a European Commission study discovered that, even though non-resident drivers only account for about 5% of total road site visitors offences, they commit 15% of speeding offences across the EU and a quarter of these recorded in France.

The EU has also pledged to reduce road deaths by 50% by 2020.

The UK government has stated that the changes will aid British authorities pursue foreign drivers who flout UK visitors laws and then attempt to escape punishment.

House courts from abroad: EU states pursue errant Brit drivers