Road Traffic Offences: Foreigners
Transport
Written answers and statements, 3 November 2009
Norman Baker (Lewes, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on measures to ensure that drivers of heavy goods vehicles registered overseas are prosecuted for road traffic offences committed in England and Wales.
Paul Clark (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Gillingham, Labour)
In April 2009, the Government introduced the graduated penalty and fixed deposit scheme. This empowers both the police and enforcement officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to demand on-the-spot payment of a financial deposit from non-resident drivers (including heavy goods vehicle drivers) committing road traffic offences. Offenders are given the option to go to court, and have the deposit returned to them if they are subsequently cleared of the offence. In practice, almost no foreign drivers elect to go to court.