Shropshire Star

Shropshire-based road safety group welcomes tough new laws on speeding

A Shropshire-based road safety organisation has welcomed tough new laws which come into force next week, meaning drivers caught doing 41mph in built-up areas could face immediate driving bans.

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Fines for speeding will also increase to up to 150 per cent of an offender's weekly income from Monday onwards.

The new laws have been welcomed by Telford-based road safety organisation the TTC Group, but have been criticised as excessive by the Alliance of British Drivers.

The new rules see speeding offences divided into three categories, depending on their severity.

At the lower end of the scale, anybody driving at 21-30mph in a 20mph zone, or 31-40mph in a 30mph zone, will be liable to a Category A fine of half their weekly income.

Category B penalties would see anybody driving at 31mph in a 20mph zone, or 41mph in a 30 limit, subject to an immediate ban of seven to 28 days or four to six penalty points, and a fine equivalent to a week's income.

Category C offences which include driving at 41mph in a 20mph zone, 51 in a 30 or 101 on the motorway, will result in a fine of one-and-a-half week's income, a ban of seven to 56 days, or six penalty points.

Alan Prosser of the TTC Group, which runs speed awareness courses for those caught breaking the limit, welcomed the new rules.

He said: "Drivers who deliberately drive above the speed limit and flout the law put both themselves and other road users at risk. Driving at reckless speeds of, for example more than 40mph in a 20mph limit or above 100mph on a motorway, is potentially very dangerous."

He said at 41mph a vehicle was travelling as a distance of 60ft a second, considerably reducing a driver's "thinking time" as well as the ability to stop if a child crosses the road.

"At 101mph a vehicle travels 147ft in just one second, almost the length of an Olympic sized swimming pool," Mr Prosser added.

"These are long distances to travel when you may need to stop quickly to avoid a collision. It is totally irresponsible. Speed limits are there for a reason."

But Stuart Bladon of the Alliance of British Drivers said banning somebody for driving at 41mph in a 30mph limit was disproportionate.

"It's utterly excessive and totally stupid, treating people who just stray over the limit as criminals," said Mr Bladon.

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