Graduated fixed penalties
Under current legislation fixed penalties may only be issued by the police and the level of penalty is not related to the severity of the offence. New legislation however, will enable Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) officers to issue fixed penalties at the roadside. Fixed penalties will be set at different amounts depending on the offence. Additionally, different levels of fixed penalty will be set for the same offence to reflect the level of offending.
VOSA officers will be able to issue fixed penalty notices for the following categories of offence.
- Overloading
- Drivers’ hours and tachograph records
- Roadworthiness and statutory testing
- Driver licensing
- European community authorisation and licences
- Vehicle excise duty
Originally, graduated fixed penalities were expected to come into effect in early 2008. However, plans have slipped and it is unlikely to be introduced before spring 2009.