Brake, the road safety has welcomed a series of measures to get tough on drivers who break speed limits.
The new fines came into force from 24th April, when new sentencing guidelines take effect.
Drivers responsible for high speed offences will be given harsher fines, under a series of strict new rules for district judges and magistrates.
They could be fined 150% of their weekly income, rather than the existing level of 100%.
This includes drivers caught doing 41mph in a 20mph area, 51mph in a 30mph area or 66mph in a 40mph area.
Gary Rae, campaigns director for Brake, said: “Toughening the fines and penalties for speeding is long overdue. As a charity that offers a support service to families bereaved and injured in road crashes, we see every day the consequences of speeding on our roads. I hope that magistrates ensure the new sentences are consistently applied.”
Breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for conditions was recorded (by police at crash scenes) as a contributory factor of 23% of fatal crashes in 2015 [1].
A Brake survey found that four in 10 (40%) UK drivers admitted they sometimes drive at 30mph in 20mph zones.[2]
Currently in the UK the minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points added to your driving licence, while the maximum fine is £1,000 or £2,500 for motorway offences.
[1] Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: Annual Report 2015, Department for Transport, 2016, table RAS50008
[2] Report on safe driving: speed, Brake, 2016
