Drivers 'could face prosecution for offences committed abroad'

Date: 8/7/2011

Britons driving in Europe could face prosecution for any motoring offences they commit while overseas.

It has been proposed that cross-border enforcement action is put in place to tackle road safety issues, including what the European Commission has called the "big killers".

These are noted as being speeding, not stopping at traffic lights, failing to wear a seatbelt and consuming alcohol when in charge of a vehicle.

Indeed, when combined these offences account for 75 per cent of all road fatalities.

Furthermore, European Union figures reveal that despite making up just five per cent of total traffic, foreign drivers commit 15 per cent of speeding offences - with many going unpunished.

Under the proposals people who are using the roads in one of the continent's member states where their vehicle is not registered could be identified and prosecuted, using an electronic data exchange network to share information.

Following a vote of approval in the European Parliament, the plans will next need final consent from governments in member states.

The Department for Transport announced in May that careless driving is to be made a fixed-penalty offence in the UK in an attempt to allow police officers to fight the dangerous motoring that puts other road users at threat.

Posted by Sarah Bailey