Safe Speed Forums

Calls have been made to improve the system of catching speeding drivers in the UK as thousands of foreign motorists get away with paying fines every year.

While some countries fine on-the-spot, in this country a camera catches a speeder on film and they are found through the DVLA.

But British police are not allowed access to vehicle registrations systems in other countries.

Escape: Police do not bother to pursue speeding tickets incurred by foreign drivers

So when a driver from abroad is clocked they can not be traced easily and the police often drop the case.

Jo Abbott, of the RAC Foundation, believed a Europe-wide policy change was needed.

She said: 'The real problem is that the EU does not yet have a directive or agreement that says that there is a system needed to help collect these fines, although they are talking about it at the moment.

'In some countries they have on-the-spot fines. So, for example, if someone from Lancashire speeds on a French road, they could be fined on the spot.

'And if they don't have the money, they could be taken to a cash machine to pay the fine.'

The foundation would prefer traffic police to be 'out there patrolling the roads' rather than using speed cameras, added Miss Abbott.

Lancashire Police reported it had to rip up 10,500 tickets since 2004 because they could not trace drivers - equaling £641,400 in lost fines.

MP for Hyndburn Greg Pope said: 'These statistics are appalling. I am sure motorists will be horrified that they have to pay but these foreign drivers don't have to.

'My understanding was we have an agreement with other EU countries so we can just contact the equivalent DVLA to trace these drivers.'

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans also said: 'Clearly this is very disturbing. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are being lost in fines because of this loophole and foreign drivers are proving themselves to be above the law.

Officials said tracking down all tickets unpaid by overseas motorists would be too time-consuming and was not covered by Freedom of Information.

A police spokesman added: "This is a nationally recognised issue and plans are in place at national level for future enforcement techniques.

'However, at the moment there is an obvious difficulty in tackling this issue as we do not have access to foreign registration systems.

'In Lancashire, when we have a large influx in any one area of foreign motorists caught speeding, we are able to put markers on those vehicles so that our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) teams are then able to stop the vehicles and obtain details from the driver.'

I know [of] two guys who bought polish cars from owners returning "home".

Lancashire Police reported it had to rip up 10,500 tickets since 2004 because they could not trace drivers - equaling £641,400 in lost fines.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans also said: 'Clearly this is very disturbing. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are being lost in fines because of this loophole

That is my plan come November this year....not to buy a car from a Polack returning home, but to take our car to France and have it legally registered over there.

Once all the paperwork is done, I fully intend to bring it straight back to Blighty and at that point the scamerati and the traffic stasi can whistle should I happen to drift to 35mph or overstay my time by 5 minutes in a parking space.

look forward to seeing you in court.

It is legal to use in the UK a vehicle which is registered and taxed in its home country and has been brought into the UK on a TEMPORARY basis. The exemption is valid for up to six months in any 12 month period. Keepers MUST register the vehicle in this country when (if) they become resident in the UK.

Your main problem is going to be the question of whether or not you are resident. Eastern europeans and others from outside the UK are not normally resident as they have family and other ties elsewhere and have no history with the UK eg born here, UK nationals, educated here, property owners (inc bank accounts etc not just buildings). They do become resident if they reside here for more than 6 months in any 12.

The other thing you need to consider is the view taken by the inland revenue. They have a category of "normally resident" which seems, if I have understood it correctly, to be a way of making people liable for income tax here when they live elsewhere. Might be difficult to claim you are not resident if the taxman says you are.

Good luck.

I suggest you consult your clerk for your legal advice.

HMRC's definition of non-resident has no relevance to traffic law covering vehicles imported temporarily from the EU.

EU citizens have a right of abode in UK and other EU countries. Someone with a residence in France and one here can be a UK or French citizen and hold either passport. And is free to bring a French registered car here for 6 in any 12 months.

There are LGVs that spend around 6 months in the UK in 12 leaving the UK weekly to fill upwith much cheaper fuel, when the only abode the driver has is his cab.

Gixxer didn't mention living in a lorry cab or having dual nationality. Those circumstances didn't apply to the defendant in the case I have mentioned.

I have no wish to live in a sleeper cab, but ditching British nationality wouldn't worry me in the slightest to be honest with you.

I am reasonably fluent in French to start with, and I have Hebrew down to a fine art (thanks Mum).....so if the worst came to the worst, I'd simply chatter away in Hebrew while being pulled in a French registered car.....let the politically correct to$$ers sort that one out if they dare!


But do you know what realy pains me Fisherman?

I wasn't exactly 'snow white' in my younger days but as I've got older, common sense (as well as responsibility) has kind of taken over for me.
However the way we get screwed these days, the law can kiss my ar$e and I'll quite happily play it at it's own game!

However the way we get screwed these days, the law can kiss my ar$e and I'll quite happily play it at it's own game!

it might be worth pointing out that my local court now pre-books an interpreter one motoring court a month.

We aren't catching all the foreign drivers who offend,

the single most important factor is whether you are or are not resident in the UK. If you are then you can't drive a foreign registered and insured car. If you are not resident then you can.

Sorry, that is just plain wrong, I am UK resident, but frequently drive a foreign registered and insured vehicle (that belongs to me, but is kept in a foreign country). I do this perfectly legally, I drive it over here, and drive it back to the country where it resides.

I am disappointed that someone who claims to be a JP is so ignorant of the law.

If a vehicle bearing foreign plates is stopped by the police, it is the responsibility of the keeper to demonstrate that he or she is eligible to use the vehicle in the UK without registering and taxing it.

All the lawyers in the case I have mentioned previously in this thread were of the opinion that this is the case. If they are wrong then you need to contact the CPS, the Law Society and the Bar Association tell them that their lawyers are making mistakes resulting in the conviction of innocent drivers.

The DVLA are clear that the exemption applies to visitors only. Have a look here
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Bu ... G_10014623
top paragraph.

All the lawyers in the case I have mentioned previously in this thread were of the opinion that this is the case. If they are wrong then you need to contact the CPS, the Law Society and the Bar Association tell them that their lawyers are making mistakes resulting in the conviction of innocent drivers.



I am disappointed that you chose to criticise something you don't understand. The whole point of JPs is that the majority of us are not lawyers.

In most cases that go through a magistrates court there is no doubt as to what the law is. The magistrates then apply that law to determine the facts of the case.

In the cases where there is doubt the lawyers for prosecution and defence put forward their opinion, with the court clerk acting as referee. Where the doubt is over statute law the clerk will almost always have the final word. Any decision made by the bench on the basis of that ruling by the clerk can be challenged by way of appeal.


Where the doubt concerns case law and precedent the two sides will put before the court precedents which are favourable to their case and the bench will decide which side is correct. JPs always give reasons for their decisions so that an appeal can be made to a higher court if either side feels strongly enough about it.

And what did they get charged with exactly?

Also you might wish to let the trafpol know this, since they were completely happy after a routine pull and my documents were inspected.

I am most concerned that the CPS people have tried it on with stretching their interpretation of 'law' to get the coviction they wanted with you and your clerk with this argument.