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'Positive points' on driver's licence proposed
By David Millward, Transport Editor
Last Updated: 10:08am GMT 20/02/2008

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Motorists who undertake advanced driver training should earn "positive points" on their licence which could be used to offset points for speeding, a Thatcherite think tank has said.

Under the proposals skilled drivers would effectively earn a store of credit which they could draw on to avoid having penalty points imposed for minor speeding offences and other minor transgressions.

Speed cameras and "unnecessary" traffic lights would also be scrapped, under controversial proposals drawn up by Conservative Way Forward, a group chaired by Chris Chope, a former Tory transport minister.

The report – "Stop the war against drivers" - also wants "obstructive traffic calming" scrapped, along with bus lanes that reduce road capacity.

It has also demanded the end of the 40 and 50 mph speed limits for lorries and the ending of urban cycle lanes.

The report was written by Malcolm Heymer, who was transportation manager at the London Borough of Havering until 2002.

It also calls for:

• Raising the motorway speed limit to 80 mph
• Greater use of part-time traffic lights
• A major road-building programme
• Fining highways authorities for keeping roads closed too long after an accident
• Only prosecuting speeders who have been stopped after committing the offence.

The suggestion for "positive points" to be offset against those earned for minor traffic offences is the most controversial proposal.

Drivers could earn these points throughout their career, which would provide an incentive for keeping up their driving skills.

The overall package sets the priority of keeping traffic moving, which it says is essential for the country's economic well-being.

Its emphasis is radically different from current Tory thinking, which believes that the party's transport policy should also take the environment and climate change into account.

But this was ridiculed by Mr Chope. "Journey times come bottom of the priority list against road works, accident investigations, spending cuts and the ever more extreme demands for further restrictions in the name of safety or the environment – many of which are counter-productive," he said.

"'Stop the war against drivers' shows how the interests of mobility can be embedded in our transport culture."

The proposals were greeted with scepticism by Robert Gifford of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety.

"The problem with raising the limit on motorways is that it would increase the difference in speed between the fastest and slowest vehicles," he said.

"While positive points would encourage people to keep up their skills, the danger is that they would try to trade these for points they might pick up for speeding.

"Given that we know that drivers who break the speed limit are more likely to be involved in a crash, this proposal is not a good one for safety.

"These proposals also ignore the fact that speed cameras and traffic calming does save lives.

"What they and some people call obstructions is another person's safety."

The problem with raising the limit on motorways is that it would increase the difference in speed between the fastest and slowest vehicles

Given that we know that drivers who break the speed limit are more likely to be involved in a crash, this proposal is not a good one for safety.

However, did he skip over the bit which also called for the abolition of the HGV limits? If the heavies weren't forced to trundle along at 56, there'd be next to no other traffic at all on the m/way remaining at that speed or lower. Other than HGVs, the only other sizeable number of slower vehicles I regularly see are the L1 sitters who seem happy enough doing m/way speeds but not happy overtaking anyone - if the heavy in front of them was let off the leash chances are they'd increase speed as well. So the problem of differential speeds wouldn't then exist, and even without the abolition of the HGV limits it'd be no worse than it is now - either way Mr Gifford seems to be ignoring reality here."

The L1 sitters are a bloody menace to HGVs-their usual behaviour is to pull in too close to the front of an HGV then waver between 52 and 58mph so unless we slow down significantly we can't get away from them.

Hmm, that's a different breed of L1 sitter to the ones I was thinking of. I guess our perceptions of what's out there on the road are affected by how we're using the road ourselves - as a car driver I perhaps pay more attention to other car drivers if they're doing something I'd consider odd (e.g. happily pulling up to the back end of and then sitting *behind* a HGV rather than overtaking it even if there's plenty of opportunity to do so) and less to those drivers doing stuff that doesn't appear to be quite so odd (happily cruising at 50ish in what seems to be a clear L1, when the HGV they'll be inconveniencing once it's caught up is still out of sight behind me)...

The thing is, anyone with half a brain (oh, now I see my mistake..) knows that HGVs are limited to somewhere around 60mph. So the speed differential is somewhat irrelevant when you KNOW what speed the slower vehicle is doing.

I get the impression that the Tories have basically said 'b*gger it, we're going to be honest and clear about our policies and see where we get'- I saw someone on Sunday morning being interviewed about Tory policy on immigration and multiculturalism... she did something I've NEVER seen any politician do - answer several direct and potentially controversial questions directly and clearly.

"Volvos - they're boxy but good!"

Oh Robert, dearie me... Raising the limit on its own would merely legalise the behaviour we already have, it wouldn't encourage all of the current 80mph'ers to start doing 90 instead - I don't subscribe to the idea that people choose to drive at a fixed offset above/below the posted limit, which tends to be the argument used against raising limits ("ooh, you can't put the limit up to 80, because all the people doing 80 now would do 90 instead..."), because by and large when I'm on the motorway and I enter a stretch with a reduced limit (e.g. VSL sections of the M25, M4 eastbound after J4) which isn't being enforced by SPECS, the traffic around me doesn't slow down much/at all except near the fixed cameras...

There is a common fear of changing lanes

Motorists who undertake advanced driver training should earn "positive points" on their licence which could be used to offset points for speeding, a Thatcherite think tank has said.

Under the proposals skilled drivers would effectively earn a store of credit which they could draw on to avoid having penalty points imposed for minor speeding offences and other minor transgressions.

Speed cameras and "unnecessary" traffic lights would also be scrapped, under controversial proposals drawn up by Conservative Way Forward, a group chaired by Chris Chope, a former Tory transport minister.

The report – "Stop the war against drivers" - also wants "obstructive traffic calming" scrapped, along with bus lanes that reduce road capacity.

It has also demanded the end of the 40 and 50 mph speed limits for lorries and the ending of urban cycle lanes.

Raising the motorway speed limit to 80 mph

A major road-building programme

"The problem with raising the limit on motorways is that it would increase the difference in speed between the fastest and slowest vehicles," he said.

"While positive points would encourage people to keep up their skills, the danger is that they would try to trade these for points they might pick up for speeding.

"What they and some people call obstructions is another person's safety."

The problem with raising the limit on motorways is that it would increase the difference in speed between the fastest and slowest vehicles

Motorists who undertake advanced driver training should earn "positive points" on their licence which could be used to offset points for speeding, a Thatcherite think tank has said.

Under the proposals skilled drivers would effectively earn a store of credit which they could draw on to avoid having penalty points imposed for minor speeding offences and other minor transgressions.

I agree wholeheartedly! This needs to be addressed in ab initio driver training courses.

Is this such a bad thing? The most dangerous place to be on a motorway is in close proximity to another vehicle - especially a heavy - and you're never closer than when you're alongside them. The higher the speed differential the less time you spend alongside them.

Did you know you are a variable voltage regulator?

So the assumption is that a relativley new driver who has just passed an advanced driving course is more "skilled" than a driver who has 20 years and one million miles of accident free motoring experience in all possible weather conditions, seems to be a bit flawed to me.

"Skilled" drivers are not just one's who have passed courses. As in many other aspects of life, experience and proven record are the most important things.