VOSA issues 0.2m of GFPs in nine months
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CAI COVER STORY
christopher.wattonrdrhi.co.uk
VOSA ISSUED Graduated Fixed Penalties (GEPs) totalling more than 13.2m during the first nine months of the scheme, according to figures obtained by CM through a Freedom of Information request.
Since 28 May last year, VOSA has had the power, alongside the police, to issue on-the-spot fines to drivers for offences including: overloading; breaches of hours regulations; breaches of 0-licence and driving licence terms.
GFPs totalling £328 1.740 were issued by VOSA between 28 May 2009 (the date VOSA first began to issue roadside penalties) and 28 February 2010 (the close of VOSA's financial year). The data does not include GFPs issued by individual police forces in England. Wales and Scotland, or the Department for the Environment in Northern Ireland. According to VOSA, the five most common offences were: • Excess weight breaches; • Braking system defects: • Weekly rest breaches; • Failure to produce evidence of qualification (or training exemption): • View-to-front infringements. Fines range from £300 to £900 depending on the type of offence. A spokesman for VOSA confirms that the revenue raised is routed directly to the Treasury.
VOSA sanctions manager Karen Farr says: "GFPs have strengthened VOSA's enforcement capabilities. This has meant that not only has the scheme provided an effective sanction for dealing with offending foreign drivers. but has also proved to be a valuable deterrent to all drivers regardless of nationality
"We have already seen increases in compliance for certain offences now that drivers are aware we are serious about tackling road safety"
GFPs issued to non-UK drivers totalled f 1.91m, while UK resident drivers were issued a total of f1.2m in GFPs. Court deposits of £158,700 also contributed to the total.
Outside of the UK, drivers from Poland received the highest number of GFPs and were on the receiving end of £263.880 in fines Drivers from Ireland followed closely with £245,590, while drivers from Germany were issued a total of f 193,980 in GFPs (see table. below).
By way of comparison, Polishregistered trucks accounted for 14.6% of vehicles arriving at UK ports in 2009, according to the latest statistics from the Department for Transport (see table), but
Polish drivers paid just 82% of GFPs issued.
Similarly. Irish drivers paid 76% of all CifTs issued, but account for just 2.5% of vehicles arriving in the UK. The French show the highest level of compliance, paying just under 1% of GFPs, but accounting for 8.1% of vehicles arriving in the UK.
James Firth. head of road freight and enforcement policy at the Freight 'Transport Association, welcomes the figures as "good news". He adds: "VOSA now has a sanction against foreign operators. But the sanction is against the driver, not the operator, and I would not say the playing field is level. However, we are very pleased that PHs] have come through."