"Savage" Provisions of Road Traffic Bill
Page 29
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COMMENTING this week on the new Road Traffic Bill, the British Omnibus Companies' Public Relations Committee expressed great concern about the. " sawige provisions" relating to disqualification of drivers for minor offences; including exceeding any speed limit. At present magistrates have the power to suspend a driving -licence upon a third tor subsequent) conviction for exceeding the speed limit, whereas under the new Bill they would not only have the power to suspend on even afirst offence (for any period they think fit), but would be obliged to suspend for not less than six 'months upon a third offence within
three years. This is a -grossly unfair increase in penalty. • • •
The committee point out that the Bill would bear excessively harshly upon the professional public service driver, for two reasons: (1) Unlike the private inotOrist, he is subject to an archaic speed limit of 30 m.p.h. even outside built-up areas, although his vehicle is the best maintained on the road and he himself has to pass a specially rigorous driving test, additional to the ordinary driving test; (2) If the average private motorist has his licence suspended for six months he is unlikely to lose his job as well, but a bus driver must lose his job in every case. It is quite appalling that a man"; livelihood should be at risk for driving a bus at 35 m.p.h. or more along a broad highway where 30 m.p.h. can cause frustration to drivers following, and lead to positive danger. Only this week it was reported that a bus driver in Glasgow was " admonished " by the court for not driving fast enough, the sheriff remarking: "There are times when driving too slowly can prove just as dangerous as driving too fast."
[The main provisions of the Road Traffic Bill are summarized on page 277.1