Bill aims to boost fines under century-old Acts
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ONE of the aims of the Criminal Justice Bill, presented to Parliament last week, is to cut down the number of short sentences passed by the courts, and so help to relieve the prison problem.
Among several ways of achieving this, the Home Secretary has proposed that the maximum fines for many offences should be greatly increased.
Quite a few of the changes affect, or could affect, road transport generally, including buses, and some fines are due for increases which will make them 50 times as high as today.
A copy of the Bill costs 7s. 6d., and the changes of penalties in it include:— • Weights and Measures Act 1963: minor offences, including failing to have a road vehicle check-weighed, and obstruction of an inspector. New max. £50 (old max. £20).
• Road Traffic Act 1960: contravention of regulations regarding conduct of passengers in public service vehicles—£20 (£5).
• Highways Act 1959: miscellaneous offences involving damage to, or interference with, a highway or its ancillary equipment—£20 for first offence, £50 for subsequent (£2); wilfully obstructing a highway—£50 (£2); causing injury or danger by depositing things on a highway— £100 (£2); altering or removing a barrier or extinguishing a light erected to prevent darn from street works—£100 (£5).
• Public Health Act 1936, amended by Put Health Act 1961: entering or permitting anotl to travel in a public conveyance knowing that I person is suffering from a notifiable disease £10 (£5); offences by an owner, driver or condi tor of a conveyance in connection with • carriage of persons suffering from a notifia disease—£10 (5).
• • Tramways Act 1870: non-payment of fart £20 (2).
• Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 18 driving hackney or stage carriage when unlic sed—£20 for first offence, £50 for subsequ (£2).
• Metropolitan Streets Act 1867: obstruct by unnecessary deposit of goods, etc. on footwE etc.—£20 for first offence, £50 for subsequ (£2).
• London Hackney Carriage Act 1853: fail by drivers and others to hand in property lefl cabs and omnibuses—£20 (£10); miscellanei offences by drivers and conductors, includ overcharging and refusing passengers or lugg: —£10 (£2).
• Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and Metro] tan Police Act 1839: miscellaneous offences thoroughfares, including furious driving and c truction—£20 (EA
ACCIDENT TOLL UP
LAST year 22,627 heavy goods vehicles c 3 tons unladen weight were involved in scold' said Mr. John Morris, parliamentary secretar the Ministry of Transport, in the Commons week. The total was the highest in the pas' years. Over the same period the number of he goods vehicles licensed had risen from 137. to 371,000.