Only the honest are penalised
The letter by John Bennett on untaxed vehicles and the feature article by Eileen Wells on her clash with the Welsh traffic police gauleiters just go to show why legal motorists are rapidly coming to distrust the police, the magistrates and the legal system.
Millions of basically honest motorists are being penalised by the speed camera big business enterprise for what is almost invariably a technical offence, harming no one. Yet there are approximately one and a half million vehicles being driven illegally on our roads and getting away with it.
I note that recently a teenager of 17, who hadn't passed his test, caught driving with no licence, no insurance and no MoT, was fined £120.
If you don't bother paying for lessons, insurance, road fund tax or MoT and buy a cheap car for cash you can save thousands of pounds even if you do get caught.
If you have an accident you can run away and buy another cheap car, leaving the other poor honest sucker to claim on his insurance.
Moreover, with few if any traffic police on the road, speed cameras won't deter you since these are only effective in fining responsible motorists who do bother to tax, insure and properly maintain their cars and can therefore be traced.
Is it any wonder there are one and a half million untaxed cars on the road?
If there were more traffic police on the roads looking for real offenders and penalties for illegal car use were much higher, there would be an appreciable drop in the number of illegal cars on the road.
This would lessen the congestion and make the roads safer for us legal motorists and our insurance would cost £30 less since this is the hidden addition to all our policies to pay for the damage done by the illegal ones.
Roger Bruton, Paganel Drive, Dudley.
