POINTS AND COURT FOR UK CARS IN EUROPE FROM MAY

DRIVERS COULD BE ARRESTED IF FOREIGN TICKETS AND SUMMONSES ARE IGNORED

4y ago
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In just a few weeks time a change in the law will take effect that will have a huge impact on those of us who drive UK plated cars in the EU mainland. For years, EU member states including Spain have complained that when a UK registered car is caught speeding or involved in other traffic offences, they have no right of access to the driver’s details via the DVLA. Well, in 2015 the European Parliament passed legislation making this possible, but the UK was granted a 2 year stay of execution.

But times up and from May the 1st, if a UK car is caught on camera or by radar gun, or committing other traffic and parking offences in the EU, the driver will no longer have to be stopped by the Police at the point of offence to be fined or charged. Instead it’s a real possibility that a fine or court summons could be appearing through the letterbox at the UK address the car’s registered to.
Left ignored this could cause the driver to be arrested at any point in the future if they’re stopped by Police in that Member State, or when they return through that member state’s passport control. And If that letter comes from France, it’s the owner of the car who’s liable, not the driver.

What’s more, whilst this law means foreign member states will have access to UK driver information recorded at the DVLA in Swansea, UK Police will still not have any access to the driver records of offenders driving cars registered in EU Member States. The UK Government reckons this means they’ll continue to lose in the region of £2.5million a year in fines.

The new law comes into force just before the Summer holidays and the UK government is warning drivers to be extra vigilant when driving on known tourist routes such as those through France, where the Police freely admit they target foreign drivers.

With the approach of the triggering of Article 50 signalling a maximum of 2 years negotiation before the UK leaves the European Union, it’s possible that this EU law won’t be observed for very long. However the government has made it clear that the UK will be retaining all current EU laws and only repealing them one-by-one on merit post Brexit.

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