Half of motorists disagree with a government proposal* to increase fixed penalty notices from £60 to £90, according to research by the IAM.

Fixed penalty notices can be given for a range of offences, but are most commonly associated with driving offences including speeding and jumping red lights.  Under the plans, the £30 increase will be used to give a £30m cash boost to the fund for victims of crime and witnesses support.

Of the 1129 respondents, , 28 per cent strongly disagreed with the proposal, 51 per cent disagreed, 35 per cent agreed with the proposal, and 13 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed.

When asked what they would think if the money went into improving road safety as opposed to victim support in general, 80 per cent were happier with this proposal.

Eighty per cent of respondents think that this scheme could reduce driver’s trust in the purpose of enforcement measures, including safety cameras.

When asked what the biggest deterrent to bad driving was, 68 per cent identified ‘enforcement – the likelihood I will get caught’, with 48 per cent choosing ‘the fear of the consequences in terms of causing death or injury to myself/my passengers or other road users in the result of an accident’, and 42 per cent saying’ the severity of the punishment if I was caught’.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “While funding victims of crime is laudable, the real aim of fines for motoring offences should be deterrence.  We want to stop people breaking the law.  Having an income that relies on dangerous driving won’t help reduce crashes.  There is a strong case for this money to be spent on road safety.”

*Ministry of Justice consultation document ‘Getting it right for victims and witnesses’ published 30 January (consultation closes 22 April) https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/victims-witnesses