New road safety law has implications for workers

Legislation passed last month will introduce stiffer penalties for a number of driving incidents from next year.

The Road Safety Act 2006 includes a shake-up of the penalty points system for speeding, with fewer points for less severe offences, and allows for greater use of speed awareness courses and retraining for speeders.

Drivers will automatically get three penalty points as well as a £60 fixed fine for driving while talking on a hand-held mobile phone or for failing to have proper control of a vehicle, which the government considers a more appropriate penalty for such offences. Disqualification will also be an option.

And the Act will introduce new offences of causing death by careless driving and causing death by driving while unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured. These offences will carry a custodial sentence of up to five years and two years respectively.

The Road Safety Act 2006 can be downloaded from www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060049_en.pdf