£2500 fine for flashers

I was THRILLED to read about the newest new proposals to heap misery on motorists. At present, police forces just aren't seeing enough revenue from the middle classes and the situation needs addressing.

Under the new Crown Prosecution Service policy, the following penalties will be available:

• Using mobile which causes an accident - 2 years in prison.
• Splashing pedestrians - £2500 fine.
• Failing to dip headlights - £2500 fine.

In actual fact, none of these proposals are set to be written into the law, I am sad to say. They merely represent the new CPS charging standards - so whereas before someone crashing due to using a mobile would just be charged with careless driving, now they will be charged with dangerous. Motorists need not worry until we see the first test cases in court - as it may very well not be accepted by magistrates that the charges are appropriate. Considering that many judges do not consider stoning an old man to death to be an offence, motorists can probably rest easy.

I do wonder sometimes just what goes through someone's head when they announce decisions such as these. Don't they know it would be simpler to just send everyone to prison the moment they pass their test? I would like to see proposals to impound the cars of people who look over their shoulder at the wrong moment, or accidentally pull out at a roundabout too slowly.

After all, in a culture where judges are being encouraged NOT to send people to prison for breaking into houses, beating people up, exploiting children and stealing cars, we've got to fill up the cells somehow.

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