Seatbelt and number plate laws to be made harsher?
Posted Fiona Birkwood
Laws surrounding seatbelt use and number plates are to be made harsher if amendments recently laid before parliament are approved.
These amendments will see the on-the-spot penalty fines for drivers from abroad not wearing seat belts increased to £60, which is the amount that UK drivers have to pay.
The fixed penalty for driving or keeping a vehicle that does not have a registration plate or that has one but it is obscured will be increased from £30 to £60.
Road safety minister Mike Penning said: "If laws are to be effective then it is vital that they are enforced fairly and proportionately, no matter who you are or where you are from."
He went on to say that vehicles without registration plates help law-breakers to operate undetected, which is why it is important for penalties to be in place.
Earlier in the year, police told the Ipswich Evening Star that over 100 drivers and passengers in Suffolk were fined between February 15th and 21st for not wearing their seatbelts.
