Driving without entitlement – that is, without a valid licence, insurance or vehicle registration – is a serious issue for road safety. It challenges the system of licensing and registration that ensures minimum driver and vehicle standards. Unlicensed and uninsured drivers are also significantly more likely to be involved in road crashes and to disregard other road laws. This briefing looks at proposals on driver entitlement issues in the Road Safety Bill and suggests areas for clarification and further measures that could be taken. The most significant proposal in the Bill is new powers to use Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) to detect uninsured drivers, which has the potential to play a major role in combating uninsured driving. Other proposals include conditional driving licences and increased penalties for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. (Author/publisher)
Abstract