EU crackdown on reckless drivers

08/07/11

By Kevin Dixon

Drivers who commit serious road offences outside their own country can expect to be punished under new proposals outlined by the European parliament.

Under the new directive, the 27 EU member states will share car registration details to track down and prosecute those responsible for flouting driving laws.

The measures are still to be approved by European Union ministers, but could come into force by 2013.

The offences responsible for three-quarters of road deaths - speeding, drink driving, failing to wear a seatbelt and failing to stop at traffic lights - will be punished under the new safety plan.

EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas said: "We know that a foreign driver is three times more likely to commit an offence than a non-foreign driver. These new rules should have a powerful deterrent effect and change behaviour."

EU figures reveal that while foreign drivers account for only 5 per cent of traffic on Europe's roads, they are responsible for 15 per cent of speeding offences.