🚗 Vehicle Registration Offences (Review)

Commons Chamber

🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

Sarah Coombes, the MP for West Bromwich, has introduced a Bill to Parliament aimed at reviewing penalties for the use of “ghost plates,” illegal number plates that evade police speed cameras. These plates, which can be bought online for as little as £30, are used by reckless drivers to speed and commit other traffic violations without being caught. Coombes argues that the current £100 fine for using ghost plates is too lenient and proposes increasing it to £1,000, along with six penalty points and potential vehicle seizure to deter such dangerous behavior. The Bill is set for a second reading on March 7, amid growing concerns over road safety and the rising use of these evasive number plates.

Summary

  • Motion Proposed: Sarah Coombes, MP for West Bromwich, proposed a Bill aimed at reviewing the penalties for offences related to vehicle registration marks, particularly focusing on “ghost” or “stealth” plates.

  • Ghost Plates Issue: Ghost plates are designed to be unreadable by infrared police speed cameras, allowing drivers to speed and engage in dangerous driving without being caught. These plates can be easily purchased online, often with disclaimers about their legality.

  • Current Penalties Inadequate: The present penalty for using ghost plates is a mere £100 fine, which Coombes argues is not a sufficient deterrent compared to the severity of the crimes enabled by the plates.

  • Proposed Changes: The Bill suggests increasing the fine to £1,000, adding six penalty points to the driver’s license, and potentially seizing vehicles or suspending licenses as harsher deterrents.

  • Road Safety Concerns: Coombes highlighted the impact of ghost plates on road safety, citing local and national statistics on road deaths and injuries, and shared stories of constituents affected by dangerous driving.

  • Support and Collaboration: The MP acknowledged the efforts of local authorities, the police, and road safety charities like RoadPeace in addressing the problem and called for a national strategy to tackle it.

  • Government’s Role: The Bill urges the new Labour Government to consider these issues in their forthcoming road safety strategy, emphasizing the need to make roads safer for all users.

  • Next Steps: The Bill passed its First Reading and is scheduled for a Second Reading on March 7.

Divisiveness

The transcript provided shows no explicit disagreements among the members of parliament during the session. The motion for leave to bring in a Bill to review offences relating to vehicle registration marks was moved by Sarah Coombes and was agreed to without any recorded opposition or debate. The entire session appears to be focused solely on the introduction of the Bill with no recorded interruptions, questions, or counterarguments from other members. Sarah Coombes presents her case thoroughly and concludes with the motion being passed unanimously. The lack of any displayed disagreement or debate leads to the lowest disagreement rating of 1.