Infractions committed in EU countries will not go unpunished

The European Union is willing to change its road safety policy. Until now, there was no mechanism by which a person who committed an offence outside their own country could be penalised. The European Parliament has approved a legal text on this matter.

Each of the 27 Member States will have to incorporate this Community regulation into its local legislation in less than two years, so that by autumn 2013 it should already be applied.

Only three countries for the time being do not adhere to this regulation: the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland, although they may do so later if they wish. This system guarantees the identification of the offender and has been defined as prosecutable at European level.

We are talking about offences such as driving without a helmet, without a seatbelt, running a red light, speeding, testing positive in an alcohol check, using a mobile phone while driving… that is to say, any offence that can be penalised.

According to the European Union, if these types of offences were not committed, 5,000 lives could be saved each year. In the case of speeding, it is easier to catch a foreigner than a local in most Member States of the Union.

The penalty will depend on each Member State, so if you are caught speeding in France, you will be penalised in accordance with French rules, and since it is an offence that can be prosecuted throughout Europe, the fine would be sent to you.

This first step may evolve towards the full integration of a penalty system, so that if you do something in Germany in the morning, you may have the penalty in your email within minutes or hours, or a postal notification before you return home.

Today, any foreigner who commits an offence in another country and is not stopped at the time, there is no way to collect the penalty; therefore, in Spain, serious offences must either be paid on the spot or the vehicle is immobilised.

Source | circulaseguro.com