Fuel costs more than a fine?

With national budgets and public spending being cut all over the place, including that of the Police and other Emergency Services is it not time to increase the level that drivers, and others, are fined when they break the law. Currently the £80 fixed fine is becoming less than the cost of a tank of petrol. Given the number of cars still on the road, clearly not occupied in travelling to and from work, many people are obviously not bothered too much about the cost of fuel.

Perhaps by dramatically increasing the level of fines one of two things would happen. Either the government would get some income which could be used to help fund the Emergency Services., or everyone would drive more sensibly and the number of accidents would go down thus reducing the costs of the Emergency Services.

I can almost hear the sceptics that say recovering the money from increased fines would erode any benefit from doing so. No it would not, because once an offender had received a Penalty Notice they would have to cease driving and surrender their driving license. The driving ban should last until the fine was paid in full or they had negotiated a payment plan. Oh yes!, if the fine is not paid the car gets crushed too.

Similarly the costs of an accident, or at least a substantial contribution, should be charged to the insurance companies of the parties at fault. Why should all the careful drivers and the public that don’t drive have to pay to clear up the mess created by those that are reckless?