Graduated Fixed Penalty & Deposit Scheme

From February 2011, DVA Enforcement Officers will commence offering fixed penalties for certain driver and vehicle related offences. Depending on the nature of the offence, drivers found to be non compliant with legislative requirements may be offered a fixed penalty in lieu of prosecution in court.

The offences that fixed penalties may be issued for include:

Mechanical defects;
Overloading;
Driver's hours and record keeping;
Failing to wear a taxi driver's badge;
Failure to display a taxi roof sign.

Depending on the nature of the offence, some of these offences may also attract penalty points. However, in cases where an offender has committed an offence that will take them over the mandatory limit of penalty points (i.e. where they may be disqualified from driving) a Fixed Penalty cannot be offered. In these cases offenders will be prosecuted in court.

The level of Fixed Penalty offered by DVA Enforcement Officers for the offences described above will initially be £30 for non-endorsable offences and £60 for endorsable offences. However, it is envisaged that additional legislative powers will be in place during 2011 enabling the graduation of offences i.e. offenders will be penalised according to the type and severity of the offence.

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