Speeding OAPs Outnumber Teens Three-to-one

Figures revealed by Police Scotland reveal that nearly three times more people aged over 70 have been caught speeding in Tayside than teenagers.

• 99 people under 20
• 280 over-70s.

The period covered by the figures was July 1 last year to June 30 this year
 
The statistics even show that more middle-aged people are caught speeding than those in their 20s. A total of 1,748 people aged 30 to 39 were caught speeding compared to the 1,402 between the age of 20 and 29.

Over the two year period the highest speed captured was a 22-year-old man driving at 129mph on the A90, one 87-year-old man was caught driving at 92mph on the same road and another man of the same age was observed traveling at 80mph on the A9.

Gordon Samson, secretary of the Dundee Pensioners’ Forum, said: “I think some pensioners maybe believe that they are more experienced and can handle a car better than younger people, which may be why they’re being caught more often going too fast. There’s no excuse for it though. I think generally speaking everyone is aware of the rules and they should abide by them. But to be honest, I don’t think you can bracket any age groups anyway because there are other factors involved in these figures. When you think about it, pensioners are driving about more often because they are retired, whereas young people are working.”

Ewan Stark, of Chasing 7 — a Dundee motor car enthusiast group whose members range from teens to mid-30s in age — said young people receive a bad reputation because their vehicles are more noticeable than most.

Sergeant Paul Taylor, of the Trunk Road Policing Group based in Perth, said: “It is accepted that driving skills improve with experience. However, it is extremely encouraging to note that fewer drivers from the under-20 category are found to be speeding.”

Paper Vehicle Tax Disc Will no Longer be Issued

For vehicle tax starting from 1 November 2014 the DVLA will be offering motorists the ability to spread their vehicle tax payments should they wish to do so, they will be able to pay vehicle tax by direct debit

• annually
• biannually
• monthly

There will be no additional handling fees for annual payments but there will be a small surcharge of 5% of vehicle tax for biannual and monthly payments. This is half of the 10% surcharge that is currently applied to 6 monthly tax discs and which has been in existence for a number of decades.

From 1 October 2014 the paper tax disc will no longer be issued. Vehicle tax will still need to be paid but with DVLA having a digital record of who has and has not paid, a paper tax disc is no longer necessary as proof that vehicle tax is paid. The vast majority of motorists pay their vehicle tax with latest figures confirming that over 99% of motorists’ tax their vehicles on time… Most on-road enforcement action is now based on using Automatic Number Plate Readers. These cameras use the number plate rather than a visual inspection of the tax disc.

The police also have access to DVLA records via the police national computer. There are significant savings for fleet operators and other businesses from not having to handle the administration of tax discs.