Transport Select Committee supports SPARKS campaign for action on FRVsItem Added 19 August 2007Local authorities need access to European vehicle registration data to enforce traffic regulations against overseas vehicles, acknowledges the Transport Select Committee in its report on the draft Local Transport Bill.
In its report, published at the end of July 2007, the committee included information from the SPARKS Programme submission to the draft bill, saying:
“There has been some difficulty in London with foreign-registered vehicles failing to pay the congestion charge. The Secretary of State told us that 40 per cent of foreign-registered vehicles for which an address can be obtained do pay the charge.
“She thought this was a very significant proportion but, taking account of the number of vehicles for which no address can be obtained, it means that, in effect, for many of those driving foreign-registered vehicles in central London, the congestion charge is little more than voluntary.
“In Stockholm, foreign-registered vehicles are exempt from the congestion tax but, for the most part, foreign vehicles pay road user charges throughout Europe, often at an old-fashioned tollbooth.
“Charging authorities across the country will each need access to driver and vehicle licensing information from across Europe if they are to stand any chance of collecting charges from foreign-registered motorists.
“We recommend that the Government press for a European agreement on access by charging authorities to driver and vehicle licensing information, and for common enforcement standards.”
The government will give its official response to the committee’s recommendations in the autumn.
Transport Select Committee report on the draft Local Transport Bill |
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Facts & Figures- FRVs are 30% more likely to be involved in an accident than a UK registered vehicle
- FRVs are 20% more likely to fail roadside tests
- FRVs are twice as likely to avoid the congestion charge in London compared to UK registered vehicles
- FRVs are more likely to be caught speeding and to contravene bus lane regulations in London
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