UK introduces new income-based speeding fines

UK motorists caught speeding will be slugged up to 175 per cent of their weekly income under strict new rules introduced from Monday.

Following a trend that is already enforced across much of Scandinavia, Britain's government has introduced harsher penalties for speeding motorists. Calls for similar wage-based speeding fines are also being made for Australia.

Under the UK revisions, fines for serious offenders will start from 150 per cent of their weekly income rather than the current level of 100 per cent.

Split across three bands – A, B and C – the penalties are dependent on how fast motorists are driving over the posted limit.

Motorists caught doing 101mph (162km/h) in a 70mph (110km/h) zone could be fined between 125 per cent and 175 per cent of their weekly income, while those breaking the speed limit in a 30mph area will be docked three demerit points and fined 25-75 per cent of their weekly wage.

The most serious offences are capped at £2500 ($AU4245) for offences on motorways and at £1000 ($AU1700) elsewhere.

Wage-based fines have received some backing in Australia. The Australia Institute has been vocal in its support, arguing that proportional traffic fines would be fairer to motorists.

The institute claims that the average blanket fine for speeding 20km/h over the limit across all Australian states is $236. However, this would fluctuate between $100 and $1000 if the Scandinavian model was adopted.

"As fines are designed as a disincentive to dangerous driving, it would send the same message to people of different incomes: speeding is costly," researcher Jesper Lindqvist said.

"The Finnish model strives for equity, and in-turn a more effective fine system and safer roads, and that's something that every country is interested in."

Authorities in the UK say that discretionary measures will be applied to decide the final fine, which could fluctuate depending on circumstances. These include previous convictions and their relevance and timing to the current offence, road conditions, weather conditions, or whether the offence occurred near a school, with passengers or a heavy load on board.