NCJ Number
139546
Date Published
1992
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This report describes the 8.7 million alleged motor vehicle offenses recorded by police in England and Wales in 1990 and summarizes the actions taken against offenders.
Abstract
This figure does not represent a significant change over 1989 statistics. About 71 percent, or 6.2 million, of the incidents were minor offenses and disposed of by fixed penalty notices. Court proceedings dealt with approximately 24 percent of the cases in 1990, while written notices and vehicle defect rectification sheme (VDRS) notices were issued in 2.5 percent of the cases each. Over the past decade, British police have relied more heavily on the use of fixed penalties, with a parallel decrease in the relative use of court proceedings. In 1990, 197,000 licenses were revoked or suspended by the courts; about 50 percent of these license disqualifications resulted from incidents of driving while intoxicated. 18 tables, 4 figures, and 13 notes