Speeding with trailer penalty seemed harsh
I AM sure I was not the only person amazed to read in the Press (7 December) that a person travelling along Vazon coast road at 36 miles an hour with a trailer in tow was convicted of speeding. He was fined £200 and suspended for two weeks. It brings about many questions.
Could the police not have warned him that it was an offence, cautioned him and let him on his way? Or are they pushed to keep milking the cash cow, the motorist?
Which decade or century was the law of towing a trailer at 20mph created? In other jurisdictions, vehicles are able to travel at considerably faster speeds with a trailer in tow. Imagine driving the length of the west coast at 20mph. I am sure it is probably more dangerous for other drivers and cyclists in trying to overtake.
Name and address withheld.
Editor’s footnote: Sergeant Tom Marshall of the Roads Policing Unit replies:
The Road Traffic (Speed Limits and Trials) Ordinance of 1987 clearly states the speed limits which apply to vehicles with a trailer in tow. Caravans, horse and cattle boxes, and two-wheeled trailers of any kind, should not exceed a speed limit of 20 miles per hour. In this case, the vehicle towing the trailer was a large goods vehicle, which is also governed by a 25mph speed limit.
The same thresholds are applied to any vehicle found to be breaking the speed limit.
Once the threshold is exceeded, the matter is referred to court, who then decide on the appropriate action to be taken. This is a matter of enforcing the law. Guernsey Police receive no revenue from fines and are not concerned with income generation, our priority is to ensure our island roads remain safe.