You can be slapped with a £1,000 fine and SIX penalty points if another driver is caught speeding in your car
Vehicle owners must provide driver details if their motor is caught on camera breaking the law - and the penalty could be even more severe if you deliberately give the wrong information
DRIVERS could be slapped with a hefty penalty if another motorist is caught speeding in their car.
Car owners who fail to report driver details to police after their vehicle is caught breaking the law on camera face a £1,000 fine and six penalty points - even if they weren't in the car at the time.
Motorists charged with traffic offences where they weren't stopped by police at the time (ie. on speed or traffic cameras) will be sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution, and may be asked to confirm the identity of the driver at the time.
If the owner claims they weren't driving the car at the time but fails to provide accurate details of the person behind the wheel, police can slap them with an additional fine along with the original offence.
According to the Road Traffic Act 1988, "the person keeping the vehicle shall give such information as to the identity of the driver as he may be required to give by or on behalf of a chief officer of police".
Earlier this week, Premier League football ace Mario Lemina was fined £96,000 after failing to tell police who was driving when his car was clocked speeding on three separate occasions.
He also got 18 points on top of the 21 he already had on his non-UK licence, leading to a year’s ban.
Lemina claimed he didn't know if his brother or cousin were behind the wheel of his £50,000 Mercedes-AMG GLA45, but admitted three counts of failing to notify police after ignoring their letters.
The fine, which is three times his £32,000-a-week salary, is understood to have been so high as the footballer had multiple offences on record.
While the fee for failing to report driver details is capped at £1,000, magistrates have the power to impose a much higher penalty in court for repeat offenders.
And the penalty is even more severe if drivers deliberately give the wrong information to police.
In June, we revealed how one in five drivers could be risking jail time by taking penalty points to protect another motorist.
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Taking responsibility for penalty points incurred by another driver is a serious offence, and can see motorists prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.
Anyone convicted of the charge could face a staggering fine, and even find themselves hit with a prison sentence.
Former Cabinet minister Chris Huhne was infamously jailed for eight months along with his ex-wife Vicky Pryce in 2014 after she admitted to taking points for the MP some years before.
Commenting on Mario Lemina's case, Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Policy & Research Director, said: "This case underlines the importance of giving the police accurate and honest information about who was driving a car caught speeding.
"Most of the more serious cases we have seen over the years include failure to disclose penalties.
"Ultimately not telling the police who was driving can lead to court cases for perverting the course of justice.
“Never ignore a request from the police for driver identity. In the UK it’s the owner who gets traced but it’s also their responsibility to help the police.
"If you don’t then you risk a fine and points equal to the offence the police are trying to prosecute."