It was with disbelief that I heard recently about on-the-spot fines for speeding.

Repeat offenders will not incur points on their licence and could continue to speed as long as the fines were paid.

The lack of licence points and the eventual loss of a driving licence is a major deterrent to persistent speeders so why adopt this method?

Only after listening to a debate regarding the future possible road pricing scheme did it start to make sense.

Not only will motorists be charged by the mile for the use of their cars by the system knowing exactly where you are and how far you travel but they will also know the speed at which you travel.

The system, knowing the speed limits on every stretch of road in the country, will be able to fine motorists by the second for any breach of the speed limit.

This will increase by a staggering amount the number of speeding motorists caught, even for the briefest of moments.

Even if the system was fine tuned to allow say 10 seconds of speeding for reasonable situations etc, it would make the number caught on speed cameras look like a drop in the ocean. If speeding still came with the penalty of points on your licence a substantial number of people would soon reach the limit where the only method of transport left open to them would be a bicycle!

This would mean chaos for the people involved who would be at risk of losing their licence and all the repercussions that would involve, and chaos for the policing system having to process millions of legal issues, prosecutions, appeals and increase in fines etc.

So, it looks to me that speeding will be decriminalised, an absolute money maker for the government, potential fines for every motorist for seconds of speeding and, with the loss of the licence points system,speeding will be a pastime and status symbol for the rich with an I can speed because I can afford it' attitude.

Stephen Watson Woodlands Drive Leyland