Splendid!

WE ARE delighted to hear that one enlightened Chief Constable is pressing for an extension of his system whereby owners of vehicles found to have minor defects will not be taken to Court if the defects found by the Police are rectified within a short period of time and the offending vehicle presented for re-inspection. The often savage fines inflicted for such things as one tyre just below the tread-wear limit, a faulty handbrake, an obscured windscreen, a missing rear-view mirror, are out of keeping. These defects could kill, but this is highly unlikely, especially in rural districts away from motorways. Think of the had relationship between Police and public, the time wasted by Police and Magistrates, when every vehicle reported for minor defect results in a summons! One has heard of people unemployed for months or years borrowing a car to apply for a job, only to be hauled into Court and fined large sums because, unknown to them, some very simple defect was found in the car.

We think, with this Chief Constable, that it will do untold good all round if the Police can enforce rectification of small technical defects in vehicles without thr ponderous effect of summonsing.