Officers tackle antisocial driving in Dumfries and Galloway

Over the last few months, there have been a large number of calls to Police Scotland reporting antisocial driving in the Dumfries and Galloway area.

A number of ‘hot spots’ have been identified and will be actively patrolled by both marked and unmarked police vehicles to tackle and resolve this behaviour.

The most common complaints are excessive revving, harsh acceleration, and excess speed in built up areas.

Sergeant Neil Moffat from Road Policing said: “Driving in an antisocial manner puts you, your passengers and other road users at risk of harm and has the potential to cause serious collisions and injuries.

“A number of vehicles stopped recently have also had illegal or defective parts, such as tyres, exhausts and lights. Please ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy and any modifications made must be declared to your insurance company, or your insurance could be invalidated.

“We will continue to carry out enforcement in relation to these offences and any offenders will be dealt with robustly.”

Key points to be aware of in relation to antisocial driving:

• Those who are caught driving in an antisocial manner can be warned under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 if the driving is deemed to have caused, is causing or is likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public.
• These warnings are marked on police systems and are valid for 12 months for both the vehicle and the driver/rider.
• If someone who has been issued a warning is caught driving in an antisocial manner within the 12 month period whether in the original vehicle or another vehicle, or if someone else is caught driving their vehicle in an antisocial manner, the vehicle can be seized by police.
• If caught within the 12 month period, no further warnings will be issued and the driver being reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
• The most common offence for antisocial driving is careless/inconsiderate driving, which carries a minimum penalty of 3 points and a £100 fine.
• If a driver has passed their test within 2 years, they are allowed a maximum of 6 penalty points on their Driving Licence. If they reach 6 penalty points, their licence is automatically revoked by the DVLA, and they return to a Provisional Licence holder.

If you observe someone driving in an Anti-Social manner, please report it to Police Scotland by calling 101. If you feel that the driving is Dangerous or that there is someone at imminent risk of harm, please call 999.