Evaluation of Fixed Penalty Notices for Careless Driving: Final

This document describes an evaluation of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for Careless Driving, introduced in 2013 in England and Wales, to determine their impact on law enforcement, driver behavior, and court processes. Conducted by Ipsos MORI in 2016 and adhering to ISO 20252:2012 standards, the evaluation employed data analysis, surveys, and interviews with various stakeholders, including the public, offenders, police, and court staff. The results showed an increase in careless driving endorsements and FPN issuance, indicating more active enforcement. Police officers generally found FPNs to be a simpler enforcement tool, though there was some confusion and inconsistency in their application. Magistrates and court staff were less familiar with FPNs and had concerns about their effectiveness. Public support for FPNs was strong, despite mixed awareness of what constitutes careless driving. Offenders had differing views on the impact of FPNs on their driving behavior. The evaluation also observed a reduction in court-processed careless driving cases, suggesting that FPNs may alleviate administrative burdens. However, there was a need for further data to analyze reoffending rates robustly. Recommendations included improving public and magistrate understanding of FPNs and continued collaboration with organizations for comprehensive data analysis. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Department for Transport (DfT)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation
• Impact methods: Generic research method
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: December 2016

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Links to published evaluations (DEBUGGING): No final report link found.
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes