The formula has been the same for decades: A driver has a crash or breaks the law, gets a fine and a few penalty points. If the offence is bad enough he or she may be banned from driving or even jailed.

Yet many drivers re-offend, the number of road traffic offences continues to rise. The current system of dealing with offenders is obviously not working.

Re-education could be the answer. In a new scheme proposed jointly by City of York Council and the police, drivers could soon be sent back to the classroom rather than fined. Anyone who is involved in a road accident or is stopped by the police could be sent on a one-and-a-half day course in intensive driver training.

It will mean the driver goes back to basics, spending time in the classroom and out on the road with instructors instead of being fined and collecting penalty points.

A pilot scheme in Devon has already proved successful and it is hoped a similar project can be set up in North Yorkshire by April.

Advances in car design and congestion on the roads have progressed far beyond existing driving laws and regulations. Cars and motor bikes are much faster, yet drivers need not prove themselves any more than they did even 50 years ago.

They can still throw away the 'L' plates after passing the driving test as teenagers and need no further instruction or testing until they are 70.

Even if they do not drive for 20 or 30 years, a rusty driver can go back on the road, safely armed with that old driving licence. The law does not demand any refresher training in those intervening 50-odd years.

At work we are required to undergo refresher training at regular intervals, to maintain and hone our skills and keep up with the latest advances and developments.

How strange that there is no such requirement for being in charge of a potentially-lethal weapon like a car.

A fine and penalty points are patently no deterrent against bad driving or re-offending. They offer no opportunity to identify and straighten out a driver's bad habits.

The alternative of an intensive driving course - at the driver's expense - both incurs a financial penalty and makes a constructive effort to improve driving habits.

It has worked in Devon, it has worked in many other areas where it has been introduced by police. It cannot start a moment too soon in North Yorkshire.

see NEWS 'Problem drivers put to the test'

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