More Legislative Safeguards Urged

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31344, 14 April 1967, Page 12

More Legislative Safeguards Urged

The controversy only now developing about the system of demerit points for traffic offences when it had come into force showed the need for more safeguards in legislative processes, said the president of the Constitutional Society, Sir Matthew Oram, yesterday. There was a basic flaw in the duplication of penalties by the courts and an administrative official. Sir Matthew Oram said. Magistrates had already pointed out this weakness and one had gone so far a« to say of a particular off-, ence that it did not justify

demerit points as well as a court penalty. ' Another questionable procedure was the awarding of demerit points from the beginning of this month, irrespective of the date of the offence. If a motorist had his case heard promptly over the last few months he would escape the points penalty, but others in areas where there was a long delay in hearing traffic cases could find themselves now penalised a second time for offences committed months ago, even some time ,last year. j This was quite unfair.