Fines of £100 are being handed out by private companies who use dirty tactics against motorists
Motorists in the UK could be offered a life-line by the Government against cowboy parking companies who fine drivers excessive amounts and use dirty tactics to try and get more money out of them.
During the past year, the number of fines handed out by private firms has increased by over two-thirds and motorists are often threatened by these companies with visits from bailiff’s if they don’t pay the fine.
These companies don’t have the authority to fine individuals, however, once you drive onto a car park run by one of these firms, you then enter a contract with them and if you break their car parking rules you are classed as being in breach of their terms and conditions.
Government looking at ways of combating cowboy firms who dish out hefty fines and use dirty tactics to get more money © Copyright Jonathan Hutchins and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Due to the sharp rise in such penalties being handed out, the Government has stepped in and is now considering how they can put a stop to such underhanded tactics, which are allowing these companies to collect more money from unsuspecting motorists.
Many of these parking firms hand out fines that are as much as £100 and use sly and dirty tactics to try and get more money out of people.
One such dirty tactic is known as ‘ghost ticketing’ – a warden sticks a fine onto a car’s windscreen, takes a photo, then removes the ticket so that the driver who is unaware of the warden’s actions misses the payment deadline and now owes even more money.
As a result of such tactics, people are calling for a cap on maximum fines to be introduced and for appeals to be regulated by an independent panel.
Any parking firms that fail to adhere to the new rules will be refused access to the DVLA database which houses around 40 million motorists’ records.
Private parking companies have relied on being able to access this database and last year alone, data for 1.74 million vehicles was released – a massive rise compared to a decade ago, when the figure was a mere 300,000.
“Self-regulation hasn’t worked and we need to put this on a statutory footing to stop motorists being ripped off. We need to have a fairer, more transparent and consistent enforcement system,” said Sir Greg Knight MP, who’s put forward the bill to ensure these parking companies are reigned in and kept a better watch over.
Please click here to find out more about our car leasing services and special deals, or call us today on 0800 311 8290.
