Government plans for drivers already include a raft of prohibitions aimed at both ends of the age scale. Now it plans- as part of crackdown on benefit fraud – a threat to revoke driving licences.
The Alliance of British Drivers is totally opposed to the suggestion and will do all within its power of influence to prevent this from happening.
Former Chairman Ian Taylor said: “This is the the narrow end of a very nasty wedge. We believe the taking away of a driving licence should happen for one reason only – as punishment for a serious driving offence where continued driving would constitute public danger or the holder is medically unfit to safely be on the road. Once established the principle could be used to remove the ability to drive from anyone the government of the day fancied, which represents a very real threat to mobility and freedom. No driving bans for matters unrelated to driving.”
Details have appeared, among other places, in the Daily Mail – Benefit cheats could be banned from driving under new law in an attempt to stamp out fraud.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14311179/Benefit-cheats-banned-driving-new-law-fraud.html
To put in wider context, the proposal also suggests: taking money directly out of bank accounts (can’t a court already authorise that if it’s warranted?); constantly monitoring the population’s bank statements (remember when they were considered confidential?); searching houses and devices (Can’t the police already do that if it’s warranted?).
The ABD will concentrate on its “remit” – potential misuse of driving bans – but the other items are also contentious and are being robustly fought against by other civil liberty organisations like Big Brother Watch.
