'˜Lane offenders' on the decline on Hertfordshire's roads

The number of people handed fixed penalties or issued summons for driving without due care and attention has fallen this year in Herts.

And insurance firm Confused.com has teamed up with police to highlight some of the worst “careless driving” offences, such as tailgating, middle-lane hogging, undertaking and driving too slowly.

PC Tony Cope said: “When we pull offenders over, a standard response is ‘I didn’t realise that was an offence’.

“50 per cent of motorists are not even aware when they are hogging the middle lane in the first place.”

Up to September of this year 95 drivers in Herts had been issued with fixed penalties or had summons issued for driving without due care and attention.

That is down from 210 last year and 266 in 2015.

But research still shows that 42 per cent of drivers admit to acting inappropriately to overtake a middle-lane hogger, while 79 per cent admit to not knowing the correct distance to leave between their car and the vehicle in front on a motorway at 70mph.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: “With millions of drivers taking to roads over Christmas, it’s likely that they will come across careless driving offenders on their travels.”