Motorists who try to dodge speeding fines by setting up fraudulent addresses so they cannot be traced have been warned they will get caught. The scam works by people establishing mail box addresses somewhere other than where they live and registering their car at that address. When the police investigate a non-payment of a speeding fine or a repeat offender, investigators find an address, but not a home.
Edmund King, from the RAC Foundation, said the practice was becoming increasingly widespread. But he said a new system of number plate identification would make it much harder for people to hide.
Under the current legislation, people who fail to register are fined, but those who register at a false address with the intention of avoiding motoring fines could be charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
But Captain Gatso, spokesman for the campaign group Motorists Against Detection, said it was the motorists' word against the authorities.
"The onus is on them to prove that - for all they know the fine never arrived in the post," he said. "It has turned into a game as it is a daft tax."
Mr King said: "We knew this was going on but I think it has risen fairly dramatically.
"People need to be cautious because of the new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system which is being introduced."
The system works by a number plate being entered into the data base and any unpaid fines, non insured cars or other motoring offences will show up. Officers work on the streets in conjunction with the system and can stop people immediately.
"It is not worth the risk of trying to go underground, you will get caught out eventually - particularly as the ANPR spreads out," said Mr King.
Motorists warned over address scam
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