Concern over serious car accidents caused by excessive speed means that Police Scotland is set to get tough with drivers who are caught driving above the speed limit, even in cases where drivers have only fractionally exceeded the legal limit.

Following a concerted period of lobbying, Police Scotland now has the right to hand out formal warnings to motorists who are caught exceeding the speed limit by only a few miles per hour.

Many will welcome the move following Chief Constable Steven House's identification of fatal car accidents, along with violence and anti-social behaviour, for close police scrutiny.

In the past, drivers who broke the speed limit faced sanction only if they were 10 percent plus 2mph over the relevant speed limit.

The new system will initially be implemented under a half-year pilot scheme which will look to target Scottish car accident blackspots.

"We have an agreement to run a pilot of adult formal warnings, which starts in the autumn. You will get a warning that you are committing an offence," Chief Superintendent Iain Murray, road policing head at Police Scotland commented.

"If you then go away and do it again, I don't think many people would have sympathy if you got a fine.

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