What Would Brexit Mean For Motorists?

What would be the impact on the motorist of a Brexit vote on the 23rd of June?  And what lies ahead for the motorist should the UK decide to remain in Europe?

Motorists might find some disadvantages if they were to head to the Continent on holiday after a successful “leave” campaign.  Additional Customs controls at ports might add some delay when crossing the channel.  Exit from the EU might mean that the allowance of wine and cigarettes that you could bring home would be reduced, as those arriving from outside the EU at present have a lower limit, e.g. 4 litres of wine rather than 90 litres.  However, an advantage of a Brexit decision could be the return of Duty-free shopping which might offer bargain prices.  After Brexit, drivers would still be able to move freely once they had entered the passport free “Schengen” zone although the length of time they could stay without a visa might be limited and drivers might need their passports stamped at border crossings.

Some experts think that petrol prices in the UK will rise significantly if Britain leaves the EU because they argue that the value of the pound would fall.   Others argue that the low price of oil is a more significant factor so that petrol prices wouldn’t rise dramatically after Brexit.   An EU ruling has meant that, to combat sex discrimination, women’s insurance premiums have been made more expensive, so this might change after a Brexit vote.  The AA and the RAC do not foresee any changes to their European cover.

In terms of motoring offences, a significant EU change for UK drivers abroad is pending in 2017. At the moment, British drivers can only be handed on the spot fines if they are caught by road-side police.  If they are driving their own car (rather than a rental) and are caught by a speed camera abroad then they cannot currently be fined, pursued through the courts or given points on their licence.  Changes due in 2017 will give EU police forces the power to issue fines across Europe and to pursue offenders in courts abroad for offences such as speeding, jumping red lights, drink and drug driving and driving while using a mobile phone.  Although these new laws are being implemented in mainland Europe, the UK has been given an extension until 2017 in order to give the DVLA enough time to update it’s systems.  In the event of Brexit, might these changes be re-considered?