Driving instructors in Coventry are supporting new proposals outlined by the government would allow for anybody who has been convicted of driving under the influence more than once to have their car taken away from them.
The government have called for the courts to be given the option of confiscating the cars of repeat offenders to ensure that they don't commit the same crimes again after figures revealed that a quarter of motorists convicted of drink driving went on to gain another conviction for the same offence.
In 2000 13,299 motorists received at least their second ban for driving under the influence, by 2009 this had risen to 19,605.
The Department for Transport commented "We will consider whether more use can be made of the loss of a vehicle as a penalty to be used by the courts. This may be particularly useful where there is a high risk of disqualified drivers continuing to drive. We will explore whether sentencing guidelines should be strengthened."
Andrew Howard, the AA’s head of road safety, continued "Recidivism has always been a problem. The idea of forfeiture is that it not only strikes at the driver, but also the wife, partner and family as well. This does mean that there will be some family pressure. Our only concern is whether the rule is applied fairly. We would not want to follow what has happened in Scotland where some cars have been confiscated while others have not."