If you’ve driven in Europe and thought you’d dodged that speeding fine by heading home—think again. The UK government is planning a major crackdown that will make it much easier for European authorities to chase up unpaid traffic penalties from British drivers.
At a recent UK-EU summit in London—the first since Brexit—Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with top EU leaders to reset relations and get things moving again. One big topic? Sharing vehicle registration data between the UK and EU countries.
Right now, thanks to Brexit, there’s no official system for EU police to get your details from the DVLA if you commit a traffic offence abroad. So, unless you're stopped and fined on the spot, you're likely to get away with it. But not for much longer.
The EU and UK have now agreed to fast-track plans to fix this loophole. That means police across Europe could soon have access to UK vehicle records again—making it way easier to send you that fine you thought you’d escaped.
Before Brexit, a Europe-wide rule meant countries could share driver details for offences like speeding or using your phone behind the wheel. That stopped in 2021, but this new agreement could bring it all back.
So if you're planning a Euro road trip soon, don’t assume you're off the hook for speeding tickets anymore—Europe might soon have your number (plate) again.
