Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to review the effectiveness of penalties for drivers who fail to stop when directed to do so by police; and whether her Department has assessed the potential road-safety benefits of legislative reforms adopted in Queensland and Western Australia to deter motorists from evading police pursuits.

Drivers are required by law to stop when directed to do so by a police officer in uniform. Failing to do so is an offence.

Drivers who drive dangerously while evading police can also be prosecuted for dangerous driving, which carries a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine and obligatory disqualification from driving. The sentencing guidelines treat evading police as a ‘high-culpability’ factor. This means the driver’s actions attract a greater degree of blame, which is taken into account when the court decides the sentence. We are not currently considering introducing a separate offence combining failure to stop for police and dangerous driving, but we keep the motoring offences framework under review.

The police and Crown Prosecution Service decide whether to bring charges, and the courts decide the sentence in each case.

The Department has not assessed the road-safety benefits of the legislative reforms adopted in Western Australia and Queensland. However, alongside the Road Safety Strategy, the Government consulted on changes to motoring offences, including introducing penalty points for failing to stop for police and requiring drivers to switch off their engines when stopped. The consultation closed on 11 May 2026 and responses are being analysed.

The decision to commence, continue or terminate a police pursuit is an operational matter for the officers involved.