The AA has warned that plans to allow police to issue fixed-penalty fines for careless driving could lead to a rise in car insurance premiums.

At the moment, careless driving must be proven in court and carries a maximum penalty of nine points and a fine valued up to £5,000.

However, the insurance group fear that if police are allowed to hand out fixed penalties for this crime they will trivialise it, and could lead to higher insurance costs.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, stated: "There are also degrees of careless driving and the offence attracts a penalty that reflects the seriousness of the offence. Making this a fixed penalty reduces it to a 'one size fits all' offence open to interpretation by the police officer."

Douglas noted that the fact that insurers increase policies for irresponsible driving offenders currently acts as a strong restriction against committing such offenses.

However, he stated that introducing fixed penalties could lead to a "sharp rise in the number of relatively small premium increases."