A QUARTER of motorists claim to have modified their habits in the 12 months since new careless driving fines were introduced.

A total of 26 per cent of drivers in Scotland said they had changed their behaviour, in the AA/Populus survey. The new measures have allowed police to issue a fixed penalty notice for less serious examples of careless driving, such as tailgating.

AA roads policy head Paul Watters said: "Careless driving has been an offence since the 1980s, but it was hoped that giving police the power to fine people for less serious examples of it would encourage drivers to change their behaviour, without clogging up the courts."