Watch out if you tail-gate, cause a two-mile tailback with your tractor or fly down the lanes in your 4x4 with your lights on full beam.

Police will soon have powers to give fixed penalty tickets to careless drivers, as part of a new drive to make our roads safer.

Ministers reckon many minor offences go unpunished. They say instant penalties would be more effective.

Fixed-penalty fines for careless driving such as tail-gating and undertaking were revealed today in a Government road safety strategy.

Existing fines of �60 for offences like in-car mobile phone use and non-seatbelt wearing could also go up to between �80 and �100 under the Government plans.

Tickets would be handed out at the roadside, with the driver being given time to pay and the option of contesting the ticket in court.

Ministers say the measures could see the number of deaths on the roads falling by a third.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told MPs the police would issue fixed-penalty notices - with a right for the driver to contest the offence in court - and not demand immediate cash payments.

'We need to rebalance road safety enforcement away from a narrow focus on camera-enforced speed policing, to address the wider range of behaviours that create risk on the roads,' he said.

'Where road users commit serious, deliberate and repeated offences we aim to increase the effectiveness of enforcement for this minority - for example, through improving the efficiency of action on drink and drug driving.

'Through this approach we aim to improve the targeting and effectiveness of enforcement to tackle a wide range of unsafe behaviours that cover all careless and dangerous driving offences.

'Our long-term vision is to ensure that Britain remains a world leader on road safety and to continue the downward trend in casualties. We believe that the measures set out in this strategic framework will help us to achieve this vision.'

Critics say on-the-spot fines aren't the best approach for careless driving because cases are often not clear cut.

What do you think - tell us what gets your goat on our roads.