Police will be able to hand out on-the-spot fines for careless driving under a new strategy being launched to to make Britain's roads safer.
Motorists who tailgate, undertake or cut up other drivers could be handed an immediate fine - reportedly up to £100 - rather than being taken to court.
There will be a new crackdown on drug-driving and loopholes which allow people to get off drink-driving charges will be closed, said the Department for Transport.
And the courts will be encouraged to make more use of their powers to seize vehicles for the most serious offences.
But in a written statement to MPs on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will also announce a new approach to drivers who make genuine mistakes on the roads and extra help for those who have just passed their tests and need to keep improving their skills.
A wider range of retraining and education courses will be on offer for low-level offences.
And novice drivers will be able to take additional qualifications to reassure insurers that they are safe behind the wheel, in a bid to reverse the steep upward trend in premiums for less experienced motorists.
A source close to Mr Hammond said the new strategy represented a "sea change" from Labour's approach, which relied heavily on speed cameras and failed to differentiate between problem drivers and essentially safe motorists who make an honest mistake.
The new approach will target genuinely reckless drivers, rather than wasting police and court time by putting generally law-abiding motorists in the dock.
Convictions for offences related to bad driving fell from 125,000 in 1985 to 28,900 in 2006, suggesting that many cases are going unpunished, said the DfT.
A DfT spokesman said: "The strategy will focus on cracking down on the really reckless drivers through more efficient enforcement.
"By giving the police the tools to deal with those who present the greatest danger to others we can make our roads even safer.
"While seeking to do everything possible to tackle the most dangerous drivers, the strategy will also help the responsible majority to improve their driving. This is the Government's twin approach to improving road safety."
Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "This strategy certainly addresses anti-social behaviour on the roads but it is questionable whether it tackles the key areas which cause injury and death.
"Either way, the three things needed to make these plans work are enforcement, enforcement, enforcement. With police services being cut, it is far from certain the desired results can be achieved. Without adequate enforcement there is no strategy."
Simon Best, chief executive of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "We welcome the proposal to give novice drivers extra training. Many young drivers crash simply because they lack driving experience.
"Extra training with in-depth coaching and more hours behind the wheel will prevent accidents and save lives. We will work with the Government and the insurance industry to make this new approach a reality.
"A strategy that punishes deliberate bad driving while allowing those who make simple human errors to improve has our full support. But we are concerned that issuing spot fines for careless driving could downgrade the offence and will be monitoring the impact carefully."
Mr Hammond said the police would issue fixed-penalty notices - with a right for the driver to contest the offence in court - and not have the power to demand immediate cash payments.
"The police, under pressure of resources, have simply stopped addressing this offence," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"By giving them the fixed-penalty notice procedure, we hope to allow them effectively and efficiently to address poor driving skills and behaviour on our roads, while at the same freeing up court and police resources to tackle the really dangerous drivers that are the real problem on our roads."
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