6,300 MOTORISTS SNARED IN SPEED TRAPS EVERY DAY

Fury as record 2.3m penalties are dished out

THE number of drivers caught speeding reached a record high last year, prompting allegations that motorists are being used as ‘cash cows’.

Police forces in England and Wales handed out 2.3 million tickets, up 8 per cent on the previous year and the equivalent of 6,300 every day.

Home Office data showed that 97 per cent of offences were detected by speed cameras. The figures also revealed that more drivers than ever are taking speed awareness courses, which are offered to some speeding motorists as an alternative to points on their licence.

In the year, 47 per cent of those caught speeding took the course, with 39 per cent dealt with by a fine. Just 14 per cent resulted in court action.

There are about 4,000 speed cameras in the UK, with numbers rising as smart motorways are rolled out.

The controversial change to Britain’s motorway network requires drivers to observe variable speed restric- tions displayed on illuminated signs above the carriageway.

There are also growing numbers of speed cameras enforcing 20mph limits in urban areas.

Revenue raised from speeding tickets goes to the Treasury. But safety camera partnerships – the local bodies which operate some speed traps – are allowed to keep some of the money to run awareness courses.

In July, it was confirmed that cameras were being deployed to raise money rather than to prevent accidents. A report by the police watchdog said some cameras had been installed because their locations were ‘good hunting grounds’ for fines. It confirmed many motorists’ longheld suspicions that they were being treated as cash cows.

AA president Edmund King said: ‘It is worrying that the number of speeding offences continues to grow, so a greater effort is needed to help slow drivers down. In some instances, such as with variable speed signs, we need more realistic speeds and clearer signs that reflect the conditions. Drivers have been caught out when lower motorway speeds are flagged with little notice and for no apparent reason.

‘Drivers need to take responsibility, too, and ensure they are conscious of their speed. The best way to curb speeding is to maintain control of the right foot.’

A spokesman for pressure group the Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery said: ‘We have serious concerns that the overhead gantry speed signs on our smart motorways are being used as a cash cow for Treasury coffers. At the very least the extra money generated from these record figures should be ploughed back into further improving smart motorways by adding more refuge areas, spaced closer together.’

Howard Cox, of campaign group Fair Fuel UK, said: ‘These cameras have become a surefire income stream for the authorities. These trigger-happy cameras are the ATMs of profiteering. Where is this cash going? Most certainly not on those costly speed awareness courses which have been forsaken under Covid restrictions.’

The smart motorway network already covers around 500 miles in England, with an additional 300 miles planned by 2025. BBC Panorama found that at least 38 people have died on stretches of smart motorways in the past five years.

The Home Office data, published yesterday, also showed the number of roadside breath tests for drink drivers fell to its lowest point since 2002.

Just under 303,000 breath tests were conducted last year, down 11 per cent on the previous year, although the Metro

‘Having more cops in cars will help’

politan Police, the country’s largest force, was unable to provide data because of technical problems.

There were just under 700,000 roadside tests in 2009, meaning the number of breath tests carried out has more than halved in a decade.

Sixteen per cent of tests found drivers were over the limit – the highest proportion since 2007.

Mr King said the decline in breath tests was ‘regrettable’ and highlighted a ‘ massive reduction in the number of specialist traffic officers on our roads’. He added: ‘While cameras are a useful tool in helping police our roads, we cannot solely rely on them.

‘A camera cannot stop a drink driver, or pull over someone driving carelessly, so having more cops in cars will help eliminate poor and dangerous driving.’

ROAD closures everywhere, tortoise-pace speed limits, jam-inducing cycle lanes with barely anyone in them, congestion charges.

And now a massive rise in the number of drivers caught by speed cameras – 2.3million tickets last year. Shamelessly, the Inspectorate of Constabulary admits that some cameras are installed because their locations were ‘good hunting grounds’ for fines rather than for safety. No wonder the poor motorist has a persecution complex.

Yes, speeding must be discouraged. But is it really fair to fleece drivers in this cynical Big Brother fashion?