Where are UK drivers most likely to go over the speed limit …
Sam Sheehan, our motoring editor, said: "To keep motorists safe at the wheel of their used Ford[1] or used BMW[2], roads and motorways across the country are dotted with speed cameras. But which ones register the highest number of offences?
"Based on Freedom of Information (FOI) police data requested by Heald, we have uncovered the most notorious speeding hotspots around the UK.
"Figures show that drivers in West Yorkshire are more prone to going over the speed limit than any other region, with local authorities handing out more than 220,000 speeding tickets in just over a year."
Top 10 UK regions for breaking the speed limit
West Yorkshire - 224,160 speeding tickets
Avon and Somerset - 173,428 speeding tickets
Thames Valley - 151,501 speeding tickets
West Midlands - 95,093 speeding tickets
Surrey - 87,270 speeding tickets
Bedfordshire - 69,818 speeding tickets
South Yorkshire - 67,255 speeding tickets
Hampshire - 62,514 speeding tickets
Lincolnshire - 59,525 speeding tickets
Hertfordshire - 53,627 speeding tickets
West Yorkshire is the UK region where drivers receive the most speeding tickets.
The northern county - home to cities like Leeds, Wakefield and Bradford - leads this unenviable chart with over 224,000 speeding tickets per year. Bradford drivers tend to put their foot down more than any other motorists in the country, accumulating the highest number of points on driving licences.
Across all speeding offences in West Yorkshire, more than 220,000 were captured by speed cameras, with the remaining tickets issued by police officers on the road.
Sitting in second place, drivers in the south-west region of Avon and Somerset amassed 173,428 speeding tickets during the reporting period.
There are currently 1,089 active fixed and mobile cameras[3] across Avon and Somerset, with 217 alone in Bristol and its surrounding towns and villages.
Taking the last spot on the podium is Thames Valley, with police handing out 151,501 speeding tickets to drivers in the region. Located in south-east England, Thames Valley includes counties such as Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.
Speed cameras in this area are very busy, capturing over 147,000 speeding offences. The remaining 4,090 were caught by police officers on duty.
The importance of speed cameras
Speed cameras play a crucial role in protecting drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.
First introduced in West London in 1992, speed cameras initially used radar technology to measure a vehicle's speed.
Within their first three years of operation, they had a significant effect on people's safety on the road, reducing serious injuries at camera sites by 27%[4] and casualties by 70%.
Speed cameras still act as a vital tool to minimise the number of accidents on UK streets. To improve the well-being of drivers, passengers and pedestrians even further, two-way speed cameras are being rolled out across the country in the next few months.
The new bi-directional cameras, which can detect speeding motorists in both directions, have passed their trial test in Devon and Cornwall, leading to the issue of about 3,300 speed tickets[5] in two weeks. While installing these new cameras should result in safer roads, research from 2021 found that almost half of speed cameras[6] in England and Wales were out of action when tested.
Derbyshire had more inactive speed cameras at this time than any other region, with 93 out of the 113 devices on its streets unable to catch speeding drivers.
Likewise, all eight fixed-speed cameras scattered around Northamptonshire were not working, and the Gwent area in south-east Wales had only one functioning camera out of 31.
On a brighter note, the West Midlands have led the way in keeping speed laws and limits in check. When tested, 62 of the 65 speed cameras in the region were working.
Do you live in an area where fellow motorists cruise faster than they should? Adhering to speed limits is the first important step to keep everyone safe, so stick to the rules to enjoy a risk-free road trip.
Learn more about safe driving:
References
- ^ used Ford (www.cinch.co.uk)
- ^ used BMW (www.cinch.co.uk)
- ^ 1,089 active fixed and mobile cameras (www.avonandsomerset.police.uk)
- ^ reducing serious injuries at camera sites by 27% (www.rospa.com)
- ^ about 3,300 speed tickets (www.techdigest.tv)
- ^ half of speed cameras (roadsafetygb.org.uk)