Speeding Motorists Are Still A Nice Little Earner

Tuesday, 26. August 2008

Not much has been reported for a while about speeding fines. Probably because the local authorities are carefully playing it down as latest statistics show that speeding fines have increased four fold since labour came to power. Home office statistics show that 1.8 million tickets are issued annually or 4,850 every day, compared to 713,000 in 1997. In 1997 the amount of money raised in fines was £28.5 million, in 2006 the figure had risen to £106.4 million. The rise coincides with a big expansion in the speed camera network. In 2000 the number of roadside cameras was 1,935 but in 2008 the number had increased to 5,562. There has been an even bigger rise in mobile speed traps which stood at 173 in 2000 whilst in 2008 they rose to 2,373. David Ruffley, Conservative spokesman for police reform, who obtained the figures, has criticised the ministers as treating motorists as ‘cash cows’. He went on to ask ‘Ministers need to tell us what they are doing with this £100 million a year taken from the motorists. How much is put back into practical road safety that does not involve speed cameras?’ He went on to say ‘Ministers’ failure to answer that question confirms the view that for this Government the British motorist is a ‘nice little earner’.’ As he went on to point out this Government needs to spend more money on improving road safety and cracking down on uninsured drivers. Filling a few potholes would be a start! Oops – bit of editorial licence there! By Graham Hill