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Councils make £36m from CCTV traffic offences in 2015
Date: 19 November 2015 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
Motorists have been hit with £36m for driving infringements recorded on CCTV cameras so far in 2015, with nearly six weeks of the year left to go, new data has revealed.
According to Freedom of Information figures obtained by Confused.com, drivers have been fined £182m in the last three years.
Infringements include going in bus lanes, driving through no entry areas, stopping in yellow box junctions, driving the wrong along one-way streets and committing illegal U-turns.
The FoI data revealed that Glasgow City Council has raked in more than £4m so far this year from traffic offences - making it the council to receive the most money from fines.
The Scottish council has also issued more than twice the number of PCNs - 131,238 - than the second highest revenue-raising council this year, Ealing, which has so far issued 57,167 notices in 2015.
Four of the top five councils are based in London - Ealing, Lambeth, Islington and Waltham Forest - and combined with Glasgow's figures, these councils have received £11,923,470 from 337,119 tickets so far this year.
Wandsworth Council in London, meanwhile, has 122 CCTV cameras in place to monitor traffic offences - the most of any council in the UK - double the number of cameras of the next highest-placed council, Houslow.
According to Confused.com, the number of councils using CCTV cameras to monitor roads has risen by 76% since 2012 - from 25 to 44 - with 768 cameras being used across the country at present.
However, it appears motorists are unaware of councils' tactics - more than half (53%) didn't know authorities use the devices to catch motorists, while a third (29%) said they would consider driving in a bus lane.
The research also found that 45% of the 2000 respondents admitted to committing motoring offences, however 13% said they have not been caught on camera.
The five most common motoring offences committed are:
- Driving over the speed limit - 62%
- Parking on double yellow lines - 21%
- Stopping in a yellow grid/box - 19%
- Making an illegal U-turn - 16%
- Driving in a bus lane - 14%
More than two fifths (41%) believe that using CCTV cameras to catch motoring offenders is just another way to generate more revenue for the authorities, while nearly a quarter (24%) said it is wrong that CCTV cameras are being used to catch motorists committing offences stated the price comparison website said.
"It's worrying to see the amount of traffic misdemeanours that motorists have so far committed in 2015," said Matt Lloyd, head of motor insurance at Confused.com.
"In fact, it's quite concerning that many motorists would still consider committing an offense, such as stopping in a yellow box/grid or driving in a bus lane, without thinking of the consequences," Lloyd added.
"CCTV has always been a bone of contention for many people, as people feel their privacy has been invaded. However, the main reason why councils are using these cameras is to stop motorists breaking the law. By making drivers abide by the rules of the road, our roads should become a more stress free and safer place to drive on."
