Great Britain’s Speed Cameras – In numbers

We all understand that speed cameras are used for a reason and that reason is our safety. They have a proven track record for slowing speeds in dangerous sections of road and therefore reduce crashes. Despite this undoubtedly good work its fair to say that a good chunk of the population believe they are only there to make money and we can all agree there a few things worse than being caught by one. Here at Cox Motor Parts the topic intrigues us and that’s why we have been scanning the nation far and wide to bring you some of the most interesting stats and facts concerning the notorious Great British speed camera.

Most ruthless camera in the country

If you regularly drive on the westbound carriageway Through East London heading through the Limehouse Link Tunnel, then there is a good chance you may have been caught by this clinical camera. It was reported last month that the camera regularly caught just less than 50 drivers each day in 2014-2015, that’s a huge 17,620 drivers last year.

Most saturated area for speed cameras

Unsurprisingly London tops this list with 430 fixed cameras and 134 not in use, but where is second? If turns out that South Wales is the most populated area of the country when it comes to speed cameras. Following research into the most policed areas, South Wales came second to London with a staggering 169 fixed cameras alone. There are also 10 portable cameras in operation in the South of Wales.

Speeding fines on the rise

In the last couple of years, the majority of police forces have rolled out new more sophisticated digital speed cameras, replacing the old static ones. Their ability to capture someone speeding has improved greatly and last year saw a 4 year high of fines dished out to our nation’s drivers. More than 115,000 drivers received fines of £100 or more last year, a huge figure I think we can all agree.

There are a lot of inactive cameras

One common conversation many of us have had whilst on a long drive is whether many speed cameras are actually real or are just hollow boxes on the side of the road. As silly as it might sound it’s actually not far from the truth as a Freedom of Information request proved last year that almost a quarter of the nation’s speed cameras were either switched off or were inactive.

Motorways tightening the speed limit

The sceptics among us would suggest that speed cameras are merely a way for the local authorities to make extra money each year and thanks to a new stricter stretch of motorway, this seems to be true. One of the busiest stretches of the M1 which runs through the county of Bedfordshire is employing new rulings much stricter than conventional speed limits. A generalisation is that cameras may give you the benefit of the doubt if you are within 10 percent of the limit, but that is not the case in Bedfordshire where any driver doing 71mph will be slapped with a £100 fine and potentially 3 points on their licence.

This can will surely lead to more fines when taking into account recent research which suggests that the default speed for the average driver in the UK on the motorway is now up to 80mph. Nearly half of the cars, motorbikes and vans which drove on UK motorways broke the 70mph speed limit in 2013 and the AA says this effectively means 80 has become the new 70 in drivers eyes.

For the majority of then these stats prove tough reading, but at least increased camera presence and tighter speed limits should mean less danger and crashes on our roads, something we can all agree is a good thing. Despite this, it is increasingly important to keep your eye on your speed because you have much more chance of picking up a hefty fine or even 3 points.