Speeding fines a postcode lottery

29th September 2010

Motorists face a postcode lottery when it comes to the policing of speed limits on British roads. RoadPilot – a supplier of GPS speed camera data – found that drivers are up to 100 times more likely to be caught in Greater London than in some other areas of the country.

The study identified that Greater London now has 16% of the country's roadside speed cameras – more than Scotland, Wales and Ireland combined. The West Midlands has the second most strictly-enforced speed limits (7.4%), followed by West Yorkshire (6.7%), Lancashire (5.7%), and Staffordshire (5.0%).

While the decision taken by some councils to cut funding for speed cameras has hit the headlines in recent weeks, RoadPilot estimates that this will affect just 3% of cameras in Britain.

"It is perhaps to be expected that London would have the highest concentration of speed cameras, but the difference in camera numbers around the UK is surprising," comments James Flynn OBE, the CEO of RoadPilot.

"Given that more than 56% of cameras monitor 30 mph limits, compared with only 3.6% on roads with a 70 mph limit, drivers don't necessarily have to be 'driving fast' to risk a fine and points on their licence. With so many distractions on our roads, they need all the help they can get to keep fully aware of local limits."