Watchdog Questions the Intent of Speed Cameras

23 July 2020

Following an official report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on July 14 2020, a recent article by the RAC revealed that speed camera sites may be being used to make money rather than prevent accidents.

Some would say that this has long been a suspicion amongst motorists in the UK and this report sheds some light on the situation and provides facts to justify such concerns. 

The HMICFRS report indicated that the number of speeding fines issued across England and Wales jumped from 1.6 million in 2011, to 2.3 million in 2018 - an increase of 41%.

The report suggests that speeding cameras are set up in “good hunting grounds” to issue fines, rather than to track and prosecute repeat offenders. The HMICFRS report also calls for action over the dismissal of educational schemes to increase speeding-awareness. It appears that such initiatives have been blocked by safety camera partnerships. 

However, it is also worth mentioning that according to the funds raised from these fines goes into the consolidated fund, owned by the UK Government, and are later distributed to the Department for Transport through grants for improving road safety. So, neither road safety partnerships nor the police receive any funds raised from speeding fines directly.

That said, both the police and road safety partnerships are able to reclaim administration costs and the cost of speed awareness courses or other educational schemes.

The RAC’s head of policy, Nicholas Lyes, questioned the interpretation of these findings. He said, “Decisions on where to deploy speed cameras must always be led by a genuine desire to improve road safety. So, any suggestion that a decision to locate cameras in certain places is driven by raising revenue, rather than improving road safety, is unacceptable. Cameras have played a vital role in keeping our roads safe over the years, but the police must be able to show their deployment is about saving lives and nothing more”.

Chief Constable, Anthony Bangham, of the National Police Chief’s Council, said that “We will carefully consider the recommendations made by HMICFRS”.

The team at Marshall Minibus take your road safety very seriously. If you’d like to find out how we can help you with all of your minibus requirements, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 01480 220444.

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