New Home Office figures reveal that the number of motorists caught speeding by camera has fallen below a million for the first time since 2001.
The figures, for 2009, show that 935,000 motorists were caught out by speed cameras, substantially down on the high of 1.8 million which was recorded in 2005. A further 125,000 were given fixed penalty notices for use of mobile phones while over 200,000 were caught not wearing a seat belt.
The fall in numbers caught on speed cameras is expected to continue, in part because the government has stopped funding for new cameras and some councils have switched off cameras to cut costs.
Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said the fall in the number of drivers stopped by speed cameras coincided with a rise in the numbers who observed the 30mph limit and he asked: “Are people becoming more compliant? Do they merely slow down for the camera? Has the emphasis on educational alternatives encouraged people to obey the law? Whichever of these is the answer, it is good to see fewer people issued with speeding tickets.”