Data reveals one in four fixed speed camera sites not in use

Freedom of Information data from police forces obtained by Confused.com showed that there are 1,714 fixed speed camera sites in the UK.

Despite so many fixed cameras effectively being ‘switched off’, there are still 345 mobile cameras in operation by Police Forces on British roads.

The figures obtained from Police also show that the 1,714 fixed cameras located around the UK caught nearly one million motorists last year (968,715), whereas far fewer mobile units (345) were responsible for catching 774,537 speeding motorists.

This means a mobile speed camera will catch nearly three times more speeding offenders than a fixed camera.

More than a third of drivers who have been caught speeding (38%) say they were caught travelling at five to nine mph above the limit.

One in 10 said they were caught driving at 15-19mph above the speed limit whilst more than one in 20 said they were caught racking up 20-29mph over the limit.

Roger Reynolds, the policeman who first introduced the speed camera to the UK 23 years ago today, is sceptical about the way cameras have been implemented.

He said: “Speed cameras have not always proven an effective method of tackling speeding offences.

“Enforcement agencies have been too strict with minor offenders – one in eight motorists said they have been sanctioned for driving just one to four mph over the limit - in order to raise revenue and not tough enough with those who really pose a danger on the roads.”

Research conducted by Confused.com to complement the FOI data also reveals that nearly two-thirds of drivers (66%) admit to speeding, with nearly one in five (18%) of those saying they flout the legal limit on a daily basis. And whilst so many say they do break the speed limit, less than a third (31%) say they have actually been caught.