Gatso revenues 'quadrupled' under Labour

The UK's blight of speed cameras have quadrupled the revenues raised from fines, say the Conservatvies

By Tom Richards

Motoring Issues

06 August 2008 13:04

A million extra speeding tickets are being dished out every year compared with when Labour first came to power in 1997, the Opposition claimed this week. The Conservatives have published figures proving that the number of speeding fines has leaped from 712,753 in 1997 to 1,773,412 in 2006.

The shocking stats include fines given to motorists caught on camera as well as those stopped at the roadside by traffic police.

Revenues quadrupling? Funny that...

Since the cost of a Fixed Penalty Notice rose from £40 to £60 in 2000, and the glut of speed cameras that now watch our every move, revenues raised by speeding offences has soared from £28.5 million to £106.4 million over the same period.

David Ruffley, the shadow police reform minister, said: 'Ministers need to tell us what they are doing with this £100m a year taken from motorists.  How much is actually put back into practical road safety that does not involve speed cameras?'

He accused the Government of treating the British motorist as 'a nice little earner' and blamed Labour ministers for using speeding tickets merely to raise revenue rather than making British roads safer.

And the official response is...

The Department for Transport trotted out the usual answer. A spokesman said: 'Safety cameras are there to save lives, not make money.  Research has shown there are 1745 fewer deaths and serious injuries at camera sites each year.'

CAR Online users in Warwickshire are picked on more than most. According to the Conservatives’ figures, the biggest rise in fines is in the county of Shakespeare's birthplace.  In 2006, 30,316 speeding tickets were imposed – 16 times more than in 1997.

What would the Bard have made of speed cameras. Click 'Add your comment' and we'll issue a special spot prize for the best comment posted by lunchtime Thursday 7 August 2008

By Tom Richards