Dramatic rise in drivers caught speeding and using mobile phones

Figures released today by the Home Office show that more than 2.5 million drivers were issued either a penalty, a driver awareness course or sent to court for being over the speed limit, according to analysis by the AA.

Meanwhile, the March 2022 arrival of tougher laws on using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel meant that the number of drivers caught doing so rose by 93% between 2021 and 2022.

At the same time, offences for neglecting pedestrian rights and traffic signs increased by a third compared to 2021. This follows changes in the Highway Code in January 2022, which introduced a hierarchy of road users and better protections for pedestrians.

 

On the plus side, fines for not wearing a seatbelt fell by 4%. This follows reports in annual road casualty statistics that vehicle occupants were not wearing seatbelts.

Drivers are also warned that police forces across the UK are now receiving more video footage and evidence of dangerous and poor road behaviours, meaning that the chances of being caught has grown significantly through cameras owned by the general population.