Labour accused of using fixed-penalty notices to raise revenue

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 06 December 2007

Almost 60,000 speeding tickets were handed out across Greater Manchester in 12 months, new figures have revealed.

According to the Home Office figures, 59,478 people were given a fixed-penalty notice in 2005 - the equivalent of 163 a day. In 1997 the figure stood at 54,694 tickets.

Nationally across the 43 forces in England and Wales the number of fines for speeding has almost trebled from 700,000 a year to more than 1.9 million in the eight-year period.

Critics blamed the increasing number of fines on additional speed cameras across the country and accused Labour of fleecing motorists.

Tory transport spokesman Theresa Villiers said: "These figures will lead many to wonder whether the Government is using fixed-penalty notices just to raise revenue rather than making our roads safer.

"Enforcing the law should be the overriding motivation behind speed cameras and penalties. They should not be used just as a cash cow."

Milnrow and Newhey MP and Climate Change Minister Phil Woolas has admitted he has nine penalty points on his licence.

He said: "The last set of points was for driving 34 mph in a 30 mph zone on a dual carriageway where they were no other cars. I paid my fine but I confess to feeling ripped off.

"As a parent I worry about road-safety of course, like everyone does, but we have to apply the most important law which is common sense."

Last year a report by MPs demanded more speed cameras to prevent deaths on roads and called for additional funding to be made available so more fixed sites could be covered.

It pointed to evidence which showed 42 per cent fewer people were killed or seriously injured in crashes at sites which had fixed speed cameras.

The standard fine for speeding remains at £60 plus three points for drivers who accept the fixed-penalty notice. However, if they are caught speeding above a certain threshold they can be hauled before the courts.

Fines and points can also increase depending on how far over the limit the driver was caught. Speeders can also face a complete driving ban.