Kent Issues 53,590 Speeding Tickets in 2017

KentOnline reports that Kent has the sixth-highest rate of speeding tickets in the United Kingdom. Kent’s highest speed offense reached 150 mph in a 70-mph zone, with 53,590 motorists being issued speeding tickets last year.

London, on the other hand, is much slower, with just 3,107 speeding tickets handed out.

Kent is just behind Surrey, West Mercia, West Yorkshire, North Wales and Dundee, which all had higher speeding tickets issued. One driver in West Yorkshire was cited driving at 160 mph. Speed cameras catch many of the motorists that are driving above the speed limit.

The UK’s roads are a gateway to Europe, with many of the roads overflowing with vehicles.

Police departments are working with other agencies to bring awareness to the growing speeding problem in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom enacted new maximum penalties in 2017 for speeding fines. Minor offenses can result in fines of £1,000, with major speeding offenses having limits of £2,500. Drivers will also receive 3 – 6 penalty points, and the court may consider driving disqualification for offenses 30 mph over the speed limit.

Minimum penalties are £100, with three penalty points added to a person’s license. Motoring solicitors often fight to reduce penalty points for violators or reduce fines.

Police errors, speed camera problems and administration delays led to 1 in 10, or 10% of all speeding fines being scrapped in 2017. Errors led to 250,000 speeding tickets being ripped up, with some areas having ticket removal rates as high as 25%.

Greater Manchester officers had to withdraw 28% of their tickets, or 33,893.

Ticket disputes saw a large portion of tickets being withdrawn last year. Administration delays also led to a large number of tickets being withdrawn. Tickets that were not issued in 14 days of the incident occurring had to be automatically dropped.

Police errors, including the location of the offense or technical issues with speed cameras also led to withdrawals.

England and Wales saw over 241,000 tickets cancelled in 2016 – 2017. Prosecution is becoming difficult due to the large number of errors being made in ticket issuance. The road’s police chief stated earlier in the month that motorists ought to be fined for even exceeding speed limits by 1 mph.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham is calling for harsher penalties that would eliminate drivers that aren’t punished if they’re within tolerance levels. Legal officials argue that the high rate of error in speeding cameras makes the possibility of fining drivers for being 1 mph over the speed limit impossible.

Automobile speedometers have also been shown to be 2 mph above what they state, making it unfair to punish drivers that believe that they’re within legal speed limit ranges.

Bangham’s comments were later changed, stating that it would “not be proportionate or achievable.” He still suggests that officers use their own discretion when issuing tickets and that speed violations in school zones be enforced strictly.

“Now I need to clear up the misunderstanding,” he stated after residents thought they would be pursued and prosecuted for driving 1 mph over the speed limit.

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Melissa Thompson

Melissa is a mother of 2, lives in Utah, and writes for a multitude of sites. She is currently the EIC of HarcourtHealth.com and writes about health, wellness, and business topics.