Four-fold rise in speeding income slammed
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The government has been accused of profiteering after it emerged that fiscal revenue from speeding tickets has quadrupled since Labour came to power.
Official Home Office figures reveal that 1.8 million tickets are now issued every year - the equivalent to 4,850 daily - compared with a mere 713,000 in 1997.
Most analysts attribute that to the improved speed camera network and they note that national road deaths fell to below 3,000 last year, suggesting the government's tough stance could be saving lives.
But the Conservative Party remains unconvinced, with David Ruffley, party spokesman for police reform, complaining that speeding revenue has gone up from £28.5 million to £106.4 million in just one decade.
Accusing the government of turning road safety into a cash-cow, he urged ministers: "Tell us what they are doing with this £100 million a year taken from motorists. How much is actually put back into practical road safety that does not involve speed cameras?"
"Ministers' failure to answer that question confirms the view that for this government the British motorist is 'a nice little earner'."
Between 2000 and 2008 the number of roadside speed cameras in the UK skyrocketed from 1,935 to 5,562.
