Revealed: Police forces in England & Wales using mobile speed cameras to target other road offences

20 out of 44 police forces found to be using mobile cameras to catch drivers out

 
Following a number of Freedom of Information requests, IAM RoadSmart have discovered through their research that police forces in England and Wales are using mobile speed cameras to target drivers committing other road offences, such as using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.
According to their findings, 20 out of the 44 police forces who received a request use mobile speed cameras to catch drivers out for other road offences, as well as for detecting motorists who break the speed limit.
Of the 44 police forces in England and Wales, 16 of them target drivers on a regular basis for not wearing a seatbelt or for using their mobile phone behind the wheel, whilst a further four did the same “occasionally”.

 
From the 16 forces who use mobile cameras to catch drivers out for other road offences besides speeding, more than 8,000 motorists were caught for not wearing a seatbelt, whilst a further 1,000 drivers were caught for using their mobile phone whilst driving.
The road safety charity through their research, found that police forces from Hampshire, Kent, North Yorkshire, North & South Wales, Suffolk and the West Midlands were some of the ones using cameras in such a way.
Of the forces who don’t use mobile speed cameras to catch drivers out for other road offences, a few raised concern over the quality of the images from the cameras and wondered if Home Office type approval would be good enough to gain successful prosecutions.
“Drivers should be reassured that the police are using all the tools in their road safety toolkit to address their top worries. If drivers don’t know about this added enforcement technique then its impact will be reduced so the police should have no hesitation in publicising its use,” said Sarah Sillars, chief executive of IAM RoadSmart.
Sillars also added: “What we need are clear and consistent guidelines on what the cameras are being used for, what training staff are being given and how the images are being used as evidence.”
The 20 UK police forces using mobile speed cameras to target drivers for non-speeding offences:
Cumbria – occasionally
Derbyshire
Dyfed Powys
Gloucestershire – occasionally
Greater Manchester – occasionally
Hampshire
Humberside
Kent
Lancashire
Lincolnshire
Norfolk
North Wales
North Yorkshire
Northamptonshire
Northumbria
South Wales
Staffordshire
Suffolk
Surrey – occasionally
West Midlands
 
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