Speeding tickets cancelled in England and Wales reached a surprisingly high level during 2020-21, with more than one in six recorded speeding offences ultimately cancelled.
Speeding remains one of the most common motoring offences in the UK. While exceeding the speed limit can put drivers, passengers and other road users at greater risk, the enforcement process does not always result in a penalty.
Figures analysed by the RAC Foundation revealed that 404,335 speeding offences were cancelled during 2020-21, representing around 17% of all speeding offences recorded during the financial year.
So why were so many speeding tickets cancelled?
During 2020-21, police forces in England and Wales recorded 2,426,950 speeding offences. Of these, 404,335 were cancelled, meaning around one in six of the recorded offences did not proceed to a further enforcement outcome.
The number of speeding tickets cancelled was actually higher as a proportion of all detected offences than in the previous year.
In 2019-20, 2,584,571 speeding offences were recorded, with 330,623, or around 13%, cancelled. In 2020-21, the total number of speeding offences fell to 2,426,950, but the cancellation rate increased to 17%.
The figures are particularly interesting because 2020-21 covered a period when the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions significantly reduced the amount of traffic on Britain’s roads.
The available data does not provide a specific reason for every one of the speeding tickets cancelled during the year.
However, analysis of the figures identified several possible reasons why speeding cases may not have progressed. These included:
The figures therefore should not be interpreted as meaning that more than 400,000 drivers were wrongly issued with speeding penalties. A cancelled offence can occur for a number of different reasons, and the available data does not provide a complete breakdown for every case.
The RAC Foundation’s analysis of speeding offences provides further detail on the figures and the possible reasons behind the cancellations.
Although 404,335 offences were cancelled, the majority continued through the enforcement process.
Of all the speeding offences detected during 2020-21:
This is an important distinction when looking at the figures. These percentages relate to the overall number of speeding offences detected, rather than being percentages of the speeding tickets cancelled.
Speed awareness courses were therefore the most common recorded outcome. Drivers who meet the relevant eligibility requirements can sometimes be offered a course instead of receiving penalty points, although eligibility depends on the circumstances and the police force involved.
One issue highlighted by the research was number plate cloning.
A cloned number plate is a registration number copied from a legitimate vehicle and used on another vehicle. If the cloned vehicle is caught speeding, enforcement correspondence can potentially be sent to the innocent owner of the genuine vehicle.
This can result in an offence being investigated and ultimately cancelled once it becomes clear that the vehicle involved was not the genuine registered vehicle.
Number plate cloning is particularly frustrating for motorists because they may initially have to prove that their vehicle was not involved in the offence.
Number plate cloning can therefore be an important factor when investigating why speeding tickets cancelled by police forces do not result in a penalty.
The RAC Foundation highlighted cloned number plates as one possible explanation for some of the speeding tickets cancelled during the period.
Another interesting aspect of the figures was the amount of traffic on Britain’s roads during the pandemic.
The number of speeding offences detected fell by around 6% between 2019-20 and 2020-21. However, annual traffic volume across Great Britain fell by approximately 26%, largely because of the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel.
Despite substantially lower traffic levels, millions of speeding offences were still detected.
The RAC Foundation also reported that around 96% of speeding offences were detected by cameras, demonstrating the important role automated enforcement had played in speeding enforcement by this point.
The increase in the proportion of speeding tickets cancelled therefore attracted attention, particularly because it occurred during a period when road use had changed considerably.
Not necessarily.
A cancelled offence does not automatically mean that a driver was wrongly accused or that a speed camera had made a mistake.
Cases can be cancelled for a variety of administrative, evidential or legal reasons. For example, a cloned number plate could mean the wrong vehicle was identified, while issues with evidence or the prosecution process could prevent another case from progressing.
This is why the number of speeding tickets cancelled should not simply be treated as a measure of how many drivers were wrongly penalised.
The figures instead demonstrate that there are several stages between detecting a speeding offence and reaching a final enforcement outcome.
The 2020-21 figures provided an interesting snapshot of speeding enforcement during an unusual period for British motorists.
More than 2.4 million speeding offences were detected, despite traffic volumes falling significantly because of the pandemic. Of those offences, 404,335 were cancelled, representing approximately one in six of the total.
The reasons behind the speeding tickets cancelled were not individually detailed in the available data, but possible factors included number plate cloning, equipment problems, emergency vehicles, evidential issues and resource pressures.
The figures also showed that speeding enforcement involves much more than simply issuing fines. Many drivers were offered speed awareness courses, while others received fixed penalty notices or were dealt with through the courts.
For motorists, the simplest way to avoid becoming part of these statistics is to follow the applicable speed limit and adjust your driving to the road and weather conditions.
Speed limits exist to help manage risk on the roads, and avoiding a speeding offence is always preferable to dealing with the potential consequences.
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