There were 2,386,780 speeding offences detected in England and Wales in 2018-19 – a 37% rise on the 1,740,217 speeding offences detected in 2011-12.

It was also 4% higher than the 2,292,534 speeding offences recorded in 2017-18.

The total number of all motoring offences detected across the two countries in 2018-19 was 2,837,661, meaning speeding accounted for 84% of them.

Of the 2,386,780 speeding offences detected in 2018-19:

• 44% resulted in the offender being sent on a speed awareness course.
• 34% attracted fixed penalty notices (FPNs).
• 12% were later cancelled.
• 10% resulted in court action.

The headline figure for those caught speeding hides large variations between constabularies.

The analysis – based on Home Office data and carried out by Dr Adam Snow of Liverpool John Moores University and Doreen Lam of the RAC Foundation – showed that West Yorkshire topped the list with 181,867 people caught speeding in 2018-19.

Second was Avon and Somerset (159,210) followed by the Metropolitan Police, including City of London (157,494).

At the other end of the scale Wiltshire Constabulary caught only 807 people speeding, Cleveland caught 11,937 and Derbyshire 12,256. Wiltshire turned off its speed cameras in 2010.

A full table is available below.

Across the 43 constabularies of England and Wales, the vast majority (97%) of offences were detected by speed cameras.

The variations across police forces will in part be down to geographical area, road type and traffic volume. They will also be created by local policing priorities. In Wiltshire, for example, all speed cameras were turned off in 2010.

Steve Gooding of the RAC Foundation said: “The simple rule for drivers who don’t want to risk ending up with a speeding ticket is not to break the limit in the first place.

“Where limits are properly signposted and clearly feel right for the road in question then motorists have no excuse for going faster, but that means highway authorities also have a responsibility to make sure the limits they set are appropriate and to avoid instances where the limit repeatedly ‘bounces’ up and down along a single stretch.”

In 2018, “exceeding the speed limit” was recorded as a contributory factor in 13% of fatal crashes in Great Britain where at least one factor was identified.

“Travelling too fast for the conditions” was a contributory factor in 9% of fatal crashes. More than one contributory factor might be recorded per incident.

Since the inception of the National Speed Awareness Course in 2010 about nine million people have attended one.

The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users.

Detailed figures for all constabularies in England and Wales can be viewed here.

The table below gives summary information for individual forces.

Total number of speeding offences detected by police forces in England and Wales in 2018-19 and how they were detected.

Police Force Area	Total number of speeding offences detected 2017-18	Total number of speeding offences detected 2018-19	% year-on-year change 2018-19	Proportion of speeding offences detected by camera 2018-2019	Total number of all motoring offences 2018-19	Proportion of speeding offences relative to all motoring offences 2018-19
Avon and Somerset	199,336	159,210	-20%	100%	173,420	92%
Bedfordshire	74,297	76,573	3%	100%	80,685	95%
Cambridgeshire	45,763	34,672	-24%	98%	40,795	85%
Cheshire	58,408	52,770	-10%	96%	61,626	86%
City of London/Metropolitan Police	139,318	157,494	13%	91%	274,744	57%
Cleveland	11,308	11,937	6%	97%	13,592	88%
Cumbria	45,702	40,104	-12%	99%	42,331	95%
Derbyshire	10,480	12,256	17%	98%	14,736	83%
Devon and Cornwall	42,888	47,272	10%	98%	52,152	91%
Dorset	23,027	22,716	-1%	94%	26,391	86%
Durham	8,802	19,395	120%	95%	20,764	93%
Essex	95,967	91,849	-4%	94%	124,923	74%
Gloucestershire	21,727	24,121	11%	99%	25,729	94%
Greater Manchester	101,421	106,839	5%	99%	122,411	87%
Hampshire	79,126	73,036	-8%	96%	81,149	90%
Hertfordshire	51,158	52,794	3%	98%	61,763	85%
Humberside	57,930	53,679	-7%	96%	63,004	85%
Kent	18,878	20,366	8%	95%	30,024	68%
Lancashire	61,242	74,286	21%	99%	85,293	87%
Leicestershire	37,340	41,909	12%	99%	50,826	82%
Lincolnshire	47,020	45,712	-3%	98%	48,611	94%

 

Police Force Area	Total number of speeding offences detected 2017-18	Total number of speeding offences detected 2018-19	% year-on-year change 2018-19	Proportion of speeding offences detected by camera 2018-2019	Total number of all motoring offences 2018-19	Proportion of speeding offences relative to all motoring offences 2018-19
Merseyside	60,681	53,112	-12%	86%	75,962	70%
Norfolk and Suffolk	92,750	98,729	6%	96%	114,957	86%
North Wales	20,462	19,493	-5%	90%	24,610	79%
North Yorkshire	29,922	41,934	40%	99%	47,421	88%
Northamptonshire	47,860	49,448	3%	100%	56,800	87%
Northumbria	66,327	67,857	2%	99%	75,961	89%
Nottinghamshire	27,155	24,566	-10%	99%	30,845	80%
Wales (except North Wales)	43,425	35,005	-19%	96%	49,934	70%
South Yorkshire	47,811	55,461	16%	99%	63,162	88%
Staffordshire	41,392	48,583	17%	98%	54,771	89%
Surrey	74,163	89,079	20%	100%	98,427	91%
Sussex	56,828	54,139	-5%	98%	62,202	87%
Thames Valley	131,400	145,447	11%	98%	158,854	92%
Warwickshire	43,409	52,774	22%	99%	58,612	90%
West Mercia	66,858	92,335	38%	99%	98,161	94%
West Midlands	34,966	57,154	63%	93%	67,457	85%
West Yorkshire	174,796	181,867	4%	99%	201,548	90%
Wiltshire	1,191	807	-32%	0%	3,008	27%
Total England and Wales	2,292,534	2,386,780	4%	97%	2,837,661	84%