That split-second flash from a speed camera turns your morning commute into a £100 pain in the butt. Now picture that money building more safer roads, smoothing out hot spots, or funding campaigns that actually make a difference. Police leaders from West Midlands and others, backed by RoSPA and RAC Foundation, made the case loud and clear last month. They see 2024's road toll as a wake-up: 1,633 dead, up 1% from 2023, with 29,537 killed or seriously hurt and no real drop in sight. Every penny from fines vanishes into general funds, leaving forces like West Midlands £1.8m in the red despite pulling in £2m locally.
Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, spells out the madness. His team runs enforcement on fumes while Treasury pockets the haul. Flip the script, and that cash covers extra average-speed cameras, which already slash crashes by over 30% on test stretches. Toss in red-light traps, speed humps near schools, and hard-hitting ads on tailgating risks. Repeat offenders face AI cameras since August, dishing £450 fines and license threats, but the revenue? Still not circling back to streets.
Motorcyclists bore the brunt last year, fatalities jumping 9% to 343, while pedestrians ticked up 2% to 413. Charities nail speed as the killer factor, turning minor slips into wrecks. Cameras work, dropping collisions 20-50% in zones, proving education beats punishment every time. Government brushes it off, no policy shift in sight.
Warwickshire leads fines per driver, yet deaths continue.
