Calls grow for tougher driving fines to fund expansion of AI traffic cameras

Road safety campaigners are calling for significantly higher penalties for driving offences to help fund the wider rollout of AI-powered traffic enforcement cameras across the UK.

The proposal comes amid growing concern that many motorists no longer believe they are likely to be caught for offences such as speeding, mobile phone use or dangerous driving.

Jamie Hassall, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), said stronger enforcement measures are needed to reverse declining compliance and improve road safety standards.

He has proposed increasing fixed penalties for moving traffic offences from £100 to £500, with the additional revenue used to expand traffic camera networks, support AI enforcement technology and increase police road patrols.

Modern AI-enabled traffic cameras are capable of detecting multiple offences simultaneously using high-resolution imaging and automated data analysis systems.

The technology can identify speeding, mobile phone use and seatbelt offences while also cross-checking vehicles against police and DVLA databases to determine whether they are taxed, insured and roadworthy.

Road safety groups argue the systems could play a major role in improving enforcement efficiency at a time when police resources remain stretched.

More than 200,000 drivers are convicted of speeding offences annually in the UK, while almost five million penalty points were issued for driving offences last year alone. The majority of those points related to speeding violations.

Hassall said penalty points still serve an important purpose but warned that enforcement loses effectiveness if drivers believe there is little chance of being caught.

He also argued that repeat offenders should face tougher consequences than simply being offered educational courses.

Research cited by road safety organisations suggests visibility of enforcement remains one of the strongest deterrents to dangerous driving behaviour.

James Gibson, executive director of Road Safety GB, said drivers are often influenced more by the likelihood of detection than by the scale of penalties themselves.

The government has not confirmed any plans to increase fines, although ministers are reviewing broader road safety measures as part of efforts to reduce road deaths, which have remained relatively unchanged for more than a decade.

Potential reforms currently under consideration reportedly include introducing penalty points for seatbelt offences, increasing sanctions for uninsured driving and creating new offences linked to vehicles without registered keepers or valid MOT certificates.

The debate comes as transport authorities continue exploring how emerging technology and automated enforcement could play a larger role in improving compliance and reducing dangerous driving on UK roads.