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Driving Offences

Volume 468: debated on Monday 26 November 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) speeding and (b) dangerous driving offences were recorded in (i) Cornwall, (ii) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and (iii) England in each year since 1979. (166715)

Available information held by my Department for the Devon and Cornwall police force area and that of England, from 1980 to 2005 (latest available) is provided in the table.

Information is collected centrally at police force area level only.

Table A: Motoring offences dealt with within Devon and Cornwall police force area, 1980 to 2005

Number of offences

Speed limit offences1

Dangerous driving offences2

Written warnings

Fixed penalty notices 3

Court proceedings 4

Written warnings

Fixed penalty notices

Court proceedings 5

1980

231

n/a

6,087

6

n/a

204

1981

238

n/a

5,028

2

n/a

155

1982

178

n/a

4,711

1

n/a

135

1983

133

n/a

6,264

6

n/a

125

1984

136

n/a

5,814

3

n/a

150

1985

166

n/a

4,629

8

n/a

121

1986

211

1,740

8,093

6

n/a

113

1987

57

10,493

3,472

3

n/a

135

1988

25

10,040

3,349

2

n/a

219

1989

47

14,387

4,503

2

n/a

136

1990

58

17,173

6,431

6

n/a

142

1991

66

14,447

5,936

1

n/a

156

1992

845

9,044

3,592

6

n/a

113

1993

2,752

14,041

2,013

2

n/a

136

1994

1,101

25,914

3,679

1

n/a

122

1995

503

26,078

3,810

3

n/a

113

1996

503

29,078

3,792

6

n/a

93

1997

665

36,150

4,021

6

n/a

102

1998

1,652

32,757

3,741

6

n/a

182

1999

495

33,682

4,345

2

n/a

159

2000

39

28,091

5,324

2

n/a

137

2001

10

33,389

4,661

1

n/a

157

2002

6

31,144

4,390

6

n/a

136

2003

6

63,916

6,961

6

n/a

173

2004

6

91,662

6,990

6

n/a

134

2005

6

53,474

7,665

6

n/a

116

1 Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles(Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.

2 Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 2 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s. 2.

3 Fixed penalty notices paid i.e. no further action.

4 Will include fixed penalty notices issued but not paid and referred to court.

5 From 1980-1997 findings of guilt at all courts, numbers of court proceedings, are not available. From 1998 onwards covers total proceedings at magistrates courts.

6 Data not available

n/a = not applicable

Notes:

1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete.

2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Table B: Motoring offences dealt with in, England, 1980 to 2005

Number of offences

Speed limit offences1

Dangerous driving offences2

Written warnings

Fixed penalty notices3

Court proceedings4

Written warnings

Fixed penalty notices3

Court proceedings4

1980

9,316

n/a

366,464

152

n/a

5,092

1981

7,811

n/a

311,804

100

n/a

4,877

1982

6,561

n/a

245,940

132

n/a

4,902

1983

7,498

n/a

251,291

183

n/a

4,605

1984

6,104

n/a

234,844

339

n/a

4,318

1985

6,340

n/a

230,996

205

n/a

4,364

1986

7,901

65,219

283,541

139

n/a

4,234

1987

9,592

267,024

156,574

173

n/a

4,674

1988

12,696

318,258

159,300

173

n/a

6,017

1989

10,958

381,949

156,214

151

n/a

6487

1990

12,192

421,548

156,286

184

n/a

7,107

1991

18,746

424,555

150,807

226

n/a

7,105

1992

10,842

438,928

143,323

185

n/a

6,328

1993

24,090

375,844

96,561

552

n/a

5,695

1994

23,912

454,234

101,721

289

n/a

5,645

1995

28,053

509,405

115,508

277

n/a

5,829

1996

24,188

565,091

124,541

333

n/a

5,217

1997

31,751

669,409

123,999

338

n/a

5,372

1998

24,747

730,146

154,181

246

n/a

8,785

1999

19,592

775,001

155,041

89

n/a

8,458

2000

21,981

926,760

143,625

59

n/a

8,238

2001

15,530

1,117,409

141,672

50

n/a

8,641

2002

5,209

1,383,694

133,955

31

n/a

9,759

2003

4,850

1,900,037

149,234

44

n/a

10,334

2004

6,048

1,824,892

153,478

44

n/a

9,392

2005

5,498

1,797,950

175,379

65

n/a

7,703

1 Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.

2 Offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 2 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s. 2.

3 Fixed penalty notices paid i.e. no further action.

4 Will include fixed penalty notices issued but not paid and referred to court.

5 From 1980-97 findings of guilt at all courts, numbers of court proceedings, are not available. From 1998 onwards covers total proceedings at magistrates courts.

n/a = not applicable

Notes:

1: It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete.

2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete.

However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces and the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.