News & Features

Motoring Offences on the Rise

Posted in News on Thursday, March 19th, 2026

New Home Office figures show 2.9 million drivers across England and Wales, excluding London, were caught committing motoring offences in 2024, highlighting a worrying upward trend in unsafe driving.

Jack Cousens, Head of Roads Policy at The AA, warned that the continued rise is a serious concern and underlines the importance of the government’s Road Safety Strategy.

Careless driving offences have increased by 27% compared to 2023, the sharpest rise recorded. Other offences are also growing, with mobile phone use up 11%, speeding up 10%, and seat belt violations up 4%. These behaviours significantly raise the risk of collisions and road casualties.

Many drivers report regularly seeing poor driving but rarely encountering traffic officers. While speed and AI cameras play an important role in enforcement, they cannot intervene in real time to stop dangerous actions.

There are calls for 1,000 additional traffic officers to strengthen road policing. A visible police presence would act as a deterrent and allow immediate intervention when offences occur.

Without stronger enforcement, too many drivers may continue to believe they can avoid consequences. Improving road safety will require both effective policy and a greater presence on the roads to change driver behaviour.

Comments (0)