Local councils in England generated £1.2 billion in profit from parking fines last year, prompting concerns over how they’re administered and what it means for fleets and drivers.
It follows news from the DVLA that the year to the end of April 2025 was a record year for parking fines, which took in data both from council-run facilities and land and privately owned car parks.
Those figures have risen by 12% in a year and with more vehicles on the road than ever before, it could be a sign of things to come.
Are More Fines Being Handed Out?
More fines are being handed out as free parking becomes a thing of the past and more parking restrictions are introduced across the country.
With many car parks and facilities moving to app-based parking systems rather than the traditional pay & display systems, the ANPR camera operations mean that parking fines are no longer solely reliant on parking attendants.
The cameras mean that more fines are issued automatically in much the same way that motorway cameras issue speeding fines. Total fines received by councils reached more than £2.3 billion, with £1.1 billion of that eaten up by administrative costs, the cost of running parking sites & the technology itself.
While parking fines are issued by private companies and are a separate issue, speeding fines (and fines for distracted driving and mobile phone use behind the wheel) are part of the government’s bid to improve road safety.
The issuing of fines is, according to the government and local authorities, in place to act as a deterrent to road safety issues such as speeding, obstructing roads and causing road safety issues for other drivers by blocking their view or causing unnecessary traffic jams.
Find out more about the rise in parking fines in a record year here.
Are More Fines A Sign Of Poor Driving Decisions?
As more drivers hit the road than ever before (and take more journeys than ever before), the question around road safety is a natural one.
The reality is that the revenue taken in parking and speeding fines is disproportionate to the increase in driver and journey numbers, meaning that the fines paid per driver is higher than in recent years.
Traffic congestion rose by an average of 9% in 2024 and with 20% more vehicles on the road than 13 years ago, there’s no doubt that it’s having an impact.
Parking fines might not always be a road safety issue (though sometimes they are) but they can tell us a lot about driver behaviour…
Now, mitigating risk is something we all want to do as drivers and when you’re looking after an entire fleet, it becomes an even bigger priority.
It’s something we can help with, both in mitigating risk for your vehicles (through Fleet Monitor which you can find out more about here) and through Driving Monitor, to ensure you’ve got full oversight on everything from licence checks to training monitor, telematics integration and accident monitoring.
Do you think that a rise in parking fines is cause for concern on the attitude of drivers? Or do you think that councils see it as a way to generate much-needed revenue, regardless of any perceived road safety concerns? Let us know…
