A new report has explored why there has been a rise in ‘yellow box junction’ fines for drivers who are caught with their vehicles stopped on the yellow boxes at junctions.
It follows a report about the increase in speeding offences and distracted driving offences in recent years as the government looks to improve road safety and crack down on offences.
But the question is… why are driving offences on the rise? And is there more than meets the eye?
The UK’s Road Safety Picture
It’s no secret that there are more drivers on the road than ever before, taking more journeys than ever more, leading to higher traffic levels than ever before.
Add in significant roadworks and road improvement works on key routes across the UK including on the M25 and for HS2-related work on the M42, M6 and M1, and you’ve got a perfect storm of tailbacks and increasing levels of traffic.
Interestingly, though, the report on yellow box junction fines found that three councils outside of London and Cardiff were responsible for 60% of all fines in 2024.
The significance of that is that the government confirmed in 2022 that it would let councils outside of London and Cardiff issue fines for moving traffic offences, rather than the police.
Those three councils were Manchester, Medway and Buckinghamshire.
The fines are generally £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days of the date of issue) but the sheer volume has meant that drivers paid out more than £1 million in yellow box junction fines last year.
You can find out more about the rise in yellow box junction fines here
But part of the issue in exploring the impact on road safety is that there’s a debate as to whether more offences are taking place or whether it’s simply a case of more cameras capturing offences taking place.
It’s perfectly feasible that offences were taking place prior to the rule changes but simply weren’t enforced to the same level.
How Can Technology Improve Road Safety?
The government, local authorities, police and National Highways are all looking to technology to improve road safety.
AI cameras that can spot drivers using mobile devices behind the wheel or drivers and passengers driving without a seatbelt were recently launched, with a wider rollout expected in the coming months and years.
The idea is to take the burden away from police and people, with automatic fines issued in much the same way that fines for speeding on smart motorways are.
Which will again bring the same questions around whether driver behaviour is really diminishing or whether it’s simply a case of it being monitored more efficiently.
Either way, it’s clear that road safety is a key factor for the government and local authorities, with action being taken to improve key routes such as motorways and A-roads, with focus on local roads also being taken into account.
With incidents on the road rising every year, keeping your fleet safe has never been more important.
If you want to find out more, simply schedule a demo by heading over to our Risk Monitor page…
What are the main areas of concern for you around road safety? What measures would you like to see implemented? Let us know in the comments below.
