Derbyshire drivers pay more than £1million in speeding fines

Figures obtained by the Derbyshire Times show the offence raked in £1,165,700 during 2013/14.

The data reveals 11,657 people paid a penalty charge of £100 for breaking the speed limit on the county’s roads.

Income from speeding penalties goes to central Government coffers.

Derbyshire speed cameras for the week ahead – FULL LIST OF LOCATIONS

A spokesman for Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership, which is made up of organisations including the police, said: “Our goal is to keep people safe – we want to discourage people from speeding rather than catch them.

“The fear of speeding traffic is blighting many of the communities that look to us for help and we hope that our programme of speed detection activities will encourage people to slow down.”

The spokesman added: “We want to remind people that a small increase in speed makes a big difference to the amount of harm you will cause if you hit someone.

“The risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph rather than at 30mph.”

John O’Connell, director of campaign group the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Of course dangerous driving needs to be discouraged, but it’s important that the authorities don’t start using motorists as a cash cow. Drivers are already hard-pressed by too-high road and fuel tax.”

In order to detect speeding, police use in-car computers, hand-held laser devices, cameras in yellow roadside boxes and cameras fitted to vans and motorcycles.