The UK city with the most speed cameras per mile has been revealed – and it’s not London.
Bradford beats the UK capital with 2.18 cameras per square mile, despite being a fraction of its size, according to data analysis from driving insurance company Zego. The West Yorkshire city has paired its dense camera network with rollouts of 20mph zones.
While being the largest and most populated city in the country, London comes in second place with 1.93 cameras per square mile. The city has more than 800 static speed cameras and red-light cameras, as well as six average speed camera schemes, according to Transport for London (TfL), as part of efforts to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on roads.
TfL also announced it would trial new cameras without visible flash, white light, in-ground sensors or road markings in March. Instead, the new cameras combine 4D radar, which the transport operator hopes will offer increased reliability and more effective speed detection.
Hounslow was third on the list with 1.86 per square mile, while Tipton in Black Country and Dewsbury in West Yorkshire rounded out the top five with a respective density of 1.74 and 1.63 speed cameras per square mile.
Coventry was lower down the list at sixth, with 243 cameras and a density of 1.57 per square mile. The city has also rolled out 20 mph zones across residential areas and streets where schools are located and has introduced a number of average speed enforcement schemes.
The figures come just two months after the Home Office revealed record-breaking motoring offence figures. Drivers across England and Wales, outside of London, were caught committing a record 2.9 million crimes in 2024, a nine per cent surge from the previous year’s 2.7 million total. That marked the highest number recorded since comparable data collection began in 2011.
A staggering 2.5 million (86 per cent) of these incidents involved drivers exceeding the speed limit, also a new record.
Meanwhile, speed awareness course referrals have more than doubled in just over a decade. Figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) last year found that 1.84 million drivers attended a speed awareness course in the UK in 2024, a three per cent increase when compared to the previous year, and a 139 per cent surge since 2011.
These courses are offered to drivers who are caught travelling slightly over the speed limit as an alternative to a fine or points on their licence.
Motorists caught speeding can only take the course once every three years, which involves presentations, quizzes and group discussions addressing personal responsibility, managing speed and the dangers of speed.
The course duration is typically three hours and prices vary depending on the referring police force; motorists don’t pass or fail these courses, the only requirement is to arrive on time and stay for the session. Those who take the course also don’t need to declare it to their insurance company so their premiums remain unaffected.
Anyone who accrues 12 or more penalty points within a period of three years faces a driving ban. New drivers can get their licence revoked if they have six or more points within two years of passing their test.
An AA Yonder poll found that among 1,955 drivers who had attended a speed awareness course in the past three years, 80 per cent felt they were more aware of speed and 79 per cent believed they were safer drivers.
Edmund King OBE, AA president, said: “Our research shows that speed awareness courses work. Drivers who attend them overwhelmingly say they become more aware of their speed and feel they are safer behind the wheel as a result.
“Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, these courses have helped change behaviour without overburdening the courts. They give drivers the opportunity to learn rather than simply being punished. Often those that attend the courses say courses should be offered to all drivers and 79 per cent would recommend courses to others.
“Education can be a powerful tool in improving road safety, reducing reoffending and potentially saving lives.”
