Bradford has been identified as the UK city with the highest density of speed cameras, surpassing London with 2.18 cameras per square mile, according to data from insurance company Zego. Despite being significantly smaller than the capital, the West Yorkshire city has implemented a dense camera network alongside 20mph zones.
London and other cities follow
London ranks second with 1.93 cameras per square mile, boasting over 800 static speed and red-light cameras, plus six average speed camera schemes. Transport for London (TfL) announced in March it would trial new cameras using 4D radar technology, which aims to improve reliability and detection without visible flash or road markings.
Third place goes to Hounslow with 1.86 cameras per square mile, while Tipton in the Black Country and Dewsbury in West Yorkshire complete the top five with densities of 1.74 and 1.63 respectively. Coventry sits sixth, with 243 cameras and a density of 1.57 per square mile, and has introduced 20mph zones near schools and residential areas.
Rise in motoring offences
The findings come after the Home Office reported record motoring offences in 2024. Drivers in England and Wales (excluding London) committed 2.9 million offences, a 9% increase from 2.7 million in 2023, the highest since comparable records began in 2011. Of these, 2.5 million (86%) were for speeding, also a new record.
Speed awareness course referrals have more than doubled over the past decade. Department for Transport figures show 1.84 million drivers attended such courses in 2024, up 3% from the previous year and a 139% increase since 2011. These courses are offered as an alternative to fines or penalty points for minor speeding offences.
Course details and benefits
Motorists can take a speed awareness course once every three years. The three-hour session includes presentations, quizzes, and group discussions on personal responsibility and speed dangers. Prices vary by police force. Attendees do not pass or fail, and completion does not need to be declared to insurers, so premiums remain unaffected.
Drivers accruing 12 or more penalty points within three years face a driving ban, while new drivers risk licence revocation with six or more points within two years of passing. An AA Yonder poll of 1,955 drivers who attended a course in the past three years found 80% felt more aware of speed and 79% believed they were safer drivers.
AA president Edmund King OBE 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. 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."
