Fleet drivers accrued £5.6m in fines for parking and bus lane infringements in 2015, an increase of 39% and 58% respectively since 2012, new figures have revealed.
According to Lex Autolease’s figures, the total bill for fines and penalties came to £11.1m, a jump of 17% on the previous year, with half of these fines coming from drivers committing minor traffic offences, such as stopping in box junctions.
According to Lex’s analysis of the 317,000 company vehicles it fleet manages, motorists committed 37% more offences last year than in 2014, with the majority of the extra fines coming from the Dartford Crossing.
Lex said that drivers flouting the Dart Charge prepayment system rules accounted for more than 17% of the total offences during 2015, costing businesses £474,497 in its first year of operation.
“The enormous jump in year on year increases for both the number of offences committed and the value of fines incurred should be of real concern,” said Guy Mason, head of fleet operations at Lex Autolease. “Our data suggests a clampdown on motoring offences that might have been considered minor in the past, with increased investment in bus lane cameras and traffic wardens by local authorities meaning company car drivers should no longer feel they can simply ‘get away with’ so-called minor misdemeanors.”
