It looks as though motorists...

It looks as though motorists are fast learners! Speeding fines have more than halved in the UK over the past year. The figures come from major vehicle hire firm National Car Rental.

The company says its customers normally clock up thousands of penalties every quarter, but the number of tickets it has received dropped by 52 per cent over the last 12 months.

And it’s not only speed cameras that motorists are dodging. Our table shows that National has also recorded a 48 per cent decrease in the number of bus lane penalties issued to its customers between the third and fourth quarter of 2007.

There were significant drops in parking, congestion charge and other general traffic offences – such as talkч­ing on a mobile phone at the wheel – during that period, too.

National bosses claim the shift is down to new legislation which could land reckless business drivers in trouble with their employers. Operations manager David Alexander explained: “When you speed in a rental vehicle, the police inform the hire company via the DVLA, and it will then tell your boss. So your job could possibly be at risk.”

He added that new rules being introduced in April will force employers to place a greater emphasis on responsible driving. “The Corporч­ate Manslaughter Act will make comч­panies liable for any deaths caused by its employees, so it’s ensuring busiч­nesses are more anxious about their drivers’ behaviour,” he said.