§ Lord Tebbitasked Her Majesty's Government:
What evidence they have that (a) higher penalties; and (b) changes in the rules of evidence to facilitate conviction of the accused have led to reductions in the incidence of driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, and traffic light violations.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch)The information available on drink driving does not allow precise causal relationships to be drawn in the way suggested.
On speeding and traffic offences, a change in evidential procedure in relation to the evidence from enforcement cameras was made in the Road Traffic Act 1991. Where such cameras are in use, early data show that there has been a reduction in violations in the vicinity of the camera sites. It is, however, too early to draw wider conclusions.