Drivers caught jumping red lights every four minutes as Britons risk daily road chaos

Drivers across the UK have been caught travelling through red lights more than 351,000 times in just three years, prompting major safety concerns.

The number of offences rose by 37.5 per cent between 2023 and 2025, according to Freedom of Information data obtained by used car retailer cinch.

The figures showed that 351,244 offences for failing to stop at a red traffic light were recorded by 26 police forces during the three years.

The numbers also increased every year, with 101,184 offences in 2023, rising to 110,921 in 2024 before reaching 139,139 in 2025.

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This equates to roughly one offence every four-and-a-half minutes across the police force areas that provided data.

London's Metropolitan Police recorded by far the highest number of offences, with 187,261 over the three years, accounting for more than half, 53.3 per cent, of all the offences recorded by the forces that responded.

Nottinghamshire Police had the second-highest total, with 30,532 offences, followed by Leicestershire Constabulary with 23,296.

Surrey Police recorded 17,779 offences, while Police Scotland recorded 17,232. Other forces with high totals included Essex Police, with 9,613 offences, South Wales Police with 8,532 and Cheshire Constabulary with 8,158.

The high number recorded by the Met was likely to reflect the volume of traffic and the large number of traffic cameras operating across London. Some forces also saw huge increases in offences between 2023 and 2025.

Humberside Police recorded 299 offences in 2023, but that figure rose to 2,004 in 2025, an increase of 570 per cent.

Ben Welham, motoring expert at cinch, warned that running a red light can have serious consequences for both the driver and the wider road network.

He said: "Driving through a red light often happens when drivers misjudge the timing of a light changing, or when they attempt to make it through a junction too late.

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"However, failing to stop at a red light can put motorists, cyclists and pedestrians at serious risk, particularly at busy junctions where multiple lanes of traffic are moving at once."

"Even if a driver believes they have enough time to make it through safely, other road users may already be moving through the junction on a green signal," he added.

Afternoons were found to be the most common time for drivers to run red lights, with 35.4 per cent of offences taking place between midday and 4.59pm.

Leicestershire, Police Scotland, Suffolk, Norfolk and Bedfordshire all recorded their highest number of offences during the afternoon period.

Mr Welham urged drivers to take more care when approaching junctions and always leave enough space from the vehicle in front.

He also said drivers should stop safely when traffic lights turn amber rather than trying to beat the lights.

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