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Kent speed cameras catch nearly 2,000 foreign drivers - but none have been prosecuted because they are not registered with the DVLA

Foreign drivers are regularly flouting speed limits in Kent with one motorist clocked doing 111mph on the M25.

Nearly 2,000 overseas drivers were caught by the county’s speed cameras between August 2013 and July this year, but because they are not registered with the DVLA, their vehicles cannot be traced.

The Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) has called on the government to work with other European countries to make sure speeding drivers are caught, wherever they are from.

Most speed cameras in Kent are inactive, according to data
Most speed cameras in Kent are inactive, according to data

The IAM’s director of policy and research, Neil Greig said: “These are people who have totally ignored the speed limit, and anybody going faster than the speed limit is a danger to themselves and others.

“Foreign drivers might not know the rules but ignorance is no defence under the law.

“These people are getting away with it simply because their vehicles can’t be traced, and the British government really needs to start working with other European government to catch these drivers and bring them to book

The vehicles of foreign drivers are not registered with the DVLA and are therefore very hard to trace.
The vehicles of foreign drivers are not registered with the DVLA and are therefore very hard to trace.

There are European directives coming into force to force governments to take part in cross-border enforcement, but it’s taking absolutely ages to come through.

Kent has the fifth highest number of foreign drivers caught speeding in England and Wales with a reported 1,954, according to figures from the IAM.

Nationally, the road safety charity said oversees drivers have escaped 23,295 speeding offences since January 2013 – the equivalent of £2.3 million worth of speeding tickets.

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