Dangerous driving arrests in South Yorkshire halve in last five years

The new research, conducted by law firm Lime Solicitors, asked UK Police Forces how many arrests for death by dangerous driving they had made between 2019-2023 and how many speeding tickets they had issued in that same time frame.

Lime Solicitors’ exclusive data reveals that the majority of Police Forces (54%) reported an increase in the number of arrests for death by dangerous driving in the last five years, with many acceding pre-pandemic levels. This shows that the dips in the number of arrests in 2020 were a false start, covered up by lockdowns.

Over a third (36%) of Forces reported that the number of arrests they had made for death by dangerous driving had either doubled or tripled since 2019, but South Yorkshire Police has halved the number of arrests made in the same time frame. South Yorkshire Police has, however, seen an increase of 2% in speeding tickets issued in the last five years.

Worryingly, whilst the data for the number of arrests for death by dangerous driving is available, the data for the corresponding number of deaths in South Yorkshire caused by dangerous driving is not recorded. Without corresponding data on fatalities, it’s impossible to assess whether decreasing arrests reflect worsening enforcement or improved road safety conditions. Tracking arrests alone undermines efforts to identify high-risk areas where stronger preventative measures are urgently needed.

Even one death caused by dangerous driving is too many and, in order to reduce deaths, the full picture of data as well as strong deterrents are paramount. The Ministry of Justice data revealed that the average sentence length for causing death by dangerous driving is just seven years. Yet, The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act increased the maximum penalty from 14 years to life imprisonment in 2022, yet no one has ever been given more than 15 years for this fatal offence. Lime Solicitors is calling for longer sentence lengths to be considered where appropriate to deter dangerous driving.

Martin Usher, Head of Serious Injury at Lime Solicitors, commented: "The lack of regional data on the number of deaths caused by dangerous driving makes it difficult to fully understand the true impact of this serious issue. Whilst the data reveals a decrease in arrests for death by dangerous driving – this only tells part of the story. Comprehensive regional death data is essential for crafting effective strategies to save lives on our roads.

“In order to reduce the number of deaths by dangerous driving, more needs to be done in terms of legislation, infrastructure improvements, and public awareness campaigns, especially with car drivers and young drivers to educate and deter dangerous driving.

“It is paramount to ensure road safety measures in South Yorkshire are both effective and adhered to, and that appropriate reprimands are given to those who break the rules to prevent further avoidable loss of life.”

Interestingly, the data also revealed the profile of South Yorkshire drivers most likely to be sentenced for death by dangerous driving, with young drivers between the ages of 18-24 dominating arrests.

In addition, despite high-profile road traffic incidents causing concerns about the dangers of micromobility vehicles such as e-scooters or reckless driving from larger vehicles, 90% of Forces reported that the most common vehicle causing death by dangerous driving was a car. South Yorkshire Police is no exception to this trend, with % of arrests made for death by dangerous driving caused by a car.