Drivers to be stung over £2.1bn in parking and site visitors fines this yr

Drivers could be in for an expensive year with data suggesting motorists are on course to fork out £2.15billion in parking charges and traffic fines.

The prediction is based on number of requests already made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by private and public authorities to gain vehicle owners’ details when drivers have been caught breaking rules or terms and conditions on private land. 

Relaying this information allows them to issue motorists with penalty charge notices (PCNs) and traffic fines, and allows private companies to churn out parking charges.

After the third quarter of the 2023/24 financial year, the DVLA has been approached to provide 30million instances of drivers’ details, Carwow has revealed.

Registered private companies and local authorities are on course to issue over £2bn in penalty charge notices to drivers this year, according to a new investigation 

The estimated total cost of fines and charges is based on the average quarterly volume of enquiries for motorists’ information and an average fine and charge amount of £92.50. 

Parking fines and charges are predicted to cost drivers £915million, accounting for almost half of all penalties. 

These include parking charges issued by private firms, PCNs issued by local authorities and toll road operators.

The latest investigation by the online car-changing marketplace Carwow explored the DVLA’s Keeper At Date Of Event (KADOE) database to reveal the scale at which authorities are approaching the agency to garner vehicle owners’ information.

Registered private companies and local authorities have ramped up their requests for driver data by two-thirds since 2020, resulting in a whopping 62 per cent increase in fines.

Local councils can access this database for free, while private companies pay £2.50 per request.

This means the DVLA is set to rake in £25.8million from vehicle keeper requests alone this year.

Transport for London has issued the largest increase in vehicle keeper requests from local authorities, Carwow says.

In the financial year 2018/19, TfL made just under 700,000 applications to gain DVLA records. 

This figure rose 529 per cent in 2022/23 to 4.4million. 

TfL has handed out an estimated £359million worth of fines so far in 2024, 17 per cent of the total projection for the financial year, the investigation uncovered.

Registered private companies and local authorities can access the DLVA’s database to gain contact addresses for vehicle owners who have breached their rules

Iain Reid, of Carwow, said: ‘It’s clear from the number of requests for vehicle keeper data being made year on year that registered private companies and public authorities are clamping down on parking and traffic violations.

‘The introduction of Clean Air Zones and Ultra-Low Emission Zones over recent years is likely to have a large role in the growth in fines. 

‘Figures have been rising in line with the introduction and further expansion of ULEZ in London, and with Clean Air Zones being introduced in cities as recently as December 2023, it’s possible that fines could reach record-breaking heights.

‘As multiple new laws have come into effect regarding Clean Air Zones, we would encourage all drivers to spend extra time planning your route, checking the rules of the roads being entered and whether your car is compliant or not. 

‘We tend to get complacent in areas where we drive most frequently. So, staying alert to new signage and regulations can save you time and money. Otherwise, you could get caught out.’