The number of drivers prosecuted for motoring offences by magistrates in Wales increased by 8% last year, according to Welsh Government figures.
‘Motoring offenders in Wales, 2014’ reveals that 54,449 cases were dealt with in 2014, up from 50,500 in 2013, with men accounting for 68% of all cases.
Despite a rise from 15,145 in 2013 to 16,962 in 2014, speeding offences are no longer the most common motoring offence in Welsh magistrates’ courts; at 17,496 cases, vehicle insurance offences top the list.
There was also a small rise in cases relating to driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs – from 3,102 in 2013 to 3,128 – the first rise since 2008, when these figures were first recorded in the report.
39 people were prosecuted by magistrates for causing death or bodily harm in 2014 – up from 22 in 2013.
Three of the four police areas in Wales saw an increase in court cases in the same time period: North Wales from 7,154 to 8,039, Dyfed Powys from 7,264 to 7,438 and South Wales from 29,395 to 32,520, while Gwent saw a drop from 6,737 to 6,452.
However, the number of fixed penalty notices issued in Wales dropped by 17%, to 77,000.
There was a drop in all five of the fixed penalty categories recorded in the report: vehicle related; miscellaneous (mostly seatbelt offences); careless driving plus neglect; obstruction, waiting and parking offences; and speed limit offences.
The report also shows that of 88,800 breathalyser tests in 2013 (the latest available figures) 5,800 returned positive outcomes, the equivalent to 6%. In 2012, 8% (7,900) of 96,100 tests returned positive.
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