'You can run but you can't hide' warning as more drivers get knock on door

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Drivers are being warned not to ignore penalty notice as the number being visited by bailiffs over unpaid fines has surged. New figures show that four million penalty charge notices (PCNs) were referred to enforcement agencies in the 2023/24 financial year, the Times reported.The previous 12 months saw 2.4 million referred, while there were 1.9 million in 2019/20 and 1.3 million in 2017/18.

The figures were compiled by the Civil Enforcement Association (CEA), a trade body representing bailiff companies.CEA chief executive Russell Hamblin-Boone attributed the rise to factors such as a post-coronavirus backlog of court proceedings, as well as "clean air zones, Ulez (London's ultra low emission zone) and other emission reduction strategies".

He told the Times some members of the public have "given themselves permission to act with impunity".He added: "Antisocial behaviour is being normalised and we see selfish actions daily: motorists not respecting rules, parking where they want and ignoring traffic regulations."AA president Edmund King described the increase in the number of cases referred to enforcement agencies, which cover England and Wales, as "remarkable".He said: "Drivers who receive a ticket should pay up or challenge it rather than ignore it.

These figures show that drivers can run but they can't hide. The best way to avoid tickets is to comply with the rules of the road."We believe the increase in figures is partly due to the increase in local authority enforcement of moving offences, yellow box junctions, more complex bus lanes and bus gates, and clean air zones.