More than 350,000 red-light offences were recorded across Britain between 2023 and 2025, new data reveals. Freedom of Information data obtained by cinch shows that 351,244 offences for failing to comply with a red traffic light were recorded by 26 police forces during the three-year period. This equates to one offence every four-and-a-half minutes.
Year-on-year increase in offences
Recorded offences increased every year during the period analysed, rising by 37.5% between 2023 and 2025. The latest available figures also show a further 33,951 red-light offences were recorded between January and March 2026, averaging more than 377 offences every day, or around one every four minutes.
Ben Welham, motoring expert at cinch, said: “Driving through a red light often happens when drivers misjudge the timing of a light changing, or when they attempt to make it through a junction too late. However, failing to stop at a red light can put motorists, cyclists and pedestrians at serious risk, particularly at busy junctions where multiple lanes of traffic are moving at once.”
Metropolitan Police accounts for over half of offences
The Metropolitan Police Service recorded by far the highest number of red-light offences between 2023 and 2025, with 187,261 in total. The force alone accounted for more than half (53.3%) of all offences recorded by the responding police forces. Outside London, Nottinghamshire Police recorded the highest number of offences (30,532), followed by Leicestershire Constabulary (23,296), Surrey Police (17,779) and Police Scotland (17,232).
Other forces with high totals include Essex Police (9,613), South Wales Police (8,532), Cheshire Constabulary (8,158), Hertfordshire Constabulary (7,748) and West Yorkshire Police (6,894).
Afternoons are the most common time for red-light offences
Among police forces that provided detailed time-of-day breakdowns, afternoons were the most common time of day for red-light offences, accounting for more than a third of all offences recorded. Several police forces, including Leicestershire, Police Scotland, Suffolk, Norfolk and Bedfordshire, recorded their highest numbers of offences between 12pm and 4:59pm.
Welham added: "The data shows red-light offences aren't limited to quieter periods of the day. Busy daytime traffic brings its own challenges, with more vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians all using the same junctions. Regardless of the time, drivers should always anticipate lights changing rather than assuming they'll make it through."
Red-light offences rise by more than 500% in some areas
Several police force areas recorded sharp increases in red-light offences between 2023 and 2025, although differences in camera coverage and enforcement activity may have contributed to some of the variation. Humberside Police saw the largest percentage increase, with offences rising from 299 in 2023 to 2,004 in 2025 – an increase of 570.2%. West Mercia Police recorded the second-largest increase, with offences rising from 426 to 2,697 (+533.1%) between 2023 and 2025, while Nottinghamshire Police recorded a 245.6% increase during the same period, rising from 4,635 offences to 16,017.
Other notable increases include West Yorkshire Police (up 239.6%, from 1,268 to 4,306) and Devon and Cornwall Police (up 197.0%, from 1,136 to 3,374).
Welham concluded: “These findings should serve as an important reminder for drivers to approach junctions with enough time to stop safely. Drivers should always leave enough space from the vehicle in front, approach junctions at an appropriate speed and avoid making last-second decisions when lights change.”
