REVEALED: More than 4000 fines issued to South Yorkshire drivers for running red lights and ignoring signs

A total of 4, 037 penalty notices were issued last year in the area for drivers caught running red lights and ignoring traffic signs. That means for every 10, 000 drivers, 51 were ticketed.

The study was carried out by private number plate specialists Regtransfers.co.uk to find the UK’s worst areas for driving offences and was based on 2.7 million offences racked up by British motorists between 2016 and 2017.

Assistant Inspector Lee Beck, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Traffic light systems are in place for a reason, and jumping a red light can have significant impacts on not only you as the driver but other road users too, from drivers to pedestrians.

“By ignoring a red light, a clear indication to stop, you risk putting yourself and others in danger. Remember that traffic measures are there for your safety so please don’t take the chance.

“We have automated cameras at certain junctions which can detect if someone goes through a red light and if officers out on patrol see someone drive through a red light, they will be stopped and risk a £100 fine and three penalty points.”

A spokesperson for road safety charity Brake said: "Running a red light is incredibly dangerous behaviour and its worrying to see a high number of such incidents in South Yorkshire.

"Traffic lights are in place to protect pedestrians and other road users and drivers caught running red lights clearly have no concern for their safety or the safety of others.

"We urge all road users to ensure they drive responsibly and obey all the laws of the road and those that do not do so must be caught and punished.

"We need to see far greater investment in roads policing to ensure that there is a visible deterrent to dangerous driving on our roads.”

A spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership said: "Traffic signals are there for a reason, and skipping red lights puts the driver, and other road users around them, at risk.

"Speeding up as the lights change to amber or red is dangerous because you will have less time to react if something happens, and the phase of the lights for waiting traffic might be quicker than you expect, particularly on signal controlled roundabouts.

“Braking at the last second if you change your mind is also dangerous, as you could lose control of your vehicle. It’s never worth the risk for those extra seconds you think it may save.

“Always anticipate that green lights could change at any moment, and approach junctions accordingly at a slower speed.

"Even when lights are green, there could be emergency service vehicles emerging or pedestrians attempting to cross, so give yourself plenty of time to react.”