SO MANY drivers have been caught by speed cameras that insurers no longer automatically penalise them for having points on their licences.

More than 12 million motorists have been caught by cameras since they were introduced in 1992. Last year more than two million received three points and a £60 fine, and a quarter of households now have at least one driver with a speeding conviction.

Insurers used to raise premiums by at least £50 for those caught once by a camera penalty and by more than £250 for those caught three times. But many companies no longer raise premiums for a single speeding offence, and some are prepared to ignore a second.

Road safety groups said that the financial consequences of being caught speeding were now so low that the fine should be at least doubled to £120 to maintain the deterrent effect.

A survey conducted on behalf of The Times by A&A Group, a leading insurance broker, was based on drivers living in St Albans, Hertfordshire, who had four years’ no claims bonus, and drove a Ford Focus 1.6 valued at £5,000. It found that the premium for a 30-year-old woman would stay at £177 even she acquired six penalty points. At nine points, one offence away from a ban, she would pay £36 extra.

A 40-year-old man would pay £13 extra for six points and £35 more for nine points. Even a man, 21, normally deemed a high risk, would pay only £103 extra for nine points.

Insurers not increasing premiums for drivers with one speeding ticket include Swiftcover, NIG, HSBC and Ensign. Andrew Blowers, chief executive of Swiftcover, said: “There are so many ordinary, safe drivers getting three points that it is no longer an indication that they pose a greater risk.” He said that the inability of cameras to take circumstances into account meant that many drivers were being caught when they were driving safely given the conditions at the time.

“In the good old days police would make a judgment and exercise discretion but cameras cannot do that. We all know there are times when 90mph on a motorway, if it’s clear, is quite safe.

“There is no point in loading the premiums of people who have long unblemished driving records but are mortified to find themselves with three points after being flashed.”

Tony Allen, the chief executive of A&A Group, said that insurers now took a more sophisticated view of speeding offences and were more likely to take into account other factors. “If you are a high-mileage driver then it is more understandable that you get speeding penalties. Also, if someone is caught speeding by a policeman, insurers tend to see that as more significant than being caught by a camera.”

Brake, the road safety charity, said that the risk of receiving a higher insurance bill had been an important part of the deterrent against speeding.

Mary Williams, the chief executive of Brake said: “The £60 fine is just pocket money to many drivers and the insurance increase often used to hurt much more than the fine. Now premiums are not going up, it makes sense to double the fine at the very least. It’s absurd that you can be fined £1,000 for flytipping or smoking on a bus but only £60 for endangering people’s lives on the road.”

Rob Gifford, the director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said that all motoring fines needed to be reviewed. But he believed penalty points were much more important to most drivers than the size of the fine.

The Government is proposing in the Road Safety Bill to cut the number of points from three to two for drivers caught only a few miles over the limit. Mr Gifford said: “Instead of being disqualified for a fourth speeding offence, drivers would get up to six chances. If they took a speed awareness course instead of a penalty, they may have to be caught speeding seven times before being banned.”

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