British motorists hit with parking fines every two seconds
Private parking firms issued 7.8 million fines between April and June last year – the highest on record, and equivalent to 43,000 a day, according to Churchill.
The car insurer analysed requests sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by 193 firms over the three-month period. Private parking companies must obtain vehicle keeper records from the DVLA in order to issue a penalty.
Councils, as well as private companies, are profiting from mass fines. Motorists paid out a record amount of £620m in parking fines to councils during the 2023-2024 financial year, as town halls hit drivers with 1,000 tickets every hour.
The AA this week warned that punitively high charges for parking, designed to reduce the number of cars on the road, are 'speeding up the death of the high street'.
The motoring body warned that rates above £5 an hour are putting people off visiting high street shops entirely.
In a rare victory, motorists will have more time to pay for parking after the Government last month approved legislation to scrap the five-minute rule which saw drivers fined if they did not pay for using a private car park within five or 10 minutes.
The decision was triggered by motorist, Rosey Hudson, who was taken to court last November by the operator of a car park in Derby for not paying her tickets within five minutes of arrival.
Excel Parking demanded Ms Hudson pay £1,905.76 to clear nine outstanding penalty charge notices, which included a £70 'debt recovery' charge for each one, 8pc annual interest and £195 in court costs.
Edmund King, president of the AA, said drivers were 'being taken for a ride' by parking firms.
He said: 'These numbers are astonishing and excessive. The problem is many of the drivers who receive these tickets are worried about the hassle of appealing and debt collectors – even if they think they might be in the right and the parking companies are in the wrong.
'So they just pay up, because they don't want their credit record to be affected. Millions of drivers are being taken for a ride.'
Mr King added: 'Another problem is that we still haven't got a fair appeals system. These figures suggest that many parking companies are just getting away with it as a recipe to print money.'
Under current rules, appeals have to go through the parking companies first which critics have argued can be biased. Once an outcome has been made, the motorist can escalate it to an independent appeals body.
Lisa Webb, legal expert at consumer website Which?, said: 'A parking charge notice or other privately issued ticket isn't a fine and can't be imposed on you – but a private company can pursue you through the courts for payment.
'So if you think the charge isn't correct or there are mitigating circumstances, such as ill health or vehicle breakdown, you may want to contest it.
'First, appeal to the car park operator and follow the operator's internal appeals process. If the company rejects your appeal, then you can appeal to an independent appeals system.'
'If the independent adjudicator agrees with you, the private parking charge will be cancelled. But if your appeal is refused, the company can carry on seeking payment and ultimately has the option of taking you to court.'
The DVLA was approached for comment.
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