New research from comparethemarket.com has revealed that 3,559 Blue Badge prosecutions have been issued over the last three years, 3,496 of which were issued to non-badge holders illegally using someone else’s Blue Badge.
Over 2,000 drivers in London were prosecuted for breaking Blue Badge rules
London (2,192) is home to the most drivers prosecuted for the misuse of Blue Badges across England. Birmingham (224) and Leeds (149) follow in second and third place.
The capital had nearly 2,000 more prosecutions than any other city in the research. 2,140 out of 2,192 prosecutions were from non-badge holders illegally using another’s Blue Badge.
|
Rank |
Location |
Number of all prosecutions for the abuse of Blue Badges |
|
1 |
London |
2,192 |
|
2 |
Birmingham |
224 |
|
3 |
Leeds |
149 |
|
4 |
Brighton and Hove |
97 |
|
5 |
Bradford |
43 |
Motorists in Bristol, Bournemouth and Kingston upon Hull didn’t receive any prosecutions for Blue Badge misuse between 2019 and 2021. Southampton (one prosecution) and Luton (three prosecutions) also feature within the bottom five.
London Borough of Lambeth has been issued the most Blue Badge prosecutions
When looking at London specifically, Lambeth is the London borough with the most prosecutions for the misuse of Blue Badges, with 359 over the past three years, followed by Hammersmith & Fulham (335) and Bromley (200).
|
Top 5 London locations |
Number of all prosecutions for the abuse of Blue Badges |
Bottom 5 London locations |
Number of prosecutions for the abuse of Blue Badges |
|
Lambeth |
359 |
Havering |
0 |
|
Hammersmith & Fulham |
335 |
Hounslow |
0 |
|
Bromley |
200 |
Richmond upon Thames |
0 |
|
Westminster |
160 |
Hillingdon |
1 |
|
Kensington and Chelsea |
158 |
Kingston upon Thames |
1 |
Boroughs Havering, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames did not see any prosecutions for the abuse of Blue Badges in the last three years, whilst Hillingdon and Kingston upon Thames each saw just one prosecution during this time.
One in three (31%) 17-24-year-olds have broken Blue Badge regulations
The research revealed that 17-24-year-olds are most likely to illegally use a friend or family member’s Blue Badge (31%) and more than one in ten (13%) have forged or used a stolen Blue Badge (12%).
How to avoid Blue Badge prosecutions
To avoid potentially being fined up to £1,000 and risking confiscation of your Blue Badge due to misuse, there are certain rules and regulations both Blue Badge holders and non-holders should follow. Some of the key rules include:
- Your Blue Badge should only be used when the holder is in the vehicle as either a driver or passenger.
- The badge should be displayed clearly from the outside of the car. The dashboard is often the best place for this with the holographic side up.
- When your badge becomes worn and unable to read you should replace it.
- When parking on yellow lines or restricted parking, your blue badge clock should be visible from the outside of your car, along with your badge.
- An officer can request to see the badge at any time, so ensure it is always with you when driving and parking.
- The badge should not be used so that non-badge holders can benefit while the holder sits in the car.
The full study can be found here: https://www.comparethemarket.com/car-insurance/content/blue-badges/