Dead drivers are among the thousands of people ‘being stung by LTN fines and congestion charges’
‘Dead’ drivers in Oxford were among hundreds of thousands affected by congestion charges and low-traffic neighborhood (LTN) fines, an FOI request has revealed.
Nearly 13 fines and LTNs issued in Oxford’s £5 congestion charge zones have been canceled due to car owners dying, Oxfordshire County Council data shows.
The BBC said nearly 257,000 fines have been issued since the congestion charge was introduced last October and the introduction of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras for LTNs in May 2024.
The data does not explain how vehicles belonging to dead people were driven into prohibited areas, only why fines were cancelled.
64 reasons for 14 thousand canceled penalties were listed.
These include two incidents in which the owners were in prison, one for being a diplomatic vehicle and four for on-call doctors.
More than 1,000 canceled taxis passing through the area and more than 4,000 were canceled because the vehicles did not have a registered guard.
Emergency services also appeared on a common list; Penalties were overruled in 36 ambulance incidents, 16 police vehicles and two fire trucks were involved.
Dead people among 201,000 people affected by Oxford’s congestion charge fines since the charge was introduced in October 2025
ANPR cameras were introduced to catch those breaking LTN rules and more than 51,000 fines have been issued since these cameras were installed in May 2024.
Disabled or medically exempt drivers and owners of untraceable and foreign vehicles also received cancellations.
More than 5,000 of the cancellations were due to failed inspections where drivers were found to have paid for entry.
Failure to pay the congestion charge, which applies all year round including bank holidays, results in offenders being fined £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days).
The council expects to cut £5.2 million from the fare that will be used for a new hospital express bus service from parks and rides.
Oxford’s congestion penalty has been introduced at specific traffic bottlenecks in the city, while work is carried out on the key route along Botley Road.
The charge will end in August this year at the earliest once the works are completed, but ANPR cameras will remain in place and traffic filters will operate at the same locations and times.
The total number of fines given to drivers who ignored traffic congestion fines reached 205,691; 175,000 of these were distributed in the last four and a half months.
Thames Street was the street with the most traffic congestion fines, with 81,493.
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Should municipalities do more to prevent unfair fines, or are current systems sufficient for drivers?
Congestion charges have been imposed on some bottleneck routes around Oxford as work continues on the main route on Botley Road
LTNs are responsible for 51,209 fines since May 2024.
Congestion charges apply to cars and caravans only; Therefore, other vehicles such as vans, motorcycles, scooters and trucks, as well as other vehicles that fall into the disabled tax class, do not need to pay.
While community health or care workers and unpaid carers work without pay, some residents can apply for leave to exempt themselves for a certain number of days.
