The Sunderland road with the worst record for drivers jumping red lights

The A1018 North Bridge Street, just off the north side of the Wearmouth Bridge, is 17th on the list of spots where drivers fail to stop for a red signal.

The statistics were complied by insurance firm esure, which found nationally, 67,000 motorists were given points for failing to stop at traffic lights last year - although it belives this is the tip of the iceberg, with just a minority of lights having a camera

It also says one in four - 9.3 million - motorists across the country admit to running a red light in the past year alone.

The firm has said jumping red lights is becoming a common occurrence with the latest figures showing that traffic cameras are catching around 184 drivers every day.

According to Freedom of Information data obtained by the car insurance business, the A197 Durham Road (South) in Gateshead is the third worst and the only other North East entry into the top 20 list.

The company has said busier lives and congested roads are the driving forces behind this trend.

The number of cars in the UK has risen by 10million over the past two decades, from 21 million in 1995 to 31 million in 2015; and one in eight - 13% - motorists say that the increase in congestion means they are now more likely to drive through red lights.

Of those who have run a red light in the past 12 months, more than one in 10 - 11% - did so because they were in a rush, while one in 20 - 6% - felt pressure from the car behind and a similar proportion - 5% - were frustrated at having been stuck in traffic for a long time.

The maximum penalty for running a red light is a fine of £1,000 and three penalty points, but drivers are usually given a Fixed Penalty Notice, which is a fine of £100 and three penalty points.

Based on the number of offences recorded by police forces in 2015 £6.7million was paid out in fines and 201,705 penalty points were given out collectively.

Jon Wilshire, chief underwriting officer of esure, said: “The rise in drivers running red lights is down to people’s lifestyles – they’re busy and in a rush and just want to sneak through the red light and get to where they need to be.However, running a red light is not a very bright thing to do.

“Aside from the obvious danger and increased chance of ending up in an accident, you could get points on your licence, which will affect the cost of your insurance plus you could be out of pocket and fined £1,000.

"The average set of lights change every couple of minutes so it’s not long to keep yourself and fellow motorists safe.”