Police fined holidaymakers millions in traffic fines this summer thanks to the reduced speed tolerance.

Nearly 250,000 drivers were stung over December and January for driving at speeds up to the usual tolerance of 10kmh over the limit.

However, the tolerance had been reduced from ten to four kilometres per hour over the limit.

The nearly 250,000 tickets amounted to more than $7.3m in fines - an increase of about 4650% on the summer of 2009, before police began using the lower tolerance during holiday periods.