4 minute read
Speed cameras, all you need to know
It’s a tired stereotype that drivers think of speed cameras as the enemy, but are they? In June 2019, our Populus poll asked Members if it was acceptable to use speed cameras to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. 8 out of 10 said yes. But although the vast majority of people accept speed cameras, there are still questions over how they work. Read on to find the answers.
Why do we need speed cameras?
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Speed cameras are an important tool in maintaining and improving road safety. They keep drivers on their best behaviour and make roads safer. That means they should only be a burden for bad drivers. An LSE study showed that from 1992 to 2016, speed cameras reduced accidents by between 17% to 39%. They reduced fatalities by between 58% to 68%. And the effects were seen within 500 metres of the cameras.
How do speed cameras work?
Speed cameras record a vehicle’s speed by using detectors in the road or radar technology, depending on the type of camera.
Some speed cameras combine with traffic light cameras to monitor lights and junctions too. They can detect vehicles travelling over the stop line or entering the intersection after the lights have turned red. If the speed of the vehicle exceeds the legal limit, or a vehicle runs a red light, the camera is triggered. If the car’s owner wasn’t driving then they must let the police know the name and address of the person who was.
What is the penalty for speeding?
The minimum penalty for speeding is generally a £100 fine and three points on your licence. If the camera detects speeding, it takes a digital image. The image will catch the vehicle’s colour, type, make and registration plate. It may also capture the face of the driver, depending on the type of camera and which way it’s facing. Not all cameras will get a clear picture of the driver.
The camera will also record the: • Time and date of the offence • Speed you were travelling • Speed limit on the road
What happens after you've been caught by a speed camera?
If you're caught breaking the speed limit, the image recorded by the camera will scan your car’s number plate to get the registered address from the DVLA.
Within 2 weeks of being caught, a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. It'll also include a request to provide driver details in case someone else was driving at the time.
However, this could be higher if you've gone over the speed limit by a lot. You can even get a court summons. However, if it's a first offence and you don't have points on your licence, you could be offered a speed awareness course instead of penalty points.
Our guide to speeding and speed limits has everything you need to know.
Do speed cameras take pictures of the driver?
Not all speed cameras take pictures of the driver's face, but some do. This is why it's important you respond to the NIP identifying the driver, because if someone else was driving your car, you risk being punished too.
Does a speed camera have to be visible?
The Department for Transport revealed that all speed cameras were to be painted yellow by October 2016. This should make most of them easier to see, but mobile speed cameras can be tough to spot. Just because you didn’t see a speed camera clearly doesn’t mean the fine is invalid. They aren’t there to be spotted and dodged - the point of them is to encourage drivers to stick within the speed limit.
Speed camera myths
Along with many other well-known driving myths, there’s a thought that changing lanes messes up the average speed calculations for SPECS and VECTOR average speed cameras.
This is wrong. While older speed cameras could’ve been ‘tricked’, more advanced cameras now use multiple sets of cameras at each point to track all the lanes and compare average speeds.
But either way, you shouldn’t be trying to avoid getting caught. It’s safer for everyone to stick to the limits - and the law - by not speeding in the first place.
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