SHEDDING SOME LIGHT
Do speed cameras always flash?
New AI speed camera are being rolled out across parts of the UK but they don't work in the same way as the speed cameras that motorists are used to
SPEED cameras have been around on the UK roads since 1991.
Motorists are advised to know all they can on the topic of speed cameras to ensure you stay safe and legal.
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Officially known as safety cameras, the UK's first ever speed camera was installed on the A316 in Twickenham back in 1992.
Just 22 days after being turned on, the speed camera caught nearly 23,000 motorists speeding at over 65mph.
As of 2024, there are now over 7000 speed cameras on UK road network, and in 2022 they resulted in the prosecution of 245,043 people – the highest figure since records began.
Ever since the first speed camera was installed in the UK over three decades ago, drivers have been trying to learn how they work.
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To flash or not to flash
There are lots of different types of speed camera approved for use in the UK.
The Gatso, introduced in 1992, is the oldest speed camera and has a distinctive double flash.
Originally, this camera took photographs on rolls of analogue film which has since been modernised, removing the practical daily limit on how many speeding images can be captured.
There are several types of speed camera that can be used to detect drivers travelling too fast, and not all of them are equipped with a flash.
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Front-facing Truvelo Combi cameras, for example, use a filter to prevent their flash from dazzling drivers.
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Speed guns use laser technology to give an instant speed reading, triggering a police officer to pull over a speeding car, therefore there is no flash or captured image.
If a camera is operating in good light conditions, the flash may not necessarily go off, and if it's a bright sunny day you may not notice it.
Average speed checks, mostly in use on motorways and dual carriageways but also installed on faster stretches of B-road, do not take an image of the offence in the same way as a fixed speed camera.
Instead, they detect your number plate passing two or more places, and calculate how fast you must have been going to travel that distance.
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They won’t flash while they’re doing this - their cameras work in the dark.
And cameras used in roadside vans are unlikely to use a flash, with many detecting offences from up to a kilometer away.
New AI cameras are being rolled out across ten UK areas in 2024.
Although a trial for the new devices began in 2021 National Highways, they're now expanding their network to clamp down harder on unsafe motorists.
AI tech cameras can detect mobile phone use, identify the driver as well as your speed without even using a flash.
Yellow boxes
The government announced that all speed cameras must be painted yellow from October 2016.
However, there is no law that mobile speed vans and operators have to be visible.
Most speed cameras are a bright yellow colour to ensure drivers know they’re there.
But not all speed cameras are bulky, brightly-coloured or obvious.
While government guidance clearly states that speed cameras should be painted yellow to make them easy to spot, there’s no law stipulating this.
And while the majority of cameras in the UK have been made yellow in the five years since the government made this change, there may still be some that have yet to be altered.
Therefore, grey harder-to-spot cameras are still operational and can issue valid tickets.
Mobile speed cameras can also be difficult to spot.
The apparatus itself is ordinarily grey or black, though the person operating it should be wearing high-visibility clothing.
How much is a speeding fine?
The penalty for speeding is normally £100 and three points on your licence.
If you are caught speeding, you will be sent a notice of intended prosecution (a NIP) and a Section 172 notice.
You must return the Section 172 notice to inform the police of who was driving the vehicle at the time.
You will then be sent either a fixed penalty notice, or a letter telling you to go to court.
The court can impose a bigger fine than you will receive via a fixed penalty notice, which is usually a percentage of your weekly income up to £1,000.
This increases to £2,500 if the offence took place on a motorway.
The court can also disqualify you from driving or suspend your licence.
If you are stopped by police at the roadside you may be given a verbal warning about your speed.
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They can also give you a £100 fixed penalty notice and three points on your licence.
But you can also have to attend court following a police stop, depending on the severity of the offence.
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