Speed Cameras

Speed cameras or traffic enforcement cameras are used to help reduce speed in areas where many drivers were found breaking the speed limits. Studies have shown that speed cameras have helped reduce car crashes by up to 40% and further studies have shown that the addition of a thousand more cameras in the UK can save an average of 200 lives a year.

Through the years speed cameras have evolved and some of the more recent ones have been the introduction of the average speed measuring cameras. On longer roads like dual carriageways and motorways the average speed cameras are spread out from each other. They are designed to monitor drivers speed from position A for example to position B and if the driver gets from position A to position B faster than expected then the driver could find themselves with a hefty fine and points on their licence too.

The latest speed cameras to hit the streets is the smart motorway speed cameras. These cameras are in operation 24 hours a day and police have warned drivers that if they exceed 70mph on certain motorways including the M1 they will be hit with a fine and possibly further penalties.

Currently the average fine is up to 100 pounds and 3 points on your licence but this can shoot up if drivers are found to have excessively broken the limit. Drivers also need to pay more attention to the overhead gantries as the speed limit that are displayed on the overhead gantries are now legally enforceable but if no speed limit is displayed in the overhead gantries then the national speed limit applies.

According to the local councils, speed cameras are not there to make money but are there to try to spot those breaking the speed limits, remove reckless drivers off the road and reduce collisions. They also claim that “overhead cameras are an essential safety feature of smart motorways, allowing authorities to monitor congestion at peak times and alter the flow of traffic as required.”

More recent speed cameras are so sophisticated that according to reports they can even spot drivers that eat and drink behind the wheel. The LED infrared cameras face in the direction of the drivers and can spot if drivers are not wearing they seatbelts, if they are eating or drinking, using their phones and if they are smoking or even vaping.