How do speed cameras work?
When you enter the speed trap (the area where you pass the white lines), a radar beam is projected onto your vehicle which tracks your speed. If it senses you're driving above the limit then it takes 2 photos, one 0.7 seconds after the first. The first photo is usually a standard, everyday photo. The second one is an infra red picture to see through anything people have on their plates to hide their number.
It's very important to know that you must be sent a speeding ticket within 14 days from the date the photo was taken or it is no longer legal to prosecute someone. This is because otherwise you may be driving with 12 points on your licence (banned) without even knowing it. There can be exceptions due to postal strikes or if you drive a company car where it may take longer to trace who was driving the vehicle.
Are learners exempt from speed cameras?
No they're not! You can get points on your licence and fined just as a normal driver would. If learners were exempt then nobody would ever bother passing a test because as a learner they'd be invincible! That's the whole point of having your provisional licence. If you should get 6 points or more on your provisional then you would be banned for 2 years. You'd then have to sit an extended retest which lasts over one hour and is much tougher than the standard test.
If a learner is caught on a speed camera then there is an argument that the instructor is aiding and abetting the crime and could also face points. You'd have to prove though that the instructor wasn't taking reasonable action to prevent you speeding.
How can they tell the speed from the photo's?
Each of the white lines on the floor represents 5mph so you just count how many white lines there are between the back of your car on the first photo and the back of your car on the second photo. For example, 6 white lines means 6 x 5mph=30mph. If there are 7 lines then you'd have been doing 35mph and there can be no argument you weren't speeding, unless the camera is malfunctioning.
The photo's taken by the camera will not always be sent out with the fine so make sure you request them otherwise you may pay a fine for something you didn't do.
Can i outrun the speed camera?
The cameras work up to around 300mph so unless you are driving a jet powered car then no. Speeding up as you pass through to try and outrun it will just end up making it worse.
How much margin for error is there?
You'recurrently allowed 10% of the limit plus 2 mph. As of summer 2011 the police are said to be increasing the allowance to 10% plus 9mph. The 10% allows for a difference between your speedo and theirs and the 2mph on top is because all car manufacturers set speedos around 2mph below the speed you're really doing in an effort to slow people down. The new limit of 10% + 9mph will mean in theory you could travel at 86mph on a motorway and not be given points, however you will be sent on a driver improvement course if you are caught within this range and have to pay for it yourself.
When your speedo shows 70mph you're only actually doing around 64mph. You will notice that your sat nav will always give a lower reading than the cars speedo and the sat nav is more accurate because it works out your speed based upon the ground you're actually covering. The speedo only works by checking the speed the wheels are turning at, you could be spinning the wheels around on ice and not moving yet the speedo will still be showing a speed while the sat nav wouldn't. Another way to check this is to drive at 70mph constantly for 1 hour, after which you'll have covered only around 64 miles, proving that 70mph on the speedo isn't really 70 miles in one hour.
This does not mean it is ok to drive above the speed limit. It's not a good idea to test how much leeway the camera will give you! Realistically you could be doing 82mph on your cars speedo and the police speed gun will only show them about 77mph, keeping you under the 79mph prosecution limit. You can see the official leeway margins set by police by clicking here.
This is all a bit confusing so put it simply - make sure the cars speedo reads the speed you should be doing and you'll be fine.
Are they always correct?
No. They can go off when you aren't speeding or it may be that someone next to you was and you get the ticket by mistake.
They sometimes do not distinguish between lanes, the photo is just of the whole road so it's up to the operators to work out who was speeding in the photo. If you get flashed by a camera and you were not speeding then you have nothing to worry about.
Who checks them and when?
They all go to a central processing plant where people look through all the films to check them before being sent out. Because of the 14 day rule as mentioned above, they usually check them weekly. The film in them can take 400 shots so that's 200 cars. In some areas this can be used up in just an hour or two so they're changed daily.
Modern speed cameras are digital with computers reading your number plate, working out the speed and automatically sending you the fine. These are usually found on motorways and are known as "Dragons teeth" cameras because of the way the painted lines on the floor look like a dragons teeth. People don't like these because they feel the human touch is missing and there is more chance of error.
Do they work for both directions of traffic?
If it's a standard type 24 gatso (the usual kind) then no, only vehicles going away from the camera can be caught. The TruVelo camera works both ways and looks like this.
Click here to continue to page 2 for more information
Page two shows you the fines and some of the myths about the ways people try to avoid being caught.
You can also read all about the new ASSET speed cameras coming to the UK roads soon. If you hate the current ones just wait until you see this one!
