Almost 350 people are killed each year on the UK’s roads, according to the RAC - which is why we have speed cameras.
They work by recording a vehicle’s speed – to do this they use markings on the road or radar technology to identify the vehicle and record its speed, explains the motoring experts.
The RAC shares: “Older cameras used film to record speeding offences, but advances in technology has resulted in speed cameras being digitised.
“If a vehicle is travelling at excessive speed, two digital images are taken to work out how long it has taken the vehicle to travel between two points on the road. The images also record the vehicle’s registration, time of the offence and speed limit of the road.
@uktoday_ You should remove these 3 items from your car to save money on fuel #uknews #drivingtips #fuelpricesuk #uknewsheadlines ♬ original sound - UKToday 🇬🇧 Newsquest
“In some cases, the image will include the face of the driver and the front passenger.
“Not all speed cameras will flash when they take an image of your car and some speed cameras will track your vehicle over many miles to work out its average speed.”
With this in mind, you might be wondering what speed triggers a speed camera. Let’s find out.
What speed do speed cameras get you?
Fixed speed cameras have a “set trigger” for catching people speeding, reports the RAC.
It adds: “However it is unconfirmed what most are set at so it's not worth gambling and assuming they give you 10% (above speed limit) - never exceed the speed limit.
7 Common Speed Camera Myths
“Mobile speeding cameras are operated by individuals, so it is up to their discretion to issue you a speeding fine - or worse - if you are over the legal speed limit.”
It adds: “The law states that you are liable for a speeding fine as soon as you exceed the limit, so if you’re doing 31mph in a 30 limit or 71mph on a motorway, you’re breaking the law and could receive a fine.
Recommended reading:
- Do speed cameras have to be painted yellow and must they be visible?
- Do speed cameras have to be visible? Lawyers on when you can challenge the fine
- Can handheld speed cameras pull you over? How they are used by the police
“The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) recommends giving drivers a so-called ‘10% plus 2’ leeway, to aid police officers in using 'discretion', however, this is just a recommendation, not the law.
“It is well worth remembering this is totally dependent on the officer who catches the speeder, and it is up to that officer whether to fine the offender or not.”
The RAC concludes: “The best advice is to not speed full stop.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel