Which speed cameras are working

As well as being installed in permanent locations, SPECS cameras are also used to enforce temporary speed limits, for example during major roadworks, where lower limits are introduced for the safety of traffic and the construction workforce.

The latest VECTOR cameras look similar but are more versatile — as well as speed limits, they are used to monitor for offences committed at bus lanes, level crossings and traffic lights, and to enforce congestion-charging schemes. They can be mounted on their own gantries or attached to streetlamps or other tall urban street furniture. They can be either forward or rearward facing and one camera can monitor two lanes of traffic.

Both camera types incorporate automatic number plate recognition ANPR , which allows an offending car to be identified and linked to its registered keeper. Any average speed camera system requires at least two cameras linked together, but there's no limit to the number of cameras that can be combined in a system, nor is there any specific limit to how long an average speed camera network can be.

As an example, the A9 scheme between Dunblane and Inverness in Scotland is 99 miles from end to end, incorporating multiple networks of cameras with no route sections unmonitored.

When a car passes the first camera in a linked sequence, an image of its number plate is taken and used to identify the car when it passes subsequent cameras. As the car passes along the route, the time taken to pass between the cameras is recorded, and if this exceeds a set baseline, the vehicle details are submitted to a prosecution database.

Individual cameras don't have the facility to measure vehicle speed — a car must pass a second camera for its average speed to be calculated. In a sequence of multiple cameras, it is at the discretion of the local enforcement agency as to whether cameras work in pairs or in larger groups. Best speed-camera locators to buy If you have passed an average speed camera, you will have been recorded by it.

Only by ensuring that your average speed is below the legal limit can you ensure that a prosecution notice won't land on your doormat.

The tell-tale flash when a motorist triggers a standard Gatso speed camera is absent from linked average speed camera networks. Exceeding the speed limit is against the law and a network of average speed cameras that measures the time it takes a car to complete a set journey will provide all evidence required to secure a speeding conviction.

However, not every instance of the speed limit being exceeded results in prosecution. Individual police forces reserve the right to exercise discretion in determining whether further action is appropriate.

There's no hard and fast rule, though, and there might be times when a zero-tolerance policy applies. Similarly, drivers may be prosecuted in different ways, depending on the offence and their history. In some cases, for example, they may be offered the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course in place of receiving points on their licence. It's very unlikely that an appeal based on mitigating circumstances will quash a prosecution.

It's always up to the motorist to drive safely and at an appropriate speed. Any instance of speeding might be seen as the result of a decision made by the driver and could even be treated as reckless or dangerous driving as well as simply speeding.

Improve your driving and knowledge by reading our guides on motorway driving tips and on smart motorways. Average speed cameras are highly visible and are mounted on over-hanging poles in pairs. The system measures the average speed which a vehicle travels between two cameras. Fixed safety cameras measure the speed of a vehicle at a given point.

The cameras, which are marked yellow, are mounted at the roadside on grey-coloured poles. Fixed red light running cameras look similar to fixed safety cameras. They are located at junctions with traffic lights which have a lot of collisions. The mobile safety camera vehicles use the latest digital photographic and laser technology to accurately measure and record vehicle speeds.

The vehicles, which are clearly marked and highly visible, are used on the following routes throughout Northern Ireland. As of 1 November , the following sites have been made dormant meaning no further enforcement will take place at these sites for 12 months.

They will be assessed again after 12 months and depending on the results of the assessment at that time, either the camera signage will be removed or they will be reinstated on the list of enforceable sites.

The following sites have been removed from list of enforcement sites as engineering changes at these roads have made enforcement impossible or the sites no longer meet the required criteria for enforcement:.

Community concern sites are enforced where there is a well-founded concern, raised through the local Policing and Community Safety Partnership or the PSNI Area Commander, that a failure to reduce speeds will result in collisions causing death or serious injury. All speed detection equipment operated by the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership is approved by the Department for Infrastructure DfI before it can be used for enforcement.

The equipment goes through rigorous testing to the standards set by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch and there are a range of strict procedures for operating the equipment that further assures accuracy. Cameras are only used on specific roads which must meet strict criteria. In keeping with the Human Rights Act , the registered keeper of a vehicle can be required to give the details of who was driving at the time the vehicle was speeding.

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