Harley Sutherland
Traffic enforcement cameras are cameras that are mounted beside or over a road or installed in an enforcement vehicle to detect and deter motoring offences. In the UK, these cameras are used to monitor and enforce compliance with speed limits, red lights, bus lanes, box junctions, and more. While some people argue that these cameras are effective tools for improving road safety and reducing accidents, others criticise them as being more about generating revenue than genuinely improving safety.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Catching criminals, monitoring traffic, collecting data, issuing fines |
| Type | Speed cameras, red light cameras, bus lane cameras, mobile cameras, automatic number plate recognition cameras, traffic light cameras, DVLA and DVSA cameras, police automatic number plate recognition cameras, Highways Agency CCTV cameras, average speed cameras, traffic violation cameras |
| Locations | Kent, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, West Yorkshire, Hursley, London, Barnet, Greater London, Leicestershire, Berkshire, Kent, Motorways and dual carriageways, England's roads, all over the country |
| Features | Radar, radio signal, laser, digital, infrared illuminators, automatic number plate recognition, sensors, yellow, grey, mounted on over-hanging poles, mounted on roadside poles, mounted on gantries, mounted on vans, hand-held, mounted in police cars |
| Operators | Local police forces, London Safety Camera Partnership, Barnet, Highways Agency, DVLA, DVSA, Police |
What You'll Learn
Speed cameras
There are over a dozen different types of speed cameras in operation in the UK, including:
- Digital Gatso speed cameras
- Truvelo Combi speed cameras
- Truvelo D-Cam speed cameras
- HADECS speed cameras
- SPECS average speed cameras
- Siemens SafeZone average speed cameras
- SpeedSpike average speed cameras
- SpeedCurb speed cameras
- REDFLEX speed cameras
- Long Ranger mobile speed cameras
The minimum penalty for speeding in the UK is generally a £100 fine and three points on your licence. However, this could be higher if you have exceeded the speed limit by a significant amount. You may even receive a court summons. If it is a first offence and you do not have any points on your licence, you may be offered a speed awareness course instead of penalty points.
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Average speed cameras
These cameras work by calculating the average speed of a vehicle between two points on a road. Two cameras are required for this, an 'entry camera' and an 'exit camera', which must be at least 200 metres apart. The vehicle's number plate is recorded by both cameras, and the time taken to travel between the two points is used to calculate the average speed. If the vehicle is found to be speeding, the system retrieves the relevant data and images, which are sent to the police as evidence.
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Mobile speed cameras
The majority of mobile speed cameras are run by local police forces and are usually sent to blackspots with a history of road traffic incidents. Their locations are publicly available and well-signposted. They usually take the form of a large van with opening rear windows, decorated in eye-catching police colours and peppered with speed camera emblems.
There are 15 different kinds of mobile speed cameras used in the UK alone. Some of the types include radar guns, laser guns, DS2 Mini Gatso, and unmarked/marked police cars.
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Traffic light cameras
These cameras use radar and/or sensors or ground loops embedded in the road to detect vehicles that ignore red lights and/or exceed the speed limit. They are often placed on tall silver or white metal poles before or after the traffic light or mounted on top of street light poles. They are clearly visible and well-signposted.
If a vehicle is captured by a red-light camera, the registered owner will receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within 14 days, asking them to provide the details of the offending driver. The driver will then face a fine and penalty points on their driving licence.
It is important to note that not all traffic lights have cameras, but they are commonly found at bigger and busier junctions, especially those known to be accident hotspots. While some cameras may give a small grace period after the light turns red, others will take a photo immediately.
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Traffic violation cameras
Traffic enforcement cameras are used to monitor and enforce compliance with road rules and safety regulations in the UK. These cameras are typically mounted on poles or installed in vehicles to detect and record motoring offences such as speeding, running red lights, unauthorised use of bus lanes, and congestion charge violations.
The data from these cameras is often used to improve road safety and reduce accidents and injuries. For example, a review of studies found that speed cameras led to a reduction of "11% to 44% for fatal and serious injury crashes". The UK Department for Transport estimated similar reductions in personal injury collisions and casualties at camera sites.
There are several types of traffic violation cameras in operation:
- Speed cameras: These are the most common and recognisable type. They use radar or laser technology to detect a car's speed and can take pictures as evidence of speeding.
- Average speed cameras: These cameras use two or more cameras to calculate a vehicle's average speed over a zone or distance. They are often used on smart motorways and can be integrated into overhead gantries or standalone units.
- Mobile speed cameras: These are usually operated by local police forces and are deployed reactively to enforce speed limits in areas with a history of road traffic incidents. They can be handheld, mounted in vans or operated from marked or unmarked cars.
- Red light cameras: These cameras are installed at traffic lights to detect vehicles that run red lights. They are typically placed in high-risk areas or locations with a history of accidents.
- Traffic violation cameras: These monitor specific traffic areas such as box junctions, bus lanes, high-occupancy lanes, and congestion zones. They are commonly found in city centres, such as London's congestion zone.
While these cameras are generally used for road safety and enforcement, there have been concerns about their use for revenue generation rather than improving safety. Additionally, the large number of cameras has raised privacy concerns and the potential for mass surveillance of vehicle movements.
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Frequently asked questions
Traffic enforcement cameras are cameras that are used to detect and deter traffic violations. They may be mounted beside or over a road or installed in an enforcement vehicle.
There are several types of traffic enforcement cameras in the UK, including speed cameras, average speed cameras, mobile speed cameras, red-light cameras, and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Traffic enforcement cameras can detect a range of traffic violations, including speeding, running red lights, driving in bus lanes, stopping on yellow box junctions, performing prohibited turns, and stopping in restricted areas near schools.
Traffic enforcement cameras are typically located in areas with a history of traffic violations or accidents, such as busy roads, junctions, and blackspots. They may be found on motorways, dual carriageways, and major roads across the UK.
