Types of Speed Cameras on the UK Road Network
There are at least 13 types of speed/safety cameras on the United Kingdom Road Networks, from Average Speed Cameras to Variable Speed Check Cameras. It’s difficult to avoid a road these days with a speed camera on it and more drivers than ever before have got points on their driving licences.
We will go through some of the types of cameras below:
Gatso Speed Cameras
Gatso speed cameras have been around since the 1992 and has since become one of the most commonly used speed cameras on the UK road network. Gatso speed cameras use radar technology to calculate how fast the vehicle is traveling, if the camera measures your speed and you are above the speed limit, then usually several photographs are taken. These are always rear facing so as not to blind the driver with the flash.
The Gatso speed camera has a huge flash to show the rear of the vehicle and its VRM, there are also usually marks painted on the road. These lines are a secondary measurement for speed and is a legal requirement. The distance between each line represents 5 mph, then there cannot be any dispute about how fast you were traveling.
The Gatso has been programmed so it can tell what type of vehicle is passing, eg. Car, HGV’s and cars with caravans. The camera works out the length of the vehicle and apply the correct speed limit for each and every vehicle.
Original Gatso’s take traditional film, so on busier roads the film can be used up very quickly. They are also more costly to maintain for the police forces as a member of staff has to physically loaded and unloaded with film.
Digital Gatso Speed Cameras
They work in exactly the same way as the film camera except that they never run out of film. When photographs are taken they are either stored locally on a hard drive or sent via a 3G/4G or ADSL broadband connection back to the local police force for ticket issuing.
They do not need to be maintained by the police force due to the digital nature of the technology, therefore more cost-effective to run.
Truvelo Speed Cameras
These camera traditionally do not flash, the flash unit that is connected to this speed camera is infra-red, so its invisible to the human eye.
In addition to the sensors embedded in the road, usually three painted white lines are visible on the road surface. This acts a secondary measurement to manually calculate the speed of the vehicle.
Truvelo D-Cam Speed Cameras
The D-Cam uses two technologies to detect speed. The first is piezo sensors embedded in the road. As a vehicle drives over the first strip it then calculates the time taken to the 2nd, 3rd and sometimes even fourth sensor. If the speed is too high the infra-red camera takes photos. The second technology is a laser beam, this measures the speed of approaching vehicles, if you are going to fast it triggers the camera.
These cameras can take an unlimited amount of photographs due to them being connected live via 3G or broadband connection to the controlling police force.
Secondary lines in the road are also painted as per the legal requirement.
Peek Speed Cameras
It is a legal requirement for a secondary measurement to be in place at unmanned speed camera locations, so they are usually found with lines painted on the road for manual measurement.
Maintenance is high on these cameras due to them needing a regular change of film.
Watchman Speed Cameras
The camera works on radar technology like the cameras above, but with the added benefit of ANPR and being able to work with variable message signs, flashing when the vehicle has gone over the limit.
Every Watchman Speed Camera comes standard with high-speed communications allowing police forces and local authorities live and recorded video image access without having to go to the physical unit.
This type of camera can also be used to analyse road usage, calculating the amount of vehicles that pass it and registering speeds. Up to 2 million vehicles can be recorded locally or sent digitally, ideal for tracking suspect crime related vehicles.
SPECS Average Speed Cameras
The distance between the cameras can be anywhere between 200 metres and 90 odd miles, tracking your speed over the set distance. They can work day or night and have built-in infra-red illuminators that glow red at night.
Average speed cameras are connected to local authorities or police forces by internet connection. They can also be erected and taken down very quickly, which makes them very popular in roadwork sections of motorways.
The calculation time of a SPECS camera is quick , registering hundreds of vehicles in it database within minutes. When a vehicle has broken the speed limit it automatically issues a speeding ticket.
VECTOR Average Speed Cameras
VECTOR speed cameras are only painted yellow if they are used for speed enforcement, otherwise they will be seen on the UK roads in a grey coloured housing.
There is no storage limit on the VECTOR cameras as they are usually connected with the main office or police force via broadband connection, making the maintenance of these cameras very low.
SpeedSpike Speed Cameras
They combine number plate recognition and global positioning to monitor the vehicle speed over an area, monitoring thousands of cars at any one time. The live system can transmit the data and photographs back to the local authorities within minutes depending on the internet connection speeds.
As the first vehicle passes through the camera the number plate is remembered by the system, when the vehicle hits the next camera the average speed is taken. The other technologies within this gadgets are yet to be publicly released.
HADECS 3 Speed Camera
Reported recently by BBC News, these stealth cameras have been catching many drivers out as they aren’t painted in the usual yellow colour and tend to be hidden to one side of the motorway gantries proving harder to spot. Between the 22nd October 2014 and 15th January 2016, it has said to have captured 1513 drivers speeding.
The HADECS 3 system works very differently to other speed camera systems and can monitor up to 4 lanes of traffic at a time. They adjust to the speed limit displayed on overhead gantries. When a vehicle passes through the camera and is over the speed limit, several photographs are taken from wide-angle lenses to photographs of the gantry displaying the speed.
HADECS 3 don’t need to use film, instead all of the photographs and information is sent via an internet connection to local authorities or police forces. The photographs are encrypted and are sent over a VPN to VPN connection, before being assessed by an enforcement officer.
HADECS3 are currently being used on the smart motorway network, which are becoming more popular in the UK.
Mobile Speed Cameras
Not only can these cameras capture your speed, but are ideal for capturing those using their mobile phones and driving. The vans measure the speed of the vehicle, however an enforcement officer has to see evidence of the speed on the display before pressing a button to register the offence.
There are other types of mobile speed cameras including Laser Gun’s, Radar Guns and of course, marked and unmarked police cars.
Traffic Light Speed/Camera
Traffic light cameras are fired using ground loops in the road surface or alternatively using radar technology. These cameras can be painted grey so long as they are not being using for speed enforcement.
When a traffic light turns red, the camera becomes active. If a vehicle passes over the ground loop in the given time, the camera is activated and several photographs of the vehicle are taken.
These cameras can also be used to detect speed, so if you do go through a red light and are found to be speeding also, you may find a speeding ticket on the way.
SpeedCurb Speed Cameras
The SpeedCurb cameras require little maintenance being based on digital technology. They utilise either hard drive or internet connected technology to transmit the offences to the enforcement officer.
Variable Speed Cameras
As they are installed on overhead gantries, it is difficult to work out which gantry has a camera. However, we would suggest that you abide by the speed limit displayed on the sign.
Variable speed cameras are becoming more common, especially die to the increasing numbers of smart motorways. Generally the speed cameras are only active when the sign is illuminated however there have been reports that this may change in the future.
Many of these cameras are digital place, requiring little or no maintenance of the system. Photographs can be sent digitally for an enforcement officer to review and if needed prosecute.
DS2 Speed Cameras
Three sensor strips are embedded in the road to monitor speeds, this is then paired to either a camera van or a police car to feedback the speeds of the vehicles.
They can be left unattended and are difficult to spot.
What happens if I get a speeding ticket?
The usual fine for a speeding ticket is 3 penalty points and a fine of between £60 to £100. If the speed is over the allowed threshold then a court summons maybe issued instead of a fixed penalty notice. If it is your first offence, you maybe allowed to take a Speed Awareness Course.
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