AA explains how speed cameras really work as drivers urged to ignore common myths
National Highways has announced plans to install speed cameras on a busy Merseyside road to improve road safety
National Highways has announced plans to install speed cameras at Switch Island(Image: PA)
National Highways has announced plans to install speed cameras across parts of Merseyside. Cameras will be installed on Switch Island as part of plans to improve road safety on the M57.
A postcard sent to people living near Switch Island outlines the changes, with work to run from August 27 to January 31 of next year. The card reads: "We're writing to you about upcoming work on the M57[1] in both directions, from junction six to Switch Island. Between junction six and Spencer Lane near Kirkby[2], we'll install a low-noise road surface to reduce the noise created by vehicles. At the Switch Island junction, speed enforcement cameras will be installed along the 50mph and 40mph sections of the M57.
"We'll also improve road markings and pedestrian islands. We'll work overnight Monday to Friday and occasionally Saturday, from 8pm to 5am (extended to 7am on weekends). For safety the following closures will be in place: Tuesday 27 August to Sunday 1 September - M57 southbound Switch Island to junction six".
The first speed camera was installed in the UK in 1991 - and was introduced to ensure motorists stayed within the legal[3] driving limits to preserve people's safety. A study from the London School of Economics conducted between 1992 to 2016 estimated that speed cameras reduced deaths from road accidents by between 58% to 68%.
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A whole host of tricks have since spread about how drivers can beat speed cameras, but the AA warned drivers must ignore these dangerous myths. The motoring association said: "You shouldn't be trying to avoid getting caught. It's safer for everyone to stick to the limits - and the law - by not speeding in the first place."
One of the common myths the AA[7] identified was the belief drivers can fool the speed calculations on an average speed camera network by changing lanes. The AA said: "Along with many other well-known driving myths, there’s a thought that changing lanes messes up the average speed calculations for SPECS and VECTOR average speed cameras.
"This is wrong. While older speed cameras could’ve been ‘tricked’, more advanced cameras now use multiple sets of cameras at each point to track all the lanes and compare average speeds.
But either way, you shouldn't be trying to avoid getting caught. It's safer for everyone to stick to the limits - and the law - by not speeding in the first place."
Although the Department for Transport[8] revealed in 2016 that all speed cameras are set to be painted yellow to improve visibility, the AA debunked another common myth that speed cameras need to be visible in order for the offender to be penalised.
The AA said: "Just because you didn’t see a speed camera clearly doesn’t mean the fine is invalid. They aren't there to be spotted and dodged - the point of them is to encourage drivers to stick within the speed limit."
How do speed cameras work?
The first camera type is still used today and is named the Gatso after Dutch rally-driving inventor Maurice Gatsonides. The Gatso is a type of fixed speed camera which means that it records the speed at which your car passes at a particular spot.
According to the AA[9], there are four different kinds of fixed-speed cameras and these are mainly found in locations where you must slow down to preserve people's safety - such as near a school crossing.
Another type is the average speed camera - which records the speed that drivers are travelling[10] at on different points over a length of road. This means drivers are unable to just slow down as they approach the camera and there is no limit to how long an average speed camera network can be - as the SpeedSpike average speed cameras can fit into a network of up to 1,000 separate cameras.
The other type of speed camera is a speed and traffic camera - which uses radar to capture how fast a driver is going. If your car is detected as breaking the legal limit, the speed camera will take a digital image of the vehicle including the colour, type, make and registration plate.
The registered owner of the vehicle will then be sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within two weeks of being caught. The minimum penalty for speeding is generally a £100 fine and three points on your licence. However, this can be escalated depending on how much you broke the speed limit by - or if you are a repeat offender
References
- ^ M57 (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Kirkby (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ legal (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ BBC Graham Norton has 'never experienced anything like it' as his life changed forever in Liverpool (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Speed cameras to be installed on M57 at Switch Island (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ More info (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ the AA (www.theaa.com)
- ^ Department for Transport (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ the AA (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ travelling (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)