Anyone driving below 30mph through speed cameras issued £1,000 warning

It's a good Samaritan act carried out by many drivers however motorists could find themselves falling foul of the law

05:30, 09 Feb 2025Updated 15:09, 09 Feb 2025

A mobile speed camera recently pictured on the A449 in Stafford

Speeding is one of the biggest safety issues on the road. We have speed limits on our roads to keep us safe and prevent accidents.

While many road users abide by the law, it's sadly not uncommon to witness drivers breaking the rules. But an effective tool wielded against speeding drivers [1] are speed cameras.

You can find these on all types of roads, from residential streets to motorways, where the speed limit varies from 30mph up to 70mph.

There's different types of camera, too.

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp [3] , click the link to join

You can find cameras fixed onto the side of the road and on top of motorway gantries. The police can also deploy mobile speed cameras in the back of vans.

No matter the type of speed camera, motorists [4] caught speeding face a minimum penalty of GBP100 and three points on your license.

One type of camera can attract more attention that others. These are mobile speed cameras [5], which can suddenly pop up on the side of a road for a few hours.

There's been a long standing habit among drivers [6] to warn other approaching motorists of the mobile camera by flashing their lights.

This will be to stop drivers getting snared by the camera.

However you could actually be caught breaking the law by doing this, despite your good intentions. Using your lights in this way is actually not permitted in the Highway Code and also carries a separate punishment under UK law.

As per the UK government website [7], rule 110 of the Highway Code states: "Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users."

Article continues below

Flashing your headlights in this scenario could also see you breach section 89 of the Police Act 1997.

Under this law, it's an offence for members of the public to wilfully obstruct a police constable in their execution of duty.

Doing so carries a maximum penalty of a GBP1,000 fine.

So even if you pass through a mobile speed camera below 30mph on a residential road, you could end up with a fine if you're caught alerting other drivers with your headlights.

References

^ drivers (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ The little-known rule carries GBP80 fine for blue badge holders (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ BirminghamLive WhatsApp (chat.whatsapp.com)
^ motorists (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ speed cameras (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ drivers (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ website (www.gov.uk)