5 different types of traffic cameras
A rise in motorists being caught by speed cameras[1] has been blamed for a massive increase in the number of penalty points added to driving licences last year.
Figures obtained by Co-op Insurance show a 12% increase in penalty points added to licences in 2024 -meaning in Britain received in total a whopping 9.61 million points last year.
That was compared with 8.55 million during 2023 and continues an annual uptick in the total number of points received, rising every year since 2021. Advertisement Advertisement
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The most common offences in the last two years has been speeding on public roads and motorways, followed by driving an uninsured vehicle.
AA president Edmund King described the rise in the number of points being issued as "worrying".
"The increase is due to the boom in speed camera offences, and the fact that a higher proportion of repeat offenders have already been on a speed awareness course in the last three years, so can't avoid points by going on another course."
Home Office figures show 2.71m drivers were caught speeding in England and Wales in 2023, with 96% of offences detected by cameras. That is compared with 1.49 million in 2011, when cameras were responsible for spotting 89% of incidents.
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Drivers who get caught speeding usually receive a fine and penalty points from three upwards that remain on licences for between four and 11 years.
Some offenders can be offered the opportunity to complete a speed awareness course, if they have not done one in the previous three years.
Drivers who accumulate at least 12 points in a three-year period are usually disqualified from driving for at least six months.
From traditional speed cameras to the latest AI recording equipment, Yahoo News outlines the type of cameras you may see while driving on British roads.
1. Speed cameras
In 1992, the UK entered a new era in traffic enforcement when the first speed camera, or safety camera, was installed on the A316 over Twickenham Bridge, London. Advertisement
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Current estimates say there are now more than 8,000 of these cameras up and down the country controlled by local councils and police, who have the power to mete out fines and penalty points to speeding motorists.[2]
The cameras work by recording a vehicle's speed using markings on the road or radar technology to identify a specific vehicle and record its speed, digitally or on film.
They take two digital images, then work out how long it has taken the vehicle to travel between the two points on the road.
The images record the vehicle's registration, time and date of the offence, and sometimes include the face of the driver and the front passenger.
A Gatso speed camera on A40, Oxfordshire. (Getty Images)
The Gatso camera, which looks like a large yellow or grey box, was the first speed camera to be installed in the UK and has become the most commonly used.
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Also operational in the UK are Truvelo speed cameras, which are forward-facing, high-tech cameras that typically capture a photo of the front of a vehicle to identify the driver.
Mostly painted yellow, the cameras use sensors in the road, or a laser, to measure a driver's speed with an invisible infrared flash that takes a picture of the speeding vehicle.
HADECS (Highways Agency Digital Enforcement Camera System) cameras are radar-based speed cameras used on smart motorways with variable speed limits.
Often they are designed to enforce speed limits that can change in real-time, and can be difficult to spot because they are small and grey in colour. Advertisement Advertisement
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It's worth noting that although all speed cameras on our road network should be painted yellow, this is not a legal requirement.
2. Average speed cameras
Average speed cameras were first introduced to the UK in 1999, with the RAC saying that they are becoming "more common" on British roads.
They work by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology [3]to record a vehicle's speed between two points on a road, enabling the camera to calculate a vehicle's average speed over distances up to 20km.
The cameras, sometimes called SPECS speed cameras, don't capture your speed in a single flash at one point, meaning slowing down at either end will not fool the cameras into recording a slower speed.
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The cameras are painted yellow and tend to be fixed higher than other speed cameras, they can work even when you switch lanes, and are often found around roadworks or on busy stretches of motorway.
Average speed cameras record a vehicle's speed at two points spaced by up to 20km. (Getty Images)
3. AI road cameras
AI cameras were first introduced in May 2023, with the world's first AI speed camera installed on the A23 in Lambeth, South London.
These roadside devices can not only determine whether a driver is breaking the speed limit but can also identify drivers using mobile phones or if anyone in the vehicle is not wearing their seatbelt.
Also known as the Acusensus Heads-Up System, the AI uses multiple cameras to record footage[4], which can be processed to give police a full picture of the passengers and interior of a vehicle. Advertisement
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The AI cameras are mounted on a large T-shaped stand and secured with a brightly coloured base.
The technology is still being trialled and rolled out across the country, with at least five police constabularies currently having AI cameras in place.
An AI safety camera monitors and records traffic on Mancunian Way in Manchester, England. (Getty Images)
4.
ULEZ cameras
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced in London in April 2019, with the goal of improving air quality in central London.
Since then, the zone has been widened, most recently in 2023, to the Greater London area, and with the larger territory Transport for London (TfL) had to install thousands of more cameras in the capital.
There are now more than 3,700 ULEZ cameras across the London-wide zone that are also used for the Low Emission Zone and the Congestion Charge. Advertisement Advertisement
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Using APNR technology, the cameras read vehicle number plates, checking them against a database to determine whether the vehicle meets ULEZ emission standards, and handing out fines if the vehicle doesn't comply.
A Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) camera in London. (Getty Images)
5.
Mobile police cameras
Police forces often use mobile police cameras on fast or busy stretches of road, mainly to catch speeding drivers.
They could be hand-held by a police officer or mounted in marked vans, and can be operational at any location at any time.
They are often deployed when the police think drivers are repeatedly breaking the law and can be part of local road safety campaigns.
A mobile speed camera operated by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). (PA Images via Getty Images)
References
- ^ speed cameras (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ mete out fines and penalty points to speeding motorists. (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ They work by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology (uk.news.yahoo.com)
- ^ AI uses multiple cameras to record footage (uk.news.yahoo.com)