The answer is, they all vary; different police authorites have different thresholds. The first thing that drivers must be aware of is that any given police authority will apply guidelines and thresholds at their discretion. The golden rule of thumb is of course not to break the law by committing a speeding offence.
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You can find out information on the cars first tax payment here. You do not have to pay this if you have a zero emission vehicle. Stay on top of all our Drive stories. We have a Drive newsletter covering car reviews, innovative new cars and the ups and downs of everyday driving. Sign up today. Follow us on Twitter: globedrive Opens in a new window. Report an error. Editorial code of conduct. Skip to main content. As they are radar-based, they are able to work in all weather conditions, too.
The SPECS camera system works differently because it measures vehicle speed over a far greater distance than a Gatso or Truvelo camera. You'll see two or more sets of cameras to monitor vehicle speed for an extended distance, and this can be for as little as yards or up to 99 miles - as the SPECS cameras on the A9 in Scotland do.
SPECS cameras are often referred to as average speed cameras and are popular for use in roadworks where a lower speed limit than usual needs to be enforced. The first camera logs the vehicle with a time and date stamp. Once the vehicle has passed the second camera, the time stamps on the two images are compared, and if the time taken to cover the distance means the average speed is higher than the posted limit, then a ticket is issued.
And while some people think that weaving between lanes can help you pass them undetected, the truth is that the SPECS system can monitor multiple lanes. It's also no use slowing for the cameras and then speeding between them, because the system measures your average speed between the two locations, not just how fast you're going as you pass either camera.
As well as these fixed speed cameras, many regions use mobile cameras to provide temporary coverage in areas where speeding is known to occur. Mobile units are usually located in vans that are marked as a safety camera vehicle with a bright livery, and they feature opening windows or panels to point the cameras through. You will usually find them parked at the side of the road, in laybys although not where parking restrictions apply and also on bridges over roads.
The kind of cameras these mobile units use include mini Gatso cameras that use radar technology but there are also handheld radar or laser gun cameras. A laser gun uses a narrow laser beam that is reflected off a vehicle to measure its speed. These devices are quick and effective, being able to register a vehicle's speed in as little as half a second and up to a distance of a mile away.
A radar gun works similarly to a laser gun. It has a wider beam and only works up to around yards, while it will only come back with a reading after around 3 seconds, but it's still an accurate way of registering a car's speed.
Mobile camera vans can be set up in any direction to catch speeders, and can just as easily be set up to catch speeders approaching the camera site as going away from the site. As with fixed camera locations, a mobile camera site must have road signs indicating its presence, but apart from that, mobile cameras can be set up at any time.
In terms of location, mobile units are usually found in places notorious for accidents or speeding in the past, and are not normally pitched up in random places. Some local speed camera operators have been known to issue information on radio and social media to inform road users of where mobile camera units are operating on particular days. These are in addition to cameras which are used for traffic monitoring, catching vehicles that jump traffic lights which incidentally aren't required by law to be painted yellow and cameras used by government agencies to check road tax and other ANPR-based activities.
Whichever way you look at it, the best way to ensure you're not caught speeding is to remain aware of the speed limit and stick to it. If you have passed a speed camera that has flashed, the only way you will know for certain that you have been caught is when the registered keeper of the vehicle receives a Note of Intended Prosecution NIP. This will arrive within 14 days of the offence taking place and will explain what happens next.
This day rule is in place so that companies, such as vehicle lease firms and car hire firms, can determine who was driving the vehicle at the time of the offence. If your driving licence is clean, then you may be offered the option of taking a speed awareness course instead of the penalty points.
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