Driving Lesson Hornchurch: The Motorway Speed Camera

The motorway speed camera is designed to catch motorists driving in excess of 70 miles per hour (mph). This type has been installed for the first time stretching along hundreds of miles of motorways in the United Kingdom (UK). It has been proven effective in tracking drivers’ violations against the Speed Limits and the Highway Code and resulted it to issue the most speeding offences when compared to the commonly used cameras across Britain.

The official police data revealed that around 9,320 speeding offences were recorded by these cameras, garnering £189,100 in fines last year. Other busy speed cameras are situated on westbound A13 Thames Gateway to Scratton Terrace in London where 8,000 offences were detected in 12 months last year. Another one is situated on the M54 between junctions one and three in Staffordshire.

The overall police handed out nearly 400,000 fixed penalty notices for over speeding and 73,944 court summons in 2013, equating to British motorists paying out £22 million in fines. This figure excluded those who took a speed awareness course to avoid paying a fine or receiving points.

Many drivers who were caught over speeding said they were caught by one of UK’s estimated 3,350 speed cameras or 58 per cent of them which is nearly proportional to those caught by the police with a camera at the roadside, 28 per cent and police without a camera, 12 per cent. It is estimated that on an average day there is a mobile or fixed camera in operation for every 67 miles of British road. These are the new stealth cameras, coloured grey rather than bright yellow, which have been installed on busy stretches of motorways including the M25, M1 and M6.

Motorway speed cameras were previously situated mainly on stretches undergoing road works, purposely to enforce variable speed limits. But for the first time today, the Highways Agency is looking at the widespread introduction of cameras to detect drivers often exceeding the maximum speed of 70 mph.

So, these cameras had been deployed on sections of the so-called smart motorway, where the flow of traffic is controlled carefully using various techniques. However, critics claim the widespread introduction of speed cameras is aimed at enforcing the 70 mph limit, is not actually for road safety but for generating revenue through fines. Critics also pointed out that with less visible cameras than those currently in use, they will have no impact whatsoever on actually slowing drivers down to prevent pollution and road accidents.

Alliance of British Drivers spokesman Roger Lawson, said they are generally opposed to speed cameras. The evidence of their success in promoting safety is not good because what is happening now is that the policemen are using speed cameras to fund their other activities.

He added that these cameras are grey, so they are harder to spot and so they will have no impact in slowing the flow of traffic. If there is a good reason for the traffic to be slowed down then the cameras need to be as visible as possible.

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