17 common types of speed camera in the UK

Speed cameras have been around for decades now. Whether you see them as an important road safety tool or a money-making nuisance, you won’t be able to drive far in Britain without passing a speed camera.

There are all sorts of different types of speed camera. This Carwow guide will help you understand speed cameras, and how to stay safe and legal out on the road.

When were speed cameras first introduced?

Speed cameras first appeared in the UK in 1992. The very first was on Twickenham Bridge and caught almost 23,000 drivers in the first month after being installed. There are now around 7,000 cameras of different types all over UK roads.

Different types of speed cameras

If you think the only types of speed camera in the UK are fixed and mobile, think again. There’s a surprising variety of speed cameras, ready to catch inattentive speeding drivers.

1. Digital Gatso speed cameras

What is it?

The Gatsometer BV or ‘Gatso’ speed camera has been around since speed cameras were introduced to the UK, and it is still the most common type in the UK.

How does it work?

The Gatso camera originally used film to record any speeding infringements, while the new units – introduced in 2007 – are now digital. They never run out of film so if you see a flash, your image has been taken. They use radar technology and their camera takes two images of the back of your car to measure the time it has taken you to cover the distance between two points.

As a secondary measure of speed, white lines are usually painted along the section of road the Gatso is monitoring; this can corroborate the camera’s findings.

A Gatso will not take an image of the front of your car, so if you are travelling towards one that is situated on the other side of the road it will not record a speeding infringement.

Where is it found?

A Gatso camera can be found all over the UK, with units permanently placed at accident hotspots. While Gatso as a brand makes other types of traffic camera, including red-light cameras, the firm has become synonymous with the classic raised box design of speed camera.

2. Truvelo Combi speed cameras

What is it?

The Truvelo Combi is a forward-facing speed camera which uses four sensors to measure the speed of a vehicle approaching it.

How does it work?

Unlike the Gatso, the Truvelo takes an image of the front of a vehicle, which can help identify who was driving at the time.

To avoid dazzling the driver, an infrared flash is used; this can either be integrated into the unit or mounted alongside it. To back up the camera’s data, three white lines are painted just in front of the unit on the road. The speed at which the vehicle crosses these lines will indicate the speed it was travelling at the time.

There is no visible flash as you get with a Gatso, so it is not always possible to tell whether you have been caught.

Where is it found?

Truvelo cameras are common in Hampshire and Northamptonshire, but are widely used elsewhere in the UK.

3. Truvelo D-Cam speed cameras

What is it?

The D-Cam can be installed in forward or rear-facing configuration and can cover up to three lanes of traffic. It can also be used as a red-light camera, catching drivers who jump traffic lights.

How does it work?

D-Cams can either feature sensors in the road that detect speeding drivers or rely on a laser beam shone at the road. D-Cams do not flash.

Where is it found?

West Yorkshire and Norfolk, among other locations.

4. SPECS average speed cameras

What is it?

SPECS average speed cameras will measure your speed over a set distance, rather than how fast you pass the camera. They’re usually found on poles looking over motorway and dual-carriageway lanes, on bridges and integrated into motorway gantries. SPECS are the most popular type of average speed camera in the UK and are usually well signposted.

How does it work?

Average speed cameras use an infrared sensor which works in all weather conditions and can monitor up to five lanes at a time. There will be at least two cameras spaced apart which capture your number plate, along with the date and time, and use this data to calculate your average speed. All vehicles passing through average speed cameras have their number plates scanned, and their speed measured. SPECS cameras do not flash.

Where is it found?

SPECS average speed cameras are predominantly used on motorways and dual carriageways. However, they can be used on sections of roadwork, and other stretches of road as well.

5. VECTOR average speed cameras

What is it?

Made by the same firm as SPECS cameras, and looking similar, VECTOR cams can enforce bus lanes, traffic lights, box junctions and congestion zones, as well as speed limits. Yellow VECTORS tend to be speed cameras, while grey or unpainted ones typically enforce non-speeding traffic transgressions.

How does it work?

VECTOR average cams work in the same way as the SPECS system. They don’t flash.

Where is it found?

Across the country, either mounted by the side of the road on poles or on central reservations.

6. Siemens SafeZone average speed camera

What is it?

An average speed camera that works in a manner similar to SPECS. Small and unobtrusive, the SafeZone can be pole-mounted or fitted to existing infrastructure, such as bridges.

How does it work?

In the same way as SPECS, by measuring your speed across two or more fixed points.

Where is it found?

Transport for London awarded Siemens a contract for SafeZone cameras in 2015, so expect to see these in the capital, among other places.

7. SpeedSpike average speed cameras

What is it?

Another type of average speed camera, working on the same principles as others.

How does it work?

By measuring your speed over two or more fixed points. SpeedSpike can, its makers claim, see 1,000 cameras linked together.

Where is it found?

Locations include Hampshire and Bedfordshire.

8. SpeedCurb speed cameras

What is it?

The SpeedCurb is a speed camera used to capture speeding violations in individual locations.

How does it work?

It uses a series of sensors embedded into the road which measure the time a vehicle takes to travel across them. If the vehicle exceeds the set limit then the SpeedCurb takes a set of three images, two of the vehicle and one of the number plate. White marks painted on the road can also be used to calculate the speed of the car if there is a dispute.

This system is capable of monitoring two lanes of traffic at once, and takes images of the rear of the vehicle.

Where is it found?

SpeedCurb units are found mounted high above the road on purpose-built poles. They can be found in built-up areas as well as dual carriageways.

9. REDFLEX Speed Cameras

What is it?

The REDFLEX is a versatile speed camera which can be used for both single location speed checking as well as average speed measurement. REDFLEX systems can be used to spot traffic light and road junction violations.

How does it work?

The REDFLEX uses two radar devices to analyse data and it is capable of monitoring up to six lanes concurrently. It can detect speeding violations in both directions of travel, and uses a high-resolution camera.
Depending on the setup, REDFLEX cameras can detect multiple traffic violations such as when a vehicle speeds through a red light.

Where is it found?

REDFLEXred cameras can be found at intersections while REDFLEXspeed units are used on motorways and major roads.

10. HADECS3 speed cameras

What is it?

Short for Highway Agency Digital Enforcement Camera System 3, these are fixed cameras that are positioned high up and to the side of motorways and major A-roads operated by National Highways.

How does it work?

Labelled the ‘stealth camera’ by some media articles due to their small size and high-up, offset location, HADECS3 cameras can be adjusted to fit variable speed limits. They use radar to detect vehicles’ speed, and do not flash.

Where is it found?

Across the UK’s strategic road network (SRN) of motorways and major A-roads.

11. Peek speed cameras

What is it?

A fixed speed camera, similar in looks and function to a GATSO.

How does it work?

Peek cameras are rear-facing, and flash when they detect a speeding motorist.

Where is it found?

London and Berkshire, among other locations, and typically in built-up areas.

12. Mobile speed cameras

What is it?

A mobile speed camera can be moved around from one location to the next. Certain models are based on fixed versions, like the REDFLEX and Gatso mobile units, while others are designed specifically to be used on the move.

How does it work?

Most mobile speed cameras use either radar or laser beams to measure speed. Laser guns can be aimed at a flat surface on the target vehicle and provide a readout within about half a second. They are accurate up to one mile.

Radar guns reflect radio waves back to the unit from the vehicle and provide accurate reading up to 300 yards. It takes around 3 seconds for a radar gun to get a reading.
Both types can be used on the move or mounted on a tripod at the roadside.

Where is it found?

Mobile speed cameras can be used just about anywhere, they are a popular speed enforcement tool along motorways where they can be used from within police cars or set up along the road or inside a van in high-risk areas at short notice.

13. DS2 speed cameras

What is it?

A DS2 camera can cover two lanes of traffic in opposite directions.

How does it work?

The camera uses three piezo strips in the road which detect a change of pressure when a car or other vehicle passes over them. Passing over the strips triggers the camera. The lines on the road can be used to determine the car’s speed, and the camera catches the reg plate.

Police forces can use a manned speed camera van, or the van can be left unattended as the camera is triggered automatically by the piezo strips.

Where is it found?

You’ll find this camera used in many locations around the country.

14. Traffic light camera

What is it?

A traffic light camera is mounted at a set of lights, but don’t assume it can only catch drivers jumping red lights. This type of speed camera can tell if you are driving too fast as well.

How does it work?

Either ground loops in the road or a radar sensor is used to trigger the camera. Speed measurements can be taken so that breaking the limit can be punished as well as driving through a red light.

Where is it found?

This type of camera is common at junctions controlled by traffic lights.

15. Aecom mobile speed cameras

What is it?

One of the newest types of speed camera, the Aecom can spot many different offences – speeding is just one. It can also detect someone who isn’t wearing a seatbelt or a driver making a call on a handheld mobile phone.

How does it work?

Aecom cameras are installed inside a police van. Once parked at the side of the road, a metal gantry of cameras is erected above the vehicle, ready to detect drivers breaking the rules. The combination of multiple cameras and AI technology allows the Aecom system to do so much more than just catch speeders.

Where is it found?

These sophisticated cameras have been pioneered by Warwickshire Police, but a number of other constabularies now use Aecom mobile cameras.

16. Long Ranger mobile speed camera

What is it?

The clue is in the name. This is a type of speed camera that can catch drivers from a long distance. By the time you spot the camera and check your speed, it’s already too late.
Think of it as the sniper’s rifle of speed enforcement.

How does it work?

The Long Ranger uses a powerful lens, similar to a zoom lens on a regular camera. This gives the camera an effective range of 1km or more (over half a mile). The cameras can be used to spot tailgaters, people not wearing seatbelts, and handheld mobile phone users as well as speeders.

Where is it found?

The Long Ranger has been used successfully in Gloucestershire but has since been rolled out in other parts of the country.

17. Handheld speed guns

What is it?

Handheld speed guns are the most easily portable type of speed camera in the UK. The name is self-explanatory – these speed guns are held by the user and pointed at passing traffic to catch speeders.

The latest generation of handheld gun, called the LTI TruCam, takes speed limit enforcement to another level and can read number plates at day and night from up to 750 metres away. Like many other types of modern speed camera, these guns can detect other offences such as using a handheld mobile phone.

How does it work?

With a laser sensor to detect speed, and a video camera to record the details of the speeding vehicle and its driver, the latest generation of speed gun works by day or night. Earlier generations could only catch speeding drivers in the daytime.

Where is it found?

Northumbria Police and Warwickshire Police were early adopters of the latest handheld speed guns. Other constabularies have since followed, so don’t be surprised to see these handheld speed guns in use all over the country.

Types of speed cameras FAQs

Are all speed cameras yellow?

The majority of speed cameras are painted yellow, as their presence is intended to discourage speeding as much as catch speeding incidents. There is no legal requirement for cameras to be painted yellow, however, with many overhead gantry cameras not being visible, aside from in your rear-view mirror after you’ve passed them. Some of the latest handheld speed guns are painted blue, not yellow.

Do all speed cameras flash?

No. Some older designs like the Gatso and Peek camera systems still use a visible flash, but many newer models use infrared lights and flashes which are not visible to the naked eye.

What range do speed cameras have?

Cameras in a fixed location are usually focused on a certain section of road, often denoted by white road markings. Some mobile laser units have a range of up to two miles, while most cameras are able to take clear images at up to 1000 yards. Average speed cameras like the SPECS system can monitor you up to a distance of 12 miles, and much more if multiple cameras are used.

Are speed cameras always on?

Not necessarily. Cameras can be switched off by the authorities, however you will be hard pressed to identify which ones are operational and which ones aren’t.

Do speed cameras work both ways?

Most cameras focus on one direction of travel. A Gatso system will only focus on one lane in a single direction, while more modern units can monitor multiple lanes and vehicles and two units can be mounted back-to-back, allowing for monitoring in both directions.

How do I know if I’ve been caught by a speed camera?

A flash doesn’t always mean you have been caught speeding and in many cases the first you will know of it will be when you receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP).

What is the penalty for speeding?

This depends on how much you have exceeded the speed limit. The typical fine is usually three points on your licence and a £100 penalty, although you may be offered a speed awareness course instead. For a detailed outline of what can happen when you break the speed limit read our speeding penalty guide.