Social media has been awash with rumour and panic about the nation’s speed cameras. Specifically, whether limits and thresholds for being flashed have tightened up.

It’s was suggested that on midnight on 7 January, cameras on M1, M25, M6 and M42 would be switched permanently on and you would be flashed at speeds of 72mph or above.

Tickets were claimed to be ‘auto-generated’, with the advice saying, ‘watch your speed and tell everyone else’.

It’s not the first time similar rumours have spread, with a spate a few months back claiming speed limits were becoming absolute, without any leeway.

The motorway speed limit, unless otherwise instructed is 70mph. The same is true with any other limit. However, Speeds displayed, from car to car and camera to camera, can vary; indicated speed versus what you’re actually doing can differ by a few miles per hour either way. This is where the 10% plus 2 rule comes in.

It was suggested that the information was first passed on to taxi drivers by Transport for London. TfL has since debunked these rumours.

No matter how much tongue-in-cheek humour exists about those that uphold the rules of the road. Anything we need to know about as drivers would be openly and clearly disclosed, even advertised, by the government.

Speed limits are absolute, If you exceed the posted speed limit, you’ve broken the law.

Highways England has always maintained that cameras are active and will react to relevant limits, whether the smart gantries have a lower limit in place or not.

The agency in charge of the motorways has stated that it is ‘unaware of any changes’ being made to how the cameras work.

Treat speed cameras as if they are always on. Just because there aren’t any notifications displayed on smart gantries, doesn’t mean you should fly through them at 80mph. As ever, speeders ought to keep an eye in their rear-view mirrors for the tell-tale flash.

Without wishing to promote any form of speeding, if you’re doing 72mph, it is unlikely that you’ll get flashed – contrary to what the rumours would suggest.

Categories: Blog PostMotoringSafety

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