Travel Safety Tips: How Do Mobile Speed Cameras Work?
Mobile speed cameras pop up around the UK to catch speeding motorists, but, – as is the case with fixed-position cameras – do drivers need to be warned about them, how do they work and other questions answered here.
Can a mobile speed camera in a van catch you while moving? Image credit:Lee Haywood
As the name suggests, mobile speed cameras are exactly that – mobile. They are used to enforce speed limits across the UK and are generally a road vehicle fitted with speed camera equipment.
Mobile speed cameras come in a number of shapes and sizes and the types used will vary from country to country. There are now 15 different kinds used in the UK alone. Some of the types of mobile speed cameras are:
Radar gun
Laser gun
DS2
Mini Gatso
Unmarked/marked police cars
Typically, depending on the type of mobile speed camera, the range will be about two miles on a straight bit of road – they cannot work round bends or over brows of hills.
Although it’s rumoured that mobile speed cameras need to warn you that they are operating, it is not a legal requirement. Sometimes signs indicate the presence of speed cameras, but no warning needs to be given.
With a diameter as small as 10cm, the laser beam emitted by a mobile speed camera can target you as long as it can see your vehicle. Meaning that only a small sighting of part of your vehicle is needed to gain a reading.
Typically, mobile speed cameras in a van work when they are parked up, but it’s still possible to catch speeding motorists when the van is moving.
If you’re driving on the opposite side of the road to a mobile speed camera, you won’t be exempt from being targeted. As long as the laser beam is aimed at the vehicle, it will be able to relay the driver’s exact speed.
I was doing 80 in a 60mph zone, a country road. As soon as I came to the 30mph zone, I slowed down to 30mph just before I reached the 30mph zone road sign. Then I saw a mobile marked police van with one of these cameras in the middle of the roof on a long pole. As I drove past it, it drove off in the opposite direction. So I think I may have been done in on the 60mph stretch. Reason because a car was tailgating me when I was doing the correct speed, so I sped up and it still kept fairly close to me. Now I am nervous that I will be done in. I have driven 21 years on that stretch of road, always at the correct speed. This time because of the tailgating car I sped up and the van happened to be there,
Thank you for sharing your experience—situations like that can be really stressful, especially when you’ve otherwise had a solid driving record for over two decades.
It’s understandable to feel nervous when faced with a tailgater, and many drivers can relate to the instinct to increase speed just to create some space. Unfortunately, speed cameras – whether mobile or fixed—operate based on strict speed limits, and context like tailgating often isn’t considered by the technology.
That said, if you did reduce your speed before entering the 30mph zone, and the camera van was parked in that lower-speed section, it’s possible you weren’t in violation at that point. Mobile units often monitor traffic only in specific zones where speeding has been flagged as a safety concern.
If you’re concerned, keep an eye on your post over the next two weeks, which is typically the window in which a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) is issued. If nothing arrives, it’s likely you’re in the clear.
We really appreciate your candid contribution – it’s a reminder of how complex and situational road safety can be. Take care, and drive safe.
Hi, do mobile speeding vans record all vehicles that pass or simply operate and trigger to record when the vehicle has exceeded the speeding limit?
Hey can Any one please tell me if I be ok there was a speed camera van at 20MPH and I was doing 23mph please advance thx
Does a mobile speed camera in a van take a visual photo of the driver ?