We’ve all heard the rumours about how you can beat the dreaded speed camera and subsequent fine – but how many of them are actually true? Simply read our speeding ticket mythbuster to find out the truth here.
Speed cameras are a common sight on UK roads, but there’s still plenty of confusion about how they work and what the rules actually are. From the famous “10% + 2 mph rule” to whether cameras are always switched on, we separate fact from fiction.
Key Takeaways
- You can technically be fined for driving just 1 mph over the speed limit
- The “10% + 2 mph” rule is guidance, not law
- Not all speed cameras are active, but many are fully enforced
- Speeding tickets usually arrive within 14 days
Speed Camera Myths (UK) – Quick Comparison
| Myth | Verdict | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| 10% + 2 rule always applies | ⚠️ Mostly False | Not a legal right |
| Cameras are always on | ⚠️ Partly True | Assume they are active |
| You must see a flash | ❌ False | Many don’t flash |
| Cameras don’t work in bad weather | ❌ False | They work in most conditions |
| You’ll always know if caught | ❌ False | Often notified later |
| Cameras only catch speeding | ❌ False | Can detect other offences |
| Average cameras are less accurate | ❌ False | Often more accurate |
| Mobile cameras are easy to spot | ❌ False | Often hidden |
| You can brake before cameras | ❌ False | Average cameras prevent this |
| Cameras need warning signs | ❌ False | Not legally required everywhere |
| Speeding at night is safer | ❌ False | Enforcement still applies |
| Foreign drivers can’t be fined | ❌ False | Cross-border enforcement exists |
| Old cameras don’t work | ⚠️ Partly True | Some inactive, many upgraded |
| You can avoid points with excuses | ❌ False | Limited discretion |
| Short bursts of speed are fine | ❌ False | Still an offence |
| Cameras are just for revenue | ❌ False | Focus is safety |
Myth 1: You Won’t Get Caught for 10% + 2 mph Over the Limit
Verdict: ⚠️ Mostly False
The “10% + 2 mph” rule is guidance used by some police forces, based on recommendations from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). It is not law.
You can legally be fined for exceeding the limit by even 1 mph.
Myth 2: Speed Cameras Are Always Switched On
Verdict: ⚠️ Partly True
Some cameras are inactive, but many are fully operational — especially modern digital and average speed cameras.
Myth 3: You Have to Be Flashed to Get a Ticket
Verdict: ❌ False
Many newer cameras don’t use a flash, including average speed systems and mobile units.
Myth 4: Speed Cameras Don’t Work in Bad Weather
Verdict: ❌ False
Modern cameras operate effectively in rain, fog, and low light.
Myth 5: You’ll Always Know If You’ve Been Caught
Verdict: ❌ False
You may only find out when you receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP), usually within 14 days.
Myth 6: Speed Cameras Only Catch Speeding
Verdict: ❌ False
Some systems can detect additional offences such as running red lights or using bus lanes.
Myth 7: Average Speed Cameras Are Less Accurate
Verdict: ❌ False
They are often more accurate, calculating speed over distance rather than a single point.
Myth 8: Mobile Speed Cameras Are Easy to Spot
Verdict: ❌ False
Mobile units can be positioned discreetly and moved regularly.
Myth 9: You Can Slow Down Just Before a Camera
Verdict: ❌ False
Average speed cameras measure your speed over distance, making this ineffective.
Myth 10: Speed Cameras Need Warning Signs
Verdict: ❌ False
While often present, warning signs are not always legally required.
Myth 11: Speeding at Night Is Less Likely to Be Detected
Verdict: ❌ False
Cameras operate 24/7, including in low-light conditions.
Myth 12: Foreign Drivers Can’t Be Fined
Verdict: ❌ False
Cross-border enforcement agreements allow penalties to be issued internationally.
Myth 13: Old Speed Cameras Don’t Work
Verdict: ⚠️ Partly True
Some older cameras are inactive, but many have been upgraded or remain operational.
Myth 14: You Can Avoid Points with a Good Excuse
Verdict: ❌ False
There is limited discretion, but most offences result in fixed penalties or courses.
Myth 15: Short Bursts of Speed Don’t Count
Verdict: ❌ False
Even brief speeding can be detected and penalised.
Myth 16: Speed Cameras Are Just for Revenue
Verdict: ❌ False
Their primary purpose is improving road safety, with evidence showing reduced collisions in monitored areas.
How Speed Camera Enforcement Works in the UK
Speed enforcement uses:
- Fixed cameras (Gatso, Truvelo)
- Average speed cameras
- Mobile units and police patrols
Offences trigger a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP), typically sent within 14 days.
Penalties may include:
- £100 fine and 3 points
- Speed awareness course
- Higher penalties for serious offences
Frequently Asked Questions About Speed Cameras (UK)
No. It’s guidance, not law.
No, but many are – assume they are.
Usually within 14 days.
Yes
Yes – they calculate your speed over distance.
Final Thoughts
Speed camera myths are common, but relying on them can be costly. The safest approach is simple: stick to the speed limit and drive responsibly.
Can you get a ticket for putting finger up to camera van if not speeding????
Speeding fines are a voluntary contribution, if you don’t want to contribute don’t exceed the speed limit.
I do in excess of 20K miles a year in a none too pedestrian car. I have been fined just once and that was in 1972 doing 42 in a 30 limit. So it can be done.
There were a few things that were not covered, like Do police camera vans have to have traffic cones around them, if so how many?
I’ve often seen police camera vans parked in entrances to farm fields presumably on private land is this legal?
Also, do police handheld or tripod cameras have to have traffic cones around them and do they have to wear high vis jackets and how far from the curb edge should they be?
I have seen police handheld speed cams at the end of a row of trees or behind a series of traffic sign poles at what distance should an obstruction be before its legal to hide behind or merge with it
At one time your speed was taken over a quarter of a mile now its about 100 yards, is the old rule still law? if it is some new cameras might not be within the law.
It makes you think that the police with speed cams could work outside the laws because Joe public does not know the laws, they just accept the fines
Two days before Christmas, delivering Christmas cards in a small village, Scamera van was low height van with lift up tail gate, therefore no markings visible, parked in a lay by outside domestic dwellings, three cars parked in front blocking his vehicle from view, also parked behind a grass verge sticking out into the road that obscured him from view. And to ice the cake…hw was parked on a gradient so he was a little “down hill from the traffic.
Operator had on a black commando type woolen hat, black polo neck jumper and black trouser, his waterproof hi vis coat was open and held behind his back so that no hi vis at all was showing.
He had view of me coming out of a side street onto the main road, I could not see him at all. By the time I had accelerated to (what I thought was 30mph) as I had not even put the car into fourth gear so my speed had not settled, he took his photo. My wife and I each have a car, on the day I was driving her Skoda saloon, which is a little nippy, whereas my usual drive is my Ford Focus Estate (all 1.3 tonnes of it and only the 90 horsepower engine) All in all, for a few moments, I indeed was at a speed in excess of the legal limit for that stretch of road. However by the time I had established my position on the main road, I had settled at my usual 30mph.
Had I intended to deliberately “speed”? Not really, I lived in that village and have driven in that village for thirty years and never received a speeding fine nor been involved in any motoring accident.
Are the police undertaking covert operations by not wearing appropriate clothing or indication on their vehicles? I believe those operations have to be approved specifically for good reason.
Does hiding the vehicle enhance road safety?? I would suggest if they were visible the deterrent factor would save lives and slow people down if in fact they were deliberately speeding and or known speeders.
I will get a summons, they have to pay for the man sat doing nothing all day…he would be better serving road safety by being given a wheelbarrow full of ashphalt and a shovel to fill in some of the extremely dangerous pot holes in the very unsafe road surfaces.
To end this tale of woe…as I drove along through the village at 30 mph, I was overtaken by two motorcyclists (without number plates on the front of their motorcycles, and as such cannot be caught by the camera) they passed me in a very few seconds, probably 50 mph by my reckoning)
One assumes motorcycle accidents form a part of the KSI records…for any particular stretch of road where they can site these scameras…Therefore I wonder how that fits in with revenue gathering speed camera philosophy?
Mechanically propelled vehicles are what speed cameras are there to catch….so why not motorcycles?
It’s a funny old world is it not??
Dave
Do the modern day ‘Road Terrorists’ (HGV drivers) ever get ‘average speed’ fines. When car drivers are being terrorised in average speed lanes doing 55mph and 30 ton HGV’s, sitting 6 feet from their rear bumper trying to force them off the road or speed up to over 60mph. in the 50mph limit. Why should the car drivers get speed tickets when HGV’s seem to be immune?
cyclists should be fined for speeding. I tried to pass a cyclist going through our village which is a 30 zone. I got to 40mph and couldn’t catch him. cue catching him further down the road where it is too bendy to safely pass on the uphill part, and having to do 5mph for the rest of the road.
Whats the sound of light?