Fixed speed cameras are painted yellow or covered in yellow reflective sheeting, and are signposted with a camera sign. Police also use marked mobile camera vans, average speed cameras, red light cameras and cameras that enforce red X lane closures on smart motorways.
Warned by a sign
Fixed speed camera, Average speed camera
Not always warned
Mobile camera, Speed display
Real photos, with where each one was taken and who took it.
Speed camera (safety camera)
Looks like: A box on a pole beside the road, painted yellow or covered in yellow reflective sheeting. Some photograph the back of the car after it passes. Others photograph approaching cars from the front, including the driver.
Catches: Speeding.
Guidance says the camera should be visible from 60 metres where the limit is 40 mph or less, and from 100 metres elsewhere.
Mobile safety camera van
Looks like: A van in enforcement livery parked at the roadside. An operator working away from the van wears high-visibility clothing.
Catches: Speeding.
Police officers also use hand-held laser or radar speed guns from the roadside or from police vehicles.
Average speed cameras
Looks like: Yellow cameras at two or more points along the road, which read number plates and work out the average speed between them.
Catches: An average speed above the limit between the camera points.
Used along stretches with scattered collisions and through roadworks, often with a 50 mph limit on motorway roadworks.
Red light camera
Catches: Crossing the stop line while the light is red.
The minimum penalty is £100 and 3 penalty points.
Red X enforcement cameras
Catches: Driving in a smart motorway lane closed by a red X.
Camera enforcement began on 10 June 2019.
Bus lane camera
Catches: Driving in a bus lane during its hours of operation.
In Northern Ireland, automatic cameras photograph drivers using bus lanes, and the fine is £60. In London, a bus lane penalty is £160.
Vehicle-activated sign
Looks like: A roadside sign that lights up to show drivers they are speeding.
Catches: Nothing. These signs don't issue penalties.
Cameras enforce speed limits or other traffic rules on this road.
What to do: Check your speed against the limit sign shown nearby.
Variable speed limit
Speed limits on this road change and are shown on electronic signs. Cameras enforce them.
What to do: Obey any limit shown in a red circle on the overhead signs.
Average speed check
Average speed cameras measure your speed between two or more points.
What to do: Keep to the limit for the whole stretch, not just past each camera.
Radar detectors: Legal
Apps that warn of cameras: Allowed
If you're in a hire car: Within 14 days, a Notice of Intended Prosecution goes to the registered keeper, which for a hire car is the hire company. The keeper must name the driver within 28 days. Hire companies pass penalties on to the driver and may add an admin fee.
| Offence | Fine |
|---|---|
| Speeding The minimum penalty, plus 3 penalty points. In court the fine can reach £1,000, or £2,500 on a motorway. | £100 |
| Driving in a lane closed by a red X Plus 3 penalty points. | £100 |
| Running a red light The minimum penalty, plus 3 penalty points, as stated by Safety Cameras Scotland. | £100 |
The full guide to driving in the United Kingdom · Speed cameras in other countries