Speed Camera Types in the UK
There are 8 main types of speed camera used across the United Kingdom, totalling over 3,410 cameras. Each type uses different technology, from radar and piezo sensors to ANPR and laser. Learn how to identify them and how each one works.
Gatso
The most common fixed speed camera in the UK, named after inventor Maurice Gatsonides.
1,240 in the UK
Truvelo
A forward-facing fixed speed camera that photographs the driver. Unlike Gatso, it uses infrared flash invisible to drivers.
485 in the UK
SPECS (Average Speed)
Average speed camera system using ANPR to calculate speed over a distance. Cannot be beaten by braking at camera locations.
620 in the UK
HADECS3
Highway Agency Digital Enforcement Camera System. Used on smart motorways to enforce variable speed limits.
310 in the UK
VECTOR
Multi-purpose enforcement camera. Can monitor speed, red lights, bus lanes, yellow boxes, and congestion zones simultaneously.
195 in the UK
Mobile Speed Camera Van
Police or safety camera partnership operated mobile cameras deployed in vans at changing locations.
380 in the UK
Red Light Camera
Cameras at traffic-light controlled junctions that photograph vehicles crossing the stop line during a red signal.
145 in the UK
Handheld Speed Gun
Handheld laser speed devices used by police officers, often from roadside positions or bridges.
35 in the UK
Understanding UK Speed Cameras
Speed cameras have been used on UK roads since the early 1990s, when the first Gatso cameras were installed at accident blackspots. Since then, camera technology has evolved significantly. Modern systems include average-speed cameras (SPECS) that calculate your speed over a distance, multi-lane smart motorway cameras (HADECS3), and multi-purpose enforcement cameras (VECTOR) that can detect speeding, red-light running, bus lane violations, and yellow box offences simultaneously.
All speed cameras used for enforcement in the UK must be type-approved by the Home Office. This means they have been independently tested for accuracy and reliability. The NPCC (National Police Chiefs' Council) guideline for prosecution is the speed limit plus 10% plus 2 mph, though this is a guideline and not a legal right -- forces can prosecute at any speed above the posted limit.
Click on any camera type above to learn exactly how it works, whether it flashes, how to identify it, and where the most cameras of that type are located across the UK.