Speed Camera Types in the UK
Compare 8 common camera and enforcement-system categories used across the United Kingdom. Learn how each technology works, what it looks like and where it is typically deployed. Our location dataset does not reliably identify the hardware model at every mapped point, so this guide does not publish model totals.
Gatso
The most common fixed speed camera in the UK, named after inventor Maurice Gatsonides.
Identification and operation guide →
Truvelo
A forward-facing fixed speed camera that photographs the driver. Unlike Gatso, it uses infrared flash invisible to drivers.
Identification and operation guide →
SPECS (Average Speed)
Average speed camera system using ANPR to calculate speed over a distance. Cannot be beaten by braking at camera locations.
Identification and operation guide →
HADECS3
Highway Agency Digital Enforcement Camera System. Used on smart motorways to enforce variable speed limits.
Identification and operation guide →
VECTOR
Multi-purpose enforcement camera. Can monitor speed, red lights, bus lanes, yellow boxes, and congestion zones simultaneously.
Identification and operation guide →
Mobile Speed Camera Van
Police or safety camera partnership operated mobile cameras deployed in vans at changing locations.
Identification and operation guide →
Red Light Camera
Cameras at traffic-light controlled junctions that photograph vehicles crossing the stop line during a red signal.
Identification and operation guide →
Handheld Speed Gun
Handheld laser speed devices used by police officers, often from roadside positions or bridges.
Identification and operation guide →
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 that type is typically used.