Speed cameras are a familiar sight across the UK, whether it’s in towns, on motorway gantries or yellow average speed cameras.
You will likely know where they’re located and how they work, but there are now new types of speed cameras coming to the UK, which work differently and could land you in trouble if you get caught speeding. Let’s take a look at three new types of cameras already in operation in the UK – and another that could be coming soon.
New ‘Ultra’ cameras
Though mobile speed cameras are able to catch speeding drivers in both directions, traditional fixed units work differently and can typically only capture vehicles in the left-hand lane.
But there’s a new type of ‘ultra’ camera now in operation in the UK that’s able to capture two-way traffic and doesn’t require painted lines on the road to work. These types of cameras also don’t ‘flash’ when they capture a speeding motorist. These units are already up and running in Greater Manchester, with the police force warning motorists to slow down.
Cameras with AI that can detect people using their phone
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into various forms of life, and it’s also doing the same when it comes to cameras on the road. There are already cameras that can capture things away from speeding, such as ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) and Ulez.
But with AI, cameras are now able to detect motorists using their mobile phones while driving and not wearing seatbelts. It’s been trialled by Devon and Cornwall police and detected almost 300 drivers committing one of those offences in just three days of operation.
The free-standing camera is attached to a van and can be easily moved and deployed in other regions. Despite the use of AI, all images are said to be ‘reviewed by a human’ before a motorist would be convicted. A total of 12 police regions are said to have trialled the technology.
Drones to catch speeders
Perhaps the last place you’d expect a camera to be is flying above you, but a new type of speed camera is capable of doing that.
Yes, some police forces are now using drones as a way of catching motorists. Said to only be used to find those ‘travelling at dangerously high speeds’, Devon and Cornwall Police has been trialling the use of drones – specifically in its case to catch motorcyclists after a series of collisions that led to a significant number of serious injuries and fatalities.
The technology is said to be able to spot motorists from up to 3.7 miles away and then direct a patrol to the vehicle to stop and deal with them accordingly.
‘Anti-braking’ speed cameras could be coming to the UK
Many of us will either have done it or seen drivers doing it on the road, and that’s slamming on the brakes for a speed camera, but then speeding back up once you’ve gone past. However, a new type of camera being used in Spain can now catch motorists doing this.
The anti-braking camera is actually made of two units and monitors the speed of the vehicle between two fixed points. The cameras are said to be able to detect braking before the first camera and then accleration after the second camera.
Automotive technology company Road Angel says that if the technology is proven successful, it could be ‘rolled out to other countries - including the UK’.
