The latest figures show that almost three-quarters of all motoring offences are cases of speeding.
But breaking the speed limit doesn't necessarily mean you'll get caught on camera as many police forces around the country include a little bit of wriggle room for drivers, according to Plymouth Live.
Riverdale Leasing sent out a Freedom of information request to all 43 UK police forces asking for the speed camera activation threshold for devices under their authority.
Out of the 21 responses it received, some 57% of police forces advised the threshold for speed cameras is 10% plus two mph.
This means that if you are driving in a 30 mph zone you would only activate a speed camera if you were driving 35 mph or more. If you were speeding in a 40 mph zone, you would meet the threshold at 46 mph.
Other authorities explained that officers use their discretion, or that the information couldn’t be disclosed to the public. Here are the complete results from Riverdale Leasing's research...
Speed camera thresholds
Police Constabulary \ Speed Camera Activation Threshold
- Avon & Somerset \ 10% + 2 mph
- City of London \ 10% + 2 mph
- Cumbria\ 10% + 2 mph
- Derbyshire \ 10% + 2 mph
- Devon & Cornwall\ 10% + 2 mph
- Durham \ 10% + 2 mph
- Gloucestershire\ 10% + 2 mph
- Humberside \ 10% + 2 mph
- Kent\ 10% + 2 mph
- North Yorkshire \ 10% + 2 mph
- Essex\ 10% +2 mph
- Lancashire \ +3 mph up to 9 mph
- Bedfordshire\ Declined to disclose information
- Hampshire \ Declined to disclose information
- Hertfordshire\ Declined to disclose information
- Leicestershire \ Declined to disclose information
- Northamptonshire\ Declined to disclose information
- Northumbria \ Declined to disclose information
- West Midlands\ Declined to disclose information
- Wiltshire \The devices aren’t set at any particular speed. Officers use their own discretion when setting the threshold
- Lincolnshire \ +2 mph up to 66mph and +3% for all speeds higher than 66mph
Government research reveals more than half of British drivers (55%) speed at any given time, on average. Drivers are most likely to break the law in 20 mph zones, with a huge nine in 10 drivers found speeding on these roads. This may be because 20 mph roads are often quieter, or drivers haven’t realised that the lower limit is in effect.
However, the 20 mph limit is usually in place for school zones where children are crossing, making it extremely dangerous if you choose to speed.
Roads with a 30 mph limit also have more speeders than not; the government statistics show that three in five drivers (62%) break the limit in these zones.
