Thousands of drivers wrongly fined for speeding due to faulty speed cameras
A fault affecting speed cameras across England’s road network has wrongly prosecuted thousands of drivers since 2021...
Thousands of drivers have been wrongly fined for speeding after faults were found with some speed cameras being wrongly triggered on England’s A-roads and motorways.
National Highways confirmed it had found 2650 incidents where cameras were wrongly activated since 2021. The organisation explained in a statement that there was a “slight delay” between the speed limit being increased and the cameras’ speed detection being adjusted, leading to drivers being incorrectly identified as speeding.
Apologising to those affected, National Highways said that drivers will be contacted directly by police force, reimbursed and have penalty points removed from their licence where relevant. It noted that the number of people affected represent fewer than two per day.
It also confirmed that it has “developed a data check to ensure nobody will now be prosecuted incorrectly and are liaising with police on its implementation.”
The organisation has described the fault as an “anomaly” which impacts 10% of the strategic road network, but in its statement reminded drivers that enforcement remains in place and that it will be increasing other safety measures on England’s roads. According to the BBC, the fault affects 154 cameras out of a total 400 across the motorway network.
This comes after a 12% increase in the number of penalty points dished out last year was attributed to a rising number of drivers being caught by speed cameras. According to the figures obtained from the DVLA, 9.61 million penalty points were dished out in 2024, with most of them as a result of drivers speeding on public roads and motorways.
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