Drivers slapped with speeding tickets on England’s motorways and A roads could soon see them wiped clean after a major camera blunder.
Thousands of Phantom Speeding Fines Exposed
National Highways has uncovered a staggering 2,650 false speed camera activations dating back to 2021. The cause? A technical glitch causing cameras to flash for drivers who weren’t actually speeding.
The problem was a delay between changing variable speed limit signs and the cameras updating their speed thresholds. This hiccup wrongly flagged drivers as breaking the limit even when they were sticking to the new, higher speed.
Police will contact those wrongly fined, refunding any penalties and wiping points from licences where needed. Luckily, not every speed trap error led to a ticket.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said National Highways chief executive Nick Harris, who apologised for the mix-up.
What Went Wrong? The Lag That Cost Drivers
The fault, dubbed an “anomaly,” caused a 10-second lag between speed limit signs changing and cameras registering the update.
- When limits rose from 40mph to 60mph, cameras still recorded drivers as speeding during the delay.
- The glitch affected 154 out of 400 variable speed cameras across England, including on smart motorways and busy routes like the A14 and A1 near cambridge/" title="Cambridge" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Cambridge.
Quick Fix In Place, But Permanent Solution Pending
A temporary fix is now sorting out false captures so Police can ignore bogus offences. However, National Highways has yet to announce when a permanent repair will be rolled out.
Officials say these errors are rare—fewer than two false camera triggers per day—but they still impact about 10% of England’s motorway and A-road camera network.
