The myths of average speed camera fines revealed – does changing lane really work?

AVERAGE speed cameras are becoming more popular across the UK as way of keeping Brits under the limit.

While drivers dodge traditional fixed cameras by slamming on the brakes before the flash, average checks keep motorists honest and encourage a smoother, safer style of driving.

These cameras are known as SPECS and can also be harder to spot as they're not just a big box on the roadside. Instead you'll see a set of small cameras – often painted yellow – on an extended lamppost, followed by another set anywhere between 200m and 10km further down the road.

This means you need to be paying attention all the time to avoid being caught out by the "yellow vultures" as they can appear on dual carriageways, motorways or during roadworks.

Our run down below reveals all you need to know about average speed cameras, which now operate on over 250miles of UK roads.

What are average speed cameras? 

SPECS were introduced to the UK in 1999, and use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). On any average camera stretch, the first set will pick you up and you'll then be snapped again leaving the zone. The system will calculate your average speed based on how long you took to get between each point.

If this speed is over the limit you'll be fined £100 and given three penalty points – even if you're going below the allowed speed at the point you pass the camera.

The cover of darkness isn't a free pass to speed on through those motorway roadworks – even if there's nobody working and the road is clear. Average speed cameras have infra-red so they work at night and in any weather as well.

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