National Highways apologised after variable speed cameras on motorways and A roads incorrectly detected speeding since 2021
A “technical issue” with certain UK speed cameras has resulted in thousands of drivers being erroneously fined since 2021, and they are now set to receive refunds. The glitch impacted variable speed cameras that wrongly identified speeding offences after the official increase of speed limits on some A roads and motorways.
National Highways has issued an apology for the error, which led to roughly 2,650 incorrect camera activations.
National Highways has apologised after acknowledging a “technical issue” with variable speed cameras that incorrectly issued thousands of speeding fines across the UK. This fault has been persisting for four years since 2021.
The defect caused cameras to be mistakenly activated by motorists after the speed limit had already been raised on certain motorways and A roads. It is believed that a software update instigated the problem within the variable speed camera system.
Police will now reach out to every driver who was wrongly fined due to this malfunction. Drivers will be refunded the fine amount, and any points added to their licence will be rescinded, reports Birmingham Live.
Approximately 2,650 incorrect camera activations have been identified since 2021, although only a “very small number” of drivers were actually fined. This total figure represents less than 0.1 per cent of the six million activations during the same period.
National Highways has assured that safety was not compromised, stating that the issue only impacted 10 per cent of motorways and A roads in England. The Chief Executive emphasised that a technical solution has been implemented to guarantee safety and prevent any erroneous prosecutions.
In the meantime, enforcement from the affected variable cameras will be suspended until police are entirely confident that no further wrongful prosecutions will occur. However, speeding offences will still be monitored through mobile cameras, police patrols, and average speed sites.
