No escaping new UK speed cameras*

Ben Leapman, Home Affairs Correspondent, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 20/05/2007

The hopes of millions of drivers, that a speed-camera flash will never
turn into a ticket, are about to be dashed.

No escaping new speed cameras
Some drivers take a chance, hoping the camera has no film

Numbers caught could double within months as more digital cameras are
introduced across Britain. They will replace about 4,000 remaining
traditional cameras, which flash even when they are out of film.

The change could lead to up to four million drivers receiving £60
speeding tickets each year, it is thought.

The digital devices can record thousands of images, with higher picture
quality, and can monitor up to four lanes simultaneously. They are also
fitted with automatic number-plate recognition technology which alerts
police if a wanted vehicle passes. By contrast, traditional cameras run
out of film after snapping 200 vehicles.

Edmund King, the director of the RAC Foundation, said the switch to
digital could see the number of drivers caught speeding double from two
to four million a year. The Treasury would receive an additional £120
million each year.

"There's no doubt that some motorists play Russian -roulette with
cameras, taking a chance that they have run out of film," he said. "That
will obviously change if they go digital."

Traditional cameras make up about 4,000 of the 5,000 cameras on the roads.

Gatsometer, their Netherlands-based manufacturer, has developed a
digital system which slots straight into the existing case and works
with the present speed-sensing equipment. Councils are expected to
embrace the £10,000 cost of upgrading each camera because they will save
the cost of fitting film.

The upgrade requires government approval but a spokesman for Gatsometer
told Auto Express that the Home Office was preparing to confirm approval
"any day now".

Since last month, money raised through fines has gone straight to the
Treasury rather than to local councils and police forces. The change was
introduced to show that local officials have no direct incentive to
maximise revenue.

A rise in the number of motorists caught speeding - adding points to
their licences - would also lead to more disqualifications.