Myth 1

The system is just another mechanism to generate money from speeding fines

Fact

We don’t want your money; we do want you to comply with the speed limit and in doing so improve safety.

The retention of fines for camera related speeding offences stopped on 1st April 2007. Since this date all receipts from speeding offence fixed penalties and court fines are paid to HM Treasury.

Myth 2

The system will catch huge numbers of drivers every day

Fact

The cameras, and associated signs, are very conspicuous; the only people being caught are those who choose to ignore it.

Historically, compliance with speed limits is far better with average speed cameras than it is with mobile or fixed cameras. This is being demonstrated on the A9 with exceptionally high compliance and evidence now demonstrating a 63% reduction in the number of offenders compared with pre-scheme figures.

Myth 3

The Average Speed Camera System will increase frustration and will encourage more dangerous overtaking

Fact

Driver frustration is partly due to the behaviour of other drivers and partly due to unreliability of journey times. Observations indicate that the cameras improve driver behaviour by reducing excessive speed and instances of tail gaiting. People are also more realistic about the speed they can drive at under such a system. As for journey times, these will become more reliable as the cameras will reduce the number of incidents that require closures.

The evidence from the cameras is now suggesting sustained changes in driver behaviour leading to safer overtaking and reduced frustration.

Myth 4

Average speed cameras increase journey time

Fact

The majority of people will see little effect to their overall journey time and this is now being evidenced in the published data. It is the minority who continually exceed the speed limit and endanger others who will be impacted.

Myth 5

Why do we need the cameras, speed is not a problem on the A9

Fact

On a typical day on the A9 one in three cars were travelling above the speed limit on single carriageways. Road Safety experts are all agreed that reducing the speed results in reduced risk to road users and that average speed cameras are a fair and effective way of doing this.

The cameras on the A9 have already led to a sustained reduction of over 95% in excessive speeding in the areas in which they operate.

Myth 6

The system is fully automated and issues fixed penalty notices without any consideration

Fact

All potential offences recorded by the system are automatically sent to the Safety Camera Unit where they are considered and processed manually.

Myth 7

The cameras can only detect one type of vehicle

Fact

The cameras are capable of detecting and enforcing speeds for all vehicle types, including motorbikes.

Myth 8

If a car changes lane it cannot be detected

Fact

The system will detect all vehicles regardless of lane changes.

Myth 9

Speeding and accidents will just move to other roads

Fact

Evidence from the deployment of Average Speed Cameras across the UK does not support this argument with monitoring of parallel routes failing to identify this as an issue. As with the A77, routes adjacent to the A9 will also be monitored to verify this.