Anti-braking speed cameras set for rollout in the UK

New anti-braking technology designed to catch drivers who brake suddenly before a speed camera or accelerate quickly after, is expected to hit UK roads in 2024 after a successful trial in Spain.

Secret speeders slip under the radar

The technology uses radars either side of a fixed speed camera sometimes over one kilometre away, to catch drivers who believe they’ve avoided a fine.

Many drivers slam on brakes when passing these cameras, so they reach the legal speed limit on approach, only to hit the accelerator again after passing.

Not only is this practice cheating the fining system, but it makes our roads more dangerous, as sudden braking and accelerating can cause collisions.

Gary Digva, Founder of dash cam company Road Angel, said: “They are trying to stop that pre-braking. If you look at a motorway and see a camera on a gantry, drivers slam their brakes on whether they are travelling at 80-90mph. Whatever the speed is they slam the brakes on.”

“That’s what the anti-braking cameras are supposed to come in to do, to say actually you were speeding. The fact you’ve seen the camera and slowed down is irrelevant as you were speeding pre-camera.”

Anti-braking technology promises safer roads

Mr Digva said: “these devices will catch and penalise more speeding motorists, encouraging more drivers to stick to legal limits and improve road safety.”

“It comes after the news that one in four fatal collisions occur due to speeding on UK roads. This means that over 2,500 people are seriously injured every year due to excessive speeds.”

The UK’s current speed camera technology includes laser systems and ‘Doppler effect technology’ that accurately records the speed of a vehicle over a certain distance.

Average speed cameras are also widespread on motorways, whereby a vehicle’s number plate is captured between two cameras to calculate its average speed.

In other road safety news, speed cameras that don’t flash and can monitor traffic in both directions are also being installed on UK roads. Find out more.