A significant technical fault with variable speed cameras on England's motorways and major A-roads has resulted in thousands of drivers being incorrectly fined for speeding over the past four years. National Highways has issued an apology and confirmed it is working to refund penalties and remove licence points from those wrongly prosecuted.
The Root of the Problem: A Faulty Software Update
The issue, which began in 2021, was triggered by a software update to the systems governing variable speed limit cameras. The glitch meant that cameras on approximately 10% of England's motorways and A roads failed to register correctly when speed limits were increased, such as at the end of a temporary restriction. Consequently, drivers who accelerated lawfully were incorrectly flagged as speeding.
National Highways Chief Executive, Nick Harris, stated: "Safety is our number one priority and we have developed a fix for this technical anomaly to maintain the highest levels of safety on these roads and make sure no one is wrongly prosecuted." The agency has since paused sending data from these variable cameras to police forces while a permanent solution is implemented.
Scale of the Error and Impact on Motorists
Officials have identified roughly 2,650 incorrect camera activations attributed to this fault since 2021—an average of fewer than two per day. It is crucial to note that not every activation results in a fine, as police exercise discretion in enforcement.
When placed in context, the erroneous activations represent less than 0.1% of the total 6 million camera activations recorded across the network in the same period. National Highways has described the number of affected drivers as a "very small number".
Anyone fined in error will be contacted directly by the police. The process will involve reimbursement of any fines paid and the removal of penalty points from driving licences. Drivers do not need to take any proactive action.
Official Responses and Reassurances
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport offered an apology to those affected but emphasised that road safety was not compromised. They added: "Enforcement is still in place, and the public can remain confident that only motorists who break the rules will be penalised."
The National Police Chiefs' Council confirmed that forces are working to identify and contact a "very limited number of motorists." They reiterated that standard speed enforcement through other methods—including mobile cameras and patrols—continues unaffected across the strategic road network.
While the error is undoubtedly a significant administrative failure, the swift apology, identification of a fix, and commitment to redress offer a clear path to resolution for the wrongly accused drivers.
