A major technical fault with variable speed cameras has resulted in thousands of drivers being incorrectly fined and issued penalty points over a four-year period. National Highways has issued a public apology and confirmed that affected motorists will be reimbursed and have licence points removed.
The Four-Year Technical Anomaly
The issue, described as a 'technical anomaly', began in 2021 following a software update. It affected variable speed cameras on approximately 10 per cent of motorways and A roads in England. The glitch caused cameras to incorrectly detect drivers as speeding after the displayed speed limit had legally increased, triggering false activations.
Chief executive of National Highways, 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 organisation identified around 2,650 incorrect camera activations since the fault began, equating to fewer than two erroneous triggers per day.
Scale of the Error and Enforcement Pause
Despite the thousands of incorrect activations, National Highways emphasised the scale was relatively small within the broader context of national enforcement. The faulty activations represented less than 0.1 per cent of the total six million camera activations recorded across the network in the same period. Furthermore, as activations do not always lead to prosecution, not all 2,650 instances resulted in a fine.
As a precaution, no new fines will be issued from variable speed cameras until police forces are confident the system is error-free. However, speed limits will continue to be enforced through other methods, including mobile cameras, average speed sites, and roads policing patrols. A Department for Transport spokesperson assured the public: "Safety was never compromised, and we are working with policing to ensure nobody is incorrectly prosecuted in future."
Next Steps for Affected Drivers
Police forces, coordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, are now working to identify and contact the "very limited number of motorists" who were wrongly penalised. Affected individuals do not need to take any proactive action.
The process for drivers will involve:
- Being contacted directly by their local police force.
- Receiving a full refund for any fine paid.
- Having the associated penalty points removed from their driving licence.
- Being provided with details of a compensation scheme.
A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson confirmed enforcement on strategic roads continues through other means, adding: "If you are affected by this issue, you will be contacted... You do not need to take any action." National Highways says it is working to implement a permanent fix for the software fault as soon as possible.
