I'VE BEEN FLASHED BY A GATSO CAMERA.
WHAT NOW?

I've been flashed by a Gatso camera, what now?
The letter of the law: You have broken the law and will face a punishment determined by the degree to which you were caught speeding. In a 30mph area, the cameras will generally trigger at 36mph. Get caught and it'll be three points and a £60 fine. In London the fine could be higher. If you were doing more than 50mph in a 30, expect a court summons, more points, a much bigger fine and the distinct possibility of a ban.
On a national speed limit, single carriageway road, speeds of up to 86mph will result in three points and the £60 fine. The point at which you could get more varies considerably, though. As with motorways, get into three figures and the shit is deep.
The reality: Pretty much as above - cameras don't listen to excuses or reason. But a recent precedent may have created a loophole through which escape could be possible. A member of the Cleveland constabulary claimed he couldn't remember who was driving at the time, and, since the image captured by the Gatso is of the rear of the vehicle, an identification of the driver could not be made. The Crown Prosecution Service has since had to drop cases involving members of the public who also claimed not to be able to remember who was driving. Finally, if you're guilty and you face a choice between a fixed penalty ticket and a summons, the general consensus is to take the ticket - courts are nasty.

Can I be caught by a Truvelo camera, which takes the picture from the front?
The letter of the law: Though Truvelo itself can't be used for prosecution (because bikes have no front number plate), information from the system, such as when, where and how often you are caught, could be used to deploy a radar team.
The reality: Basically no, you can't be caught by a camera looking at the front of your bike. This is no comedy oversight by the Government or the police, more that, in the great scheme of things, we don't matter.

The above article was written by Ben Miller
and published in the December 2001 edition of
magazine
Our thanks go to them for their kind permission to reproduce it here...

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on the Legal Advice Index page.