It was reported quite recently in the news that an unspecified number of motorists in the Cumbria area that were caught speeding by a particular speed camera were done so in error.
Officials stated that the device in Kirkby Londsdale on the A65 was reported randomly flashing on Monday 14 July and that drivers caught up in the incident should be contacted and advised that they were not in fact travelling above the 40 mph speed limit applicable to that stretch of road.
Administration Manager at Cumbria Safety Cameras Andrew James confirmed that the company knew of the problem witnessed by motorists on Monday (July 14th).
Mr James also told the Westmorland Gazette that “Engineers have been called and we are hoping it will be fixed as soon as possible. I can guarantee that no prosecutions will take place as a result of this.”
Now there may be better ways to clamp down on illegal motorists other than speed cameras but none seem to make the press as often, particularly when faults arise or authorities disclose the income generated from them.
Speed Cameras have been around for some time and those that have not been caught and prosecuted for speeding as a result of one of these cameras at some stage during their motoring lifetime are the lucky ones.
These convictions (like all motoring related convictions) attract penalty points on your licence and an associated financial penalty. You must disclose any conviction to your insurers. Your first speeding conviction however may not necessarily affect motoring insurance premiums depending on the circumstances of the incident such as whether your speeding was a contributory factor in an accident, whether anyone was injured and finally the penalty imposed by the courts/powers that be.
Failure to disclose convictions will, in all likelihood, render your motor insurance policy invalid in the event of a claim arising from/against you leaving you open to further prosecution from the police for driving without insurance and possibly having to meet the accident and/or personal injury costs from your own savings.