Safety cameras play an important role in helping to keep Northern Ireland's road network safe.
The scheme is being delivered by a number of government departments and agencies working in partnership to achieve casualty reduction. These include:
The scheme includes speed cameras (which record vehicles passing in excess of a pre-defined speed) and red light cameras (which record vehicles that pass through red traffic lights) - hence the collective term ‘safety’ cameras.
Speed is a significant contributory factor to injury collisions in Northern Ireland. At least 25 per cent of all fatal collisions in Northern Ireland are caused by speed.
Research (The effects of drivers' speed on the frequency of road accidents, TRL 421) has shown that for every one mile per hour reduction in average speed there is a five per cent reduction in the number of collisions.
Relative to other areas in the UK, Northern Ireland has:
The police use several different types of safety cameras and devices to detect motoring offences and gather evidence.
These are deployed in pairs to monitor the average speed of a vehicle between two fixed points.
These cameras use the latest digital technology to detect the speed of a vehicle or to capture information on any vehicle that goes through a red traffic light.
Mobile cameras use photographic and laser technology to accurately measure and record speeds of vehicles up to 1km away.
The Safety Camera scheme gathers evidence and works with other government agencies to highlight areas most in need of constant supervision.
Methods are as follows:
Excessive speed is a significant factor in collisions and has a huge impact on the severity of injuries sustained. As with all road safety strategiesthe aim of the safety camera scheme is to reduce the number of injury collisions on our roads.
If you speed, you are more likely to have a crash that results in a serious or fatal collision. Slow down - and allow for other people’s mistakes.
All cameras are tested and approved under the provisions of Article 23 of the Road Traffic Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, before they can be used for traffic law enforcement.
To obtain type approval, the equipment is subject to rigorous testing by the police - to standards set by the Home Office Police Scientific Development Branch.
In keeping with the Human Rights Act 2000, the registered keeper of a vehicle can be required to give the details of who was driving at the time the vehicle was speeding.
This is not a breach of the individual’s rights to a fair trial.
Speeding means that you will have much less time to react to driving conditions.
It also means that if you crash there will be a more violent collision.
Most car crashes involve two or more vehicles. Slow down - and allow for other people’s mistakes.
You can find out more information about national speed limits on various roads from:
You can also find out more about local police enforcement speeds on the Polices Service of Northern ireland website in the:
If you receive a fixed penalty notice or a speeding ticket then you must complete the documentation and pay the fine in the allotted time.
There are specific codes for each offence listed on a fixed penalty notice.
PSNI officers in uniform currently issue non-endorsable fixed penalties.
There are over 130 offences associated with a non-endorsable notice ranging from lighting offences to incorrect form of registration mark.
Non-endorsable fixed penalty notices carry a fine of £30, but there are no points endorsed on your driving licence.
Police officers in uniform are able to issue endorsable fixed penalty notices for a variety of road traffic offences. The offences range from stopping on a motorway to defective tyres.
However, the most common offences are excess speed, using a handheld mobile phone and the driver failing to wear a seatbelt.
Endorsable fixed penalty notices differ from non-endorsable fixed penalty notices. They involve the endorsement of penalty points on a driving licence and they carry a heavier fine - currently £60.
Once a vehicle committing an offence is detected,a ‘Notice of Intended Prosecution’ is sent to the registered owner.
The owner of the vehicle must say who was driving the vehicle at the time of the offence. Failure to disclose the relevant information will result in prosecution for this offence.
If you were driving the vehicle:
In most cases you will receive a conditional offer. However, if you have more than eight points on your licence then it will go directly to the courts.
If someone else was driving your vehicle:
If the driver was an employee you have a duty to identify the driver. Failure to do so may result in the company being prosecuted.
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