FineFlip Guide
How to Appeal an Average Speed Camera Fine
Average speed cameras are increasingly common on UK motorways, dual carriageways, and roadworks zones. They calculate your average speed between two or more ANPR camera points rather than measuring instantaneous speed. While they are generally accurate, errors do occur — and when they do, you have the right to challenge.
Caught by an average speed camera?
FineFlip analyses the camera type and builds the right technical and legal arguments.
Check my appeal freeHow average speed cameras work
Systems like SPECS and VECTOR use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at two or more points along a road. They record your plate and timestamp at each point, then calculate your average speed over the measured distance. If your average exceeds the speed limit plus the enforcement threshold, a NIP is generated.
Common errors and appeal grounds
- Distance measurement: If the distance between camera points is incorrectly recorded in the system, the average speed calculation will be wrong
- Clock synchronisation: The entry and exit cameras must have synchronised clocks. Even a small time discrepancy can alter the calculated speed
- ANPR misidentification: The system may match your entry plate read with another vehicle's exit plate read, producing an incorrect average
- Expired temporary limits: In roadworks zones, the temporary speed limit may have expired or been incorrectly signed
- Camera calibration: Both camera units must be properly calibrated and type-approved
Requesting evidence
You can request disclosure of the camera distance records, clock synchronisation logs, ANPR images at both points, and the calibration certificates. If any of this evidence is unavailable or inconsistent, the prosecution's case is weakened.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can average speed cameras get it wrong?
Yes. Errors can occur from incorrect distance measurement between camera points, clock synchronisation failures, ANPR misreading your plate, or temporary speed limits that had expired or were incorrectly signed.
Do average speed cameras work at night?
Yes. Modern SPECS and VECTOR cameras use infrared ANPR technology and work in all lighting and weather conditions, 24 hours a day.
Can I slow down between average speed cameras to reduce my average?
Technically, average speed cameras only measure your average speed between two points. However, many systems have multiple camera points, so slowing down between any pair may not help if you exceeded the limit between another pair.