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Van drivers are risking a fine of up to £5,000 and potentially invalidating their insurance for not safely securing their dogs while driving to work, according to research by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

The study revealed that two-in-five 41% of van drivers who own dogs prefer to take them to work, but a third admitted to not restraining them securely, which can lead to distractions.

Rule 57 of the Highway Code states that pets must be “suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you are driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly”.

The punishment for failing to secure a dog safely can range from up to £1,000 for driving without proper control but can be increased to £5,000 and nine points for careless driving, says Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Kate Thompson, head of marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, explained: “After such an extended period at home last year, we know that, now more than ever, van drivers don’t want to leave their dogs at home or with dogsitters when they go to work.

“It is important to be aware, however, of the risks attached whether it is distractions while driving and near misses or the possible fines attached to driving with unrestrained pets.”

There are a number of ways to safely secure your pet in the van including a comfortably sized seat-belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or in the boot behind a dog-guard.

The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles research found men are more likely to take their pets to work than women, while those working in London and Northern Ireland are most likely to bring their pets to work in their vans.

Van drivers in East Anglia are more inclined to leave their dogs at home than any other region.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

 Ultra-rapid charge points are proving popular with usage increasing five-fold over the past year, according to a new report from Zap-Map.

In 2020, it found that 16% of electric vehicle (EV) drivers used ultra-rapid chargers, up from 3% the year before.

Over the past 12 months, the roll-out of these charge points has been stepped up significantly, with 788 ultra-rapid chargers now installed across the country, up from 476 at the end of 2019.

The average charge time from an ultra-rapid charger is half that of a standard 50-kilowatt rapid charger, with the majority of the latest EV models such as VW ID range, Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Kona and Vauxhall Corsa-e, able to take advantage of these higher charge speeds. 

Zap-Map also found that the 50-kilowatt rapid chargers remain the most popular – 64% of respondents use these devices which can add 100 miles of range in around 25 mins.

Dr Ben Lane, co-founder and chief technical officer at Zap-Map, said: “This new report comes at a crucial time for the EV market.

“Competition among car manufacturers and charge point operators is becoming fierce and the industry is growing fast. The insights in this year’s wide-ranging report show that EV drivers are adapting to changes in the market.

“One of the clear conclusions is the importance of having a robust and reliable charging network. As the number of EVs continues its upward march, it’s vital that drivers are offered the simplest and smoothest experience possible.”

The Zap-Map report, which surveyed 2,200 EV drivers, also showed how drivers are now using the public network.

The survey found that while 83% of EV drivers regularly charge at home, 90% also use the public charging network, with 39% using the public network at least once a week.

This overall usage has fallen from the 2019 figure of 94%, most likely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on driving patterns and car usage.

In addition, over 48% of respondents now charge at supermarkets, closely followed by motorway service stations (47%) and public car parks (32%).

In previous years, motorway service stations have been the most popular location types.

It is thought that the increase in the number of charge points available at supermarkets – now standing at 1631 chargers in 952 locations – combined with the availability of free charging at some of the major chains are driving this shift.

Other key findings from the report include: a new top 16 ranking of charging networks based on driver satisfaction. less than 1% want a return to petrol or diesel; and growing issues around accessibility for disabled users.

EV adoption rates surge

The Zap-Map report is published as pure EVs surged to take a 15% share of new lease car registrations in the third quarter of 2020

According to the BVRLA’s latest Quarterly Leasing Survey, plug-in and hybrid vehicles overtook diesel in gaining a 36% share of new lease car registrations during the same period and look set to overtake petrol very soon.

Nearly one-fifth of the BVRLA car leasing fleet now relies on some form of powertrain electrification as the fleet sector continues to drive the transition to cleaner road transport.

Diesel’s share of the total lease car market fell below 50% for the first time, while petrol held steady with a 34% share.

Average CO2 emissions for BVRLA car leasing fleet new registrations fell from 107g/km to 105g/km in Q3-2020, a new low and around 8% lower than the national average.

The car leasing market, excluding PCP and Motability vehicles, saw its fleet shrink by 6%, with the biggest reduction seen in the business fleet, down 8.7% year-on-year.

This decline was driven by an 11% fall in the business contract hire fleet compared to the same period of 2019. These fleet size declines were partially offset by an increase in the consumer leasing fleet, which was up 4% year-on-year. 

The LCV lease fleet continued to increase in Q3, albeit at a slower rate of 1.1% year-on-year, following two consecutive quarters of a 2.1% growth.

“Quarter three of last year delivered the long-awaited surge in BEV registrations that we expected after the introduction of the zero-rate BiK incentive,” said BVRLA chief executive, Gerry Keaney.

“A massive 21% of new business contract hire car registrations were BEVs, once again demonstrating that the company car sector is driving the transition to zero emission motoring.”

Salary sacrifice searches increase

Using Google data, research from Tesla online valuation website ‘We Love Tesla’ identified an increase in the number of drivers searching for EV charging facilities while on the move.

Local searches for ‘Electric Chargers Near Me’ increased by 2,850% between January 2020 and January 2021.

Consumers and businesses also seem to be considering making their premises more EV-friendly, with a 350% increase in searches for EV charging installations made during the same period, and a 250% increase for homeowners searching for EV charging at home.

Chris Davies, founder of We Love Tesla, said: “Brands such as Tesla were formed with the intention to show people that they do not need to compromise to drive electric, and that electric cars can be more sustainable, economical and fun to drive.”

We Love Tesla research also showed an increase in search for salary sacrifice schemes (up 550%) in 2020.

Alongside searches for ‘electric cars 2021 UK’, and ‘upcoming electric cars’ up 1,450% and 200% respectively, the data used for this research suggests that over the next 12 months we will continue to see a rise in the number of drivers considering making the switch to EV, says We Love Tesla.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

As many as four out of five drivers are risking giving away sensitive personal data when they sell their car, according to Which? I would add that the same applies to those handing cars back at the end of a contract hire agreement or PCP.

As cars and their media/information systems become more complex, the consumer group is warning that the majority of drivers are failing to take steps to remove their own information before selling or returning a car.

Most modern cars feature some form of smartphone pairing which syncronises data between phones and the car. This can involve the transfer of information stored on the phone, including contacts’ details, message history, the driver’s home and work addresses and even Wi-Fi codes.

A survey by Which? found that more than half (54 per cent) of drivers had linked their phone to their car but a similar proportion (51 per cent) didn’t unsync their device before selling the vehicle and 31 per cent took no steps to remove their personal information from the car.

Privacy risks

Of the 14,000 drivers questioned for the survey, 79 per cent said they didn’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions on deleting data and resetting the infotainment system prior to selling their car.

Which?’s experts have warned that failing to do so could leave private information accessible to any subsequent owners of the car, allowing them to see everything from your text messages to the contact details of your friends and family.

They also raised concerns over connected car apps that allow owners to access car information, lock and unlock it and even start the engine via their phone, warning that failing to revoke permissions for these apps could leave a car accessible to previous owners.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine, said: “If cars are not treated the same as a smartphone, tablet or other connected devices when it comes to data security, motorists risk giving away a treasure trove of information about themselves when they decide to sell their car.

“Manufacturers must do much more to prioritise customers’ personal privacy so that drivers fully understand how much data their vehicle could be harbouring and how to delete this information in order to eradicate these risks.”

Chris Harris, technical director at transport technology firm Thales commented: “When selling a car, we’re usually quick to remove our possessions – whether that’s CDs, a roof rack, or personalised seat covers. However, many of us are failing to remove our more ‘invisible’ possessions, and with cars becoming increasingly connected, they are swiftly becoming a hotbed for potentially lucrative sensitive data, including addresses, recent calls, and birthdays.

“The majority of us wouldn’t be comfortable sharing this kind of information with complete strangers, so it’s concerning to see consumers unwittingly hand this data across.”

How to keep your data safe

Chris Harris’s quick tips for keeping your data safe when selling or returning your car:

1. Consider all the places where your personal information may be stored, and find out from the car’s manual how to delete or erase it. Most of us wouldn’t be comfortable sharing our address, contacts and recent messages with a complete stranger, but that’s effectively what we’re doing by not clearing sensitive data from our cars.

2. Go through any accounts or apps that you may have connected to the vehicle and ensure you’ve logged out and removed any saved data. You won’t want the new owner benefiting from services you’ve subscribed to – and just as importantly, the new owner probably won’t be too grateful when your app unknowingly starts to control their new vehicle.

3. Finally, check for old-school methods of storing data. Did you have a USB stick or CD in the glovebox with music you were playing in the car? What else might that memory stick have had on it? Even files you thought you had deleted can often be recovered from hard drives and USB sticks.

By Graham Hill thanks to Which?

The Government has marked the first anniversary of Brexit by removing the EU flag from all UK driving licences and number plate designs.

Existing licences and number plates will still be valid; the new versions will be issued to everyone renewing a licence or getting one for the first time.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “Changing the designs of our driving licences and number plates is a historic moment for British motorists, and a reassertion of our independence from the EU one year on from our departure.

“Looking to the future, whether it’s for work or for holidays abroad, these changes mean that those who want to drive in the EU can continue to do so with ease.”

The new designs coincide with the beginning of a number of agreements recently made between the UK and member states for British drivers.

Thanks to these agreements, UK drivers who hold photocard licences will not need an international driving permit to drive in any of the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

UK drivers will also not need to display a GB sticker in most EU countries if their number plate has GB or GB with a Union Flag on it.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A warning has been issued to fleet operators who are turning to Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) cars without instructing their drivers as to how to get the most out of them. Some advice is the same for drivers of PHEV’s generally so I thought it would benefit all my readers by including here.

It reminded me of a very early case whereby a large company, having read of the benefits to the environment and seeing fuel consumption figures of over 140mpg they moved most of their company car fleet over to the newly launched Mitsubishi Outlander.

Their fleet manager was astonished to see average MPG figures of 27, much less than they had achieved with their diesel fleet. They had overlooked the fact that drivers needed the facilities at home or at work to plug-in the cars to an electric supply in order to achieve the high numbers of miles per gallon. Most cars were not being plugged in at all with drivers believing that the cars would self-charge anyway.

Here is what Fleet News says:

Employers need to undertake due diligence on driver charging facilities as electric vehicles (EVs) start to make their way onto fleets in larger numbers, says the Association of Fleet Operators (AFP).

Chair Paul Hollick said that this was especially important for drivers of petrol hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) who could potentially choose not to charge them and instead continually fuel up at the pump.

He explained: “Our members are rapidly gaining practical experience of operating EVs and one of the things that is becoming clear is that you can’t just have a short chat with a driver about the fact that they want to adopt an EV as their company car and then hand them the keys.

“Fleets need to ensure that drivers have a good understanding of their charging options, have their own charging facilities that are not just a standard socket and, in the case of PHEVs, will always charge the car even when there is option to avoid doing so.

“It’s a case of carrying out some basic due diligence so that you are gaining the maximum operational and environmental benefit from EVs and PHEVs, while minimising some of the potential pitfalls.”

In most cases drivers are paying for their own home charger although, in some cases with larger employers, a third party will provide installation on some kind of preferential terms.

However, there is a different picture for drivers of electric vans, where most employers are paying for the charger to be installed on the basis that it is a job-need requirement that they are effectively stipulating.

Sometimes, the fitting of the charger is being added to the monthly lease rate in order to provide a higher degree of affordability.

Hollick added that some fleets were stipulating that EV and PHEV drivers should sign a declaration covering basic points of vehicle operation.

“These employers are asking their drivers to ensure that they keep their vehicle adequately charged, that they have a charger available on their drive and even, where there is only on-street parking, that some form of charger is easily available.

“The conditions for PHEVs are tighter. We’ve all come across a few instances in recent years where drivers have chosen these vehicles to minimise personal taxation and then used them purely as an internal combustion engined car. This makes them extremely expensive to operate and destroys any environmental advantage. Analysis shows that a poorly used PHEV is more expensive to operate than a petrol of diesel equivalent.

“Creating a declaration that electric power will be used as often as possible for PHEVs is a potentially effective solution to this issue and something that we have seen a number of fleets now adopt. It makes the driver aware of their responsibilities and that shows them that their employer takes these matters seriously.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Changes to the London Congestion Charge introduced in June 2020 led to an £86m revenue boost for Transport for London (TfL), last year.

Mayor Sadiq Kahn increased the daily rate from £11.50 to £15 and adjusted the operating hours to includes 6PM-10PM and weekends, temporarily on June 22, as TfL struggled for revenue as a result of declining public transport use during the Coronavirus pandemic.

A leaked email by Heidi Alexander, the deputy mayor for transport, seen by Autocar Magazine shows that TfL is projecting an additional £113m of income “as a consequence of implementing the temporary changes to the Congestion Charge” if they were to be in place until April 2021, including the £86m that was generated during 2020.

Autocar reported that the email also confirmed the boost in revenues “takes account of the cost to TfL of implementing the temporary changes as well as the reduction in traffic volumes and temporary suspension due to the pandemic”.

TfL is now forecasting a total income of £232m this financial year from Congestion Charge payments.

In November, the Government agreed a six-month £1.8 billion funding deal with TfL after asked for a £5.7bn package to prop up services for the next 18 months.

As part of the deal, TfL’s plans to expand the existing Congestion Charge zone were taken off the table. Kahn has since asked for a £500 million share of the funds from vehicle excise duty (VED).  By Graham Hill thanks to Autocar & Fleet News

When I read this story I had to glance up at the calendar to see if it was the 1^st of April. Was this an April fool? Apparently not!! An airport hub for air taxis? I’ll leave it for you to draw your own conclusions but a fascinating read into the future.

The UK Government has backed Urban Air Port’s Air-One hub for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

Based in Coventry, the new site will serve future air taxis and autonomous delivery drones.

It will be developed in partnership with Hyundai Motor Group, Coventry City Council and the UK Government.

Urban Air Port has been awarded a £1.2 million grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge. The programme is funded by £125 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and is expected to be matched by up to £175 million from industry.

Ricky Sandhu, founder and executive chairman of Urban Air Port, said: “Cars need roads. Trains need rails. Planes need airports. eVTOLs will need Urban Air Ports. Over a hundred years ago, the world’s first commercial flight took off, creating the modern connected world. Urban Air Port will improve connectivity across our cities, boost productivity and help the UK to take the lead in a whole new clean global economy.

“Flying cars used to be a futuristic flight of fancy. Air-One will bring clean urban air transport to the masses and unleash a new airborne world of zero emission mobility.”

The company plans to install more than 200 zero emission sites worldwide over the next five years in response to global demand.

NASA predicts that urban-air mobility in the US alone could be worth up to $500 billion USD (£375 billion) in the near-term and states that a significant barrier to market growth is the lack of infrastructure, an issue which Urban Air Port was established to resolve.

The Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group has chosen Urban Air Port as its priority infrastructure partner to support the global growth of this new sector. The South Korean company plans to create its own eVTOL aircraft and support the broader urban air mobility eco-system.

Pamela Cohn, chief operating officer for the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group, said: “As we advance our eVTOL aircraft programme, development of supporting infrastructure is imperative.

Air-One is a unique project that is set to help lead the way in developing a robust, accessible and intermodal infrastructure network for future mobility. We are excited to be part of this partnership in the UK, and look forward to working together to create community impact and opportunity through safe, affordable, and human-centred mobility solutions.”

The physical footprint of an Urban Air Port is 60% smaller than a traditional heliport (the most comparable existing infrastructure). Using innovative construction, the sites can be installed in a matter of days, emit net zero carbon emissions and can be operated completely off-grid, meaning they do not always have to rely on a suitable grid connection.

Gary Cutts, UK Research and Innovation Future Flight Challenge director, added: “Urban AirPort has the potential to revolutionise cities across the world, making them more connected, cleaner and accelerating our green economic recovery. This project epitomises the purpose of the Future Flight Challenge fund – it is innovation at its finest – and will help to position the UK at the vanguard of electric urban air mobility.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

JLR have had a disastrous couple of years and I have not been backward in advising customers against the product. Let me be clear not all cars are a disaster but it is a high risk that you take against theft and breakdown, things that should not need to be considered when you buy or lease a prestige product.

In 2020 the Range Rover was the 2nd most stolen car to the Fiesta and Land Rover, in particular, have been hovering around the bottom of the reliability surveys over the last couple of years. Relying on diesel and not getting a grasp of the many technology problems has not helped.

A 9 figure loss in 2019 caused me great concern and I couldn’t in all honesty supply cars to clients that I believed would lead to problems without a warning. Having said that, I was a great supporter of JLR over the years so I was very disappointed when things started to go awry but starting to feel a little more optimistic after reading their latest projections that I’ve reprinted below thanks to Fleet News. You can make your own mind up!

The past 12 months have been rather rocky for Jaguar Land Rover. It started 2020 having reported nine-figure losses in the last quarter of 2019, its global sales were declining and its model range was heavily reliant on unpopular diesel.

Added to that was the announcement of job cuts at its UK plants while chief executive Ralf Speth, who led the business for the last decade and helped it maximise its position in the growing SUV market, announced he would be stepping down.

When Andrew Jago took over the reins of JLR’s UK fleet and business division in August 2019, the brand’s opportunities for sales growth in the corporate sector were heavily reliant on its forthcoming electrification strategy.

Following an announcement that it would begin production of fully electric models in the UK, JLR expanded its electrified vehicle line-up with the launch in mid-2020 of a new plug-in hybrid variant for its two best-selling vehicles – the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport.

Their introduction marks the second phase in the electrification of the company’s Halewood plant in the UK. More than 1,500 employees have been retrained to build electrified variants of the SUVs. This follows the earlier enhancements at the plant for the launch of mild hybrid assembly facilities and a new stamping line.

Mild-hybrid technology has already been deployed across JLR’s combustion engines – helping to reduce CO2 emissions and boost fuel economy – while fleet-crucial plug-in hybrid engines have since been added to Velar, E-Pace and F-Pace, making them much more appealing for user choosers.

Already, the brand is seeing an uplift in its fleet sales as a result of the new additions – having confirmed more than 3,000 orders for the Evoque and Discovery Sport PHEV models alone from fleet customers before the end of 2020.

“In terms of the channels, user chooser is one that we’re really seeing significant growth opportunities in but, obviously, salary sacrifice strongly favours plug-in products as well,” Jago says.

Destination Zero

Fully electric models are also a significant part of JLR’s fleet strategy. The I-Pace, which is built in Austria, is a strong fleet performer with around 80% of registrations going to true fleet customers.

Soon, it will be joined by the next-generation XJ, which will be the first car in its segment to be fully electric, alongside two more fully electric models.

JLR’s mission is to create a more sustainable future with zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion. It calls this strategy Destination Zero.

For the past two years, the carmaker’s UK facilities have been certified as carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust and it has more than halved the CO2 emitted per vehicle across its product range over the past decade.

The next-generation Jaguars and Land Rovers will be manufactured at JLR’s newly electrified plant in Castle Bromwich, using batteries developed in its Battery Assembly Centre at Hams Hall and Electronic Drive Units produced at its Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.

Commercial gains

Commercial vehicles present a greater fleet opportunity this year too, with the Discovery Commercial, which accounts for one in four Discoverys sold, being joined by the all-new Defender.

As for diesel, Jago says there is still a place for it, but he accepts that models like the XE and XF – that were once the core fleet sellers – will remain on the back foot against rivals until plug-in or electric models are introduced.

“We were the first to offer RDE2 compliant engines on those products, so we were ahead of the curve on that but we don’t have plug-in options in the sedan space right now, so we do lose a bit of the market. But, when you look at the broader trend, there is a strong move towards SUV and crossover vehicles. Having plug-in hybrid on the E-Pace and F-Pace will increase their appeal, with both offering BIK from 10%. So the net gain is arguably bigger.”

However, petrol and diesel-powered models continue to perform well in the personal contract hire space, where Jago says many of the brand’s customers are using car allowances in lieu of taking a company car and choosing models such as the Evoque.

Across all channels, Jaguar Land Rover’s sales from contract hire and leasing have increased in size from 60% to 75% in the past 12 months.

Now the BIK position is more attractive on versions with a plug-in hybrid engine, Jago believes more people will opt back into company car schemes to get the model they want and push that figure even higher.

He says: “We will see Land Rover rapidly increase its true fleet sales now with the six plug-in hybrid offerings, particularly with Evoque and Discovery Sport, which are in the sweet spot in terms of that core user chooser in the £40,000 to £50,000 bandings. We can really start to access that market heavily because we’re now competing on more direct terms. We are getting more competitive than a lot of our German counterparts, which is the first time we’ve been able to say that for a while on BIK.”

Test drive events on hold

Jago is keen to demonstrate the new models to customers, but the coronavirus pandemic has affected plans to host test drive events and get people into showrooms.

He explains: “Between us and our retail network, we strongly encourage test drive activity, more now than ever before. A lot of this user-chooser market is conquest business for us and we want those drivers to experience our products and put us higher on their consideration list than perhaps they have in the past. So, access to our central test drive fleet and the retailers is a key part of that strategy.”

During the first national lockdown, JLR loaned its demonstrator fleets to key workers. However, Jago says his team remained operational throughout that time and were therefore able to win some key business as a result.

Moving forward, he anticipates that the field sales team will continue to operate in a more virtual manner to minimise the time lost travelling between appointments. This also supports his desire to speak to more fleets and increase the brand’s prominence on choice lists, by enabling the sales team to spend more time talking to customers. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A record number of vehicles – almost 1.3 million – failed their MOT last year, because of faults relating to exhaust emissions, new data suggests.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVSA found more cars have failed on emissions in the past two years than any other before it.

Overall failures last year were up by more than 70% compared to 2017/18 levels – the final year before the new regulations were introduced.

Diesel vehicles have seen the greatest surge in failures due to emissions, with a rise of 240% compared to just 37% for petrol vehicles, says BookMyGarage.com, which tabled the FOI.

In May 2018, the Government introduced tougher MOT regulations to clamp down on vehicles producing excessive emissions which led to a significant rise in failures.

Jessica Potts, head of marketing at BookMyGarage.com, said: “The regulations have mostly impacted diesel cars, causing more than triple the number to fail, compared to petrol car failures which have only increased by a third.”

The large increase in diesel failures was caused by a change to rules for cars equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

Any car equipped with a DPF will fail an MOT if there is either evidence it has been tampered with or if smoke of any colour can be seen coming from the exhaust.

DPFs became standard on all diesel cars in 2009 to comply with Euro 5 emissions standards, though a few cars older than this may also be equipped with a DPF. Its purpose is to trap soot particles from exhaust emissions which are toxic to humans.

DVSA also introduced new fault categories, with ‘Major’ or ‘Dangerous’ faults resulting in a failed test.

Almost all petrol emissions failures were classed as ‘Major’ last year. By comparison, around 5% of all diesel emissions failures were classed as ‘Dangerous’, meaning the car should not be driven until the fault is rectified.

Potts said: “Since the Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’ scandal in 2015, diesel cars have earned a bad reputation for producing harmful exhaust emissions.”

According to the SMMT, the market share of diesel cars accounted for just 16% of new car sales last year. In 2015, about 50% of new cars sold were diesel.

“That’s not to say all diesels are bad,” continued Potts. “The latest diesel cars are equipped with emissions control systems such as particulate filters and selective catalytic reduction (AdBlue) to reduce or eliminate harmful emissions.

“What this data tells us though, is that an increasing number of relatively modern diesels are struggling to pass the MOT test as their emissions control systems face tougher scrutiny. It’s important these systems function correctly to protect the environment but putting them right can also cost owners thousands of pounds.”

Although diesels have seen a much larger failure rate increase in recent years, petrol cars are actually still more likely to fail, with 4.5% of the total number licenced failing annually due to emissions, compared to 3.3% for diesels.

Financial Year	Diesel	Petrol	Total
2015-2016	118,302	748,465	868,115
2016-2017	122,838	690,247	814,684
2017-2018	123,596	620,247	745,308
2018-2019*	397,991	910,620	1,311,841
2019-2020	420,537	849,740	1,273,771

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Following on from the last post the latest cameras are not the only one’s you should be wary of as speed cameras become more important as fewer police are seen on our roads catching speedsters.

In this report, prepared last year, there is everything you need to know about UK speed cameras, the types, how they work and what to look out for.

Speed cameras are unavoidably part of the UK motoring map, whether you think they’re a good thing or not. Those that use them would prefer they were known as safety cameras, as they’re designed to make UK roads safer, but whatever you want to call them, recent fake news reports about cameras on motorways like the M1 and M25 being set so they snap more motorists breaking the speed limit, show that they can still be misunderstood.

This guide helps you to know what to look out for where UK speed cameras are concerned. With police forces battling reduced funding, especially for road policing, speed cameras play a vital role in keeping a watchful eye on UK roads. Combined with local safety camera partnerships, they are a good visual deterrent and a reminder to check your speed when driving.

Some motorists see them as a revenue earner, though, as they can only catch speeders and are unable to spot unlicensed drivers, uninsured cars, drink and drug-drivers or general bad driving like road traffic officers are able to.

History of the speed camera

The first speed camera appeared in the UK in 1991 on the M40 motorway in West London. The cameras used rolls of film, which had to be developed and processed, and this also meant that there was a limit on how many speeders they could catch – it’s thought that the first camera used up its 400-exposure roll in 40 minutes after it was first switched on.

Over the years, new tech has been introduced, including forward-facing cameras and digital technology – so there’s no more need to change rolls of film, and means live cameras can be operated 24/7, uploading images directly to a central control room. Average speed cameras have also been introduced to monitor vehicle speed over longer distances, rather than just in one location, while traffic light and wrong-turn cameras have also been introduced.

We’ve also seen the introduction of cameras that no longer need a flash to snap speeding vehicles at night, while the latest mobile cameras operate over far longer distances than before. In this instance, if you’re speeding, the mobile camera could well have spotted you long before you’ve spotted it.

UK speed camera types explained

Here’s our guide to the different types of camera used on UK roads, and later we tell you what to expect if you think you’ve been caught speeding. The most common cameras in the UK are Gatso and Truvelo speed cameras, but there are more than a dozen different types of speed camera in use on UK roads in total. So without further ado, here’s what you should be looking for.

Gatso speed cameras

The Gatso was the first type of speed camera seen in the UK, and it’s still the most common type you’ll find. First introduced in 1991, the Gatso – short for Gatsometer, the name of the Dutch company that makes them – is a rear-facing camera.

That means it faces up the road and takes a picture of the rear of a speeding vehicle, so it can catch motorcycles as well as cars, vans and trucks.

A Gatso camera is easy to spot, as speed cameras must be painted yellow by law (in Scotland they have yellow and red diagonal stripes), although they can be obscured by road signs, street furniture and poorly maintained hedgerows.

Gatsos are usually mounted at the side of the road on a pole, although they can also be used in mobile units or on overhead gantries, such as you’ll find on the motorway.

Gatsos use radar to measure a vehicle’s speed, but the law says that there needs to be secondary proof of speeding. This is why all Gatso locations have dashed lines painted on the road in front of them.

These dashes are spaced evenly and are used to measure distance over time, so when a Gatso is activated it takes two pictures a fraction of a second apart, which can then be checked to see if an offence has been committed. The camera features a flash, and this goes off with each photo that’s taken.

On single carriageway roads, two sets of dashed lines are usually painted at a Gatso location. That means vehicles using either side of the road can be measured for speeding, but only in the direction that the Gatso is pointing. That means a camera site can only catch vehicles travelling away from it – if you are speeding towards one and it flashes, a ticket can’t be issued. Gatsos are also reliant on the dashed lines in the road – if the lines aren’t present, then the photos alone cannot be used to prosecute speeders.

While the first Gatso cameras used photographic film to record speeders, a new generation of digital camera arrived on 2007. These use a hard drive to store images and can be run 24/7 with a direct link to a control centre where the images are stored.

Truvelo speed cameras

The other common type of speed camera in the UK is the Truvelo, which is named after the South African company that makes it. While Truvelo cameras look similar to a Gatso because they are painted yellow and mounted on a pole, the chief difference between a Truvelo and a Gatso is that most Truvelo sites are forward facing.

As with a Gatso, a Truvelo camera uses a flash to get a clear image of a speeding vehicle’s number plate, but it also has a special filter on the flash that stops it from dazzling drivers. While this means that motorcycles (which lack front number plates) are harder to identify when speeding, the Truvelo can be used to identify the driver of a speeding vehicle.

The Truvelo only takes one picture, because the speeding offence is registered by sensors in the road which activate the camera. However, as with a Gatso, the photographic evidence needs backup, so small white squares are painted on the road where the sensors are to act as secondary evidence that a vehicle is speeding.

In recent years, the Truvelo has evolved into the Truvelo D-Cam. This is a digital version of the Truvelo that can be mounted forward or rear facing, can also be used at traffic lights, and can even be set up to watch up to 3 lanes at a time.

The D-Cam comes in a distinctive housing, while some have a flash unit separate from the camera itself – which again makes no visible light.

HADCES speed cameras

HADECS 3 stands for Highways Agency Digital Enforcement Camera System 3, which is the name given to the speed camera system that is being used on smart motorways across the country.

Hadecs units come in two small housings that are mounted on the side of motorway gantries. Thanks to their limited use of yellow to give away their location, and the fact they are about half the size of a Gatso or Truvelo camera unit, some people have called them stealth speed cameras, as they can be difficult to spot when travelling at 70mph.

Like other speed cameras, there are lines painted on the road that are used as secondary proof of speeding. And like a Gatso, Hadecs is a rear-facing radar camera, and it flashes when it picks up a vehicle travelling at more than the speed limit.

The innovation that allows Hadecs to be used on a smart motorway is its ability to adjust its detection speed according to the variable speed limit that’s posted. It does this by receiving information from sensors further along the carriageway, so when you see a lower limit posted on a smart motorway, the Hades cameras ahead can catch you for breaking it.

As well as speeding, Hadecs cameras can be set up to monitor up to five lanes, and they can detect vehicles that are using closed motorway lanes. As they are radar-based, they are able to work in all weather conditions, too.

SPECS speed cameras

The SPECS camera system works differently because it measures vehicle speed over a far greater distance than a Gatso or Truvelo camera. You’ll see two or more sets of cameras to monitor vehicle speed for an extended distance, and this can be for as little as 200 yards or up to 99 miles – as the SPECS cameras on the A9 in Scotland do. SPECS cameras are often referred to as average speed cameras and are popular for use in roadworks where a lower speed limit than usual needs to be enforced.

SPECS uses Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) tech to register vehicles as they pass. The first camera logs the vehicle with a time and date stamp. Once the vehicle has passed the second camera, the time stamps on the two images are compared, and if the time taken to cover the distance means the average speed is higher than the posted limit, then a ticket is issued.

You will usually find SPECS camera systems on motorways, especially in roadworks. And while some people think that weaving between lanes can help you pass them undetected, the truth is that the SPECS system can monitor multiple lanes. It’s also no use slowing for the cameras and then speeding between them, because the system measures your average speed between the two locations, not just how fast you’re going as you pass either camera.

Mobile speed camera vans

As well as these fixed speed cameras, many regions use mobile cameras to provide temporary coverage in areas where speeding is known to occur. Mobile units are usually located in vans that are marked as a safety camera vehicle with a bright livery, and they feature opening windows or panels to point the cameras through.

You will usually find them parked at the side of the road, in laybys (although not where parking restrictions apply) and also on bridges over roads.

The kind of cameras these mobile units use include mini Gatso cameras that use radar technology but there are also handheld radar or laser gun cameras. A laser gun uses a narrow laser beam that is reflected off a vehicle to measure its speed. These devices are quick and effective, being able to register a vehicle’s speed in as little as half a second and up to a distance of a mile away.

A radar gun works similarly to a laser gun. It has a wider beam and only works up to around 300 yards, while it will only come back with a reading after around 3 seconds, but it’s still an accurate way of registering a car’s speed.

Mobile camera vans can be set up in any direction to catch speeders, and can just as easily be set up to catch speeders approaching the camera site as going away from the site. As with fixed camera locations, a mobile camera site must have road signs indicating its presence, but apart from that, mobile cameras can be set up at any time.

In terms of location, mobile units are usually found in places notorious for accidents or speeding in the past, and are not normally pitched up in random places. Some local speed camera operators have been known to issue information on radio and social media to inform road users of where mobile camera units are operating on particular days.

Other speed cameras

Gatsos, Truvelos, SPECs and Hadecs 3 are the most common types of speed camera on UK roads, while other cameras that are available do a similar job. These are in addition to cameras which are used for traffic monitoring, catching vehicles that jump traffic lights (which incidentally aren’t required by law to be painted yellow) and cameras used by government agencies to check road tax and other ANPR-based activities.

Whichever way you look at it, the best way to ensure you’re not caught speeding is to remain aware of the speed limit and stick to it.

The big Speed camera questions answered

How do I know if a speed camera caught me?

If you have passed a speed camera that has flashed, the only way you will know for certain that you have been caught is when the registered keeper of the vehicle receives a Note of Intended Prosecution (NIP). This will arrive within 14 days of the offence taking place and will explain what happens next. This 14-day rule is in place so that companies, such as vehicle lease firms and car hire firms, can determine who was driving the vehicle at the time of the offence.

If you are the one that was caught speeding, then you will face a minimum fine of £100 and three points on your licence. If your driving licence is clean, then you may be offered the option of taking a speed awareness course instead of the penalty points.

As of 2017, the maximum fine for a speeding offence is up to £2,500 on the motorway. The amount you pay and the number of points you could face will depend on how much you were exceeding the speed limit by, as well as your level of income.

Do all speed cameras flash?

Most speed cameras flash when they capture an image, but you might not see the flash of a Truvelo forward-facing camera. That’s because forward-facing Truvelo cameras have a special filter over the flash to prevent dazzling oncoming drivers. If a camera is operating in good light conditions, the flash may not necessarily go off, either.

How do mobile speed cameras work?

Mobile speed camera units must be parked legally, either at the side of the road, in a layby or on a bridge, and operators must make motorists aware of their presence with the use of speed camera warning signs. That means they can operate in areas where the signs are already fixed, or they need to put up temporary signs nearby.

A speed camera van usually has openings at the rear or the side of the van for the cameras to have a clear line of sight of the road they are checking. Depending on the camera being used, the speed camera van can detect speeding vehicles up to two miles away on a clear day, especially with the latest camera technology being used.

The camera is operated either by a police officer or by a certified camera operator associated with a local speed camera partnership.

How can I avoid a speeding fine?

Of course, the easiest way of avoiding points and a fine is to check your speed at all times and keep within the speed limit. But with so much street furniture and so many distractions bombarding the average motorist, it’s not too hard to get caught out by a change in speed limit.

If you want added security, then a speed camera locator is the best piece of kit to use. We tested a batch of speed camera locators in 2018, with products from Road Angel and Snooper performing well, while apps from TomTom and Sygic were also well received.

Speed camera detectors use GPS location technology to warn you of fixed camera locations. In addition, the best units also feature laser and radar detecting technology to warn you of mobile speed camera sites, as well as those fixed locations that aren’t logged on to the device’s database. The best speed camera locators can show you your speed, as well as calculating your average speed within a SPECS average speed camera location.  By Graham Hill with a big thanks to Auto Express