There is a lot more to driving than just getting behind the wheel, and when it comes to speeding, it's something everyone worries about.
The thought of getting a ticket and trying to work out if you were doing slightly over the limit can be a bit alarming. With Police Scotland having issued a warning to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists amid a change to the Highway Code, it can be handy knowing how the rules work.
So in order to see what goes on behind the scenes - and to dispel any myths - North Wales Live spent the day with Go Safe Casualty Reduction Officer Gareth Thomas.
The former North Wales Police officer said that after retiring he wanted to make the roads as safe as they can be in this area, explaining that the aim of cameras is to "reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
"Go Safe prefers to educate drivers rather than punish them with fines and penalty points."
So what speed camera 'facts' are true - and which ones are false?
Is it true that speed vans have to be visible at all times?
In Scotland mobile cameras are usually run by local police forces, says the Daily Record, and allow for a reactionary style of enforcement. Cameras are usually sent to blackspots with a history of road traffic incidents, and locations are publicly available, as well as well-signposted. They usually take the form of a large van with opening rear windows, decorated in eye-catching police colours and peppered with speed camera emblems. Sometimes though, they're operated by police working from marked or unmarked cars , or standing by the roadside.
Gareth said that legally they do not have to visible as he could "camouflage" himself if he wanted to "but it's all about being fair, education and preventing an accident. Even if I parked my van and went for a walk somewhere, it would deter people speeding right away."
The RAC state that "the government announced plans that all speed cameras must be painted yellow from October 2016. However, there is no law that mobile speed vans and operators have to be visible."
Can officers only catch motorists travelling in one direction?
No. Any car that passes a Go Safe van is recorded on the officer's camera.
So if you're exceeding the speed limit whether you're driving in the same or opposite direction to the van, you can expect a speeding ticket.
It is true that the 10% speeding rule exists?
Yes. You will not get a ticket provided your speed does not exceed the limit by more than 10% confirms Gareth.
So if you're travelling at 35mph or above in a 30mph zone, this will count and be recorded as a speeding offence.
However, Go Safe say thresholds vary and change without notice. Officially, any speeding offence occurs at 1mph above the limit, but most forces will allow a variance.
Are officers a revenue collector for the Government?
No. Gareth explained: "We're not here to get figures or to make money. We're just here to catch the people who are speeding.
"If I get a day where I don't get any drivers speeding, then I know I've done my job.
"If I've been working an eight hour shift, I just hope at least one person that day has escaped injury or a crash has been avoided."
Can I get caught speeding more than once on the same day by the same camera?
The current position with Go Safe is that if you're caught twice within a period of 20 minutes, it will be treated as one offence.
In theory, a driver with a previously clean licence could be caught several times on the same day - and as a result be at risk of disqualification under the totting-up system.
If you are caught speeding several times on the same journey and accept a fixed penalty for each, you could be at risk of a penalty points disqualification (totting-up).
Gareth says it can happen more easily than you might think if, for example, several speed cameras are placed on the same road or motorway. However where offences are deemed to have been committed "on the same occasion", the court has discretion to impose only the one set of points for two or more offences.
Whether or not offences will be treated as committed on the same occasion is a matter for the court to decide. They need not have been committed simultaneously, but they must be linked in some way.
So if for example the offences were committed within a few minutes of each other, it may be possible to persuade the court to impose only one set of points.
Is it illegal to obstruct a van's view of the road?
Yes. Obstructing a GoSafe vans field of view during its operational duties is an offence and you can be prosecuted for it.
Do officers enforce anything other than speeding?
Yes - officers are there to make sure you are wearing a seatbelt and are not using your mobile phones behind the wheel. Anyone caught breaking these laws will be prosecuted.
This is the reason why you sometimes see a GoSafe speed van in an area where there are already permanent speed cameras.
Is it illegal to eat whilst driving?
It's not illegal to eat behind the wheel however if you get distracted while doing so, the police could prosecute you for careless driving.
Gareth said: "It is endorsable. I had one lady in view once and she was looking in the mirror and putting lipstick on.
"She was riding on the cats eyes in the centre of the road and veering. I recommended that she was prosecuted for driving without due care and attention."
Is it illegal to flash your headlights to alert motorists of a GoSafe speed van?
If drivers choose to flash to warn others about a speed van, they could be in breach of the law.
Warning other drivers of speed traps could be treated as the offence: ‘to wilfully obstruct a constable in the execution of his/her duty. Rule 110 of the Highway Code also states that you can’t flash your headlights to convey messages to other motorists
However, Gareth says while it is an offence, it is very difficult to prove stating it doesn't bother him that "people flash to warn them of the speed van - I just want to educate people and the van to act as a speed deterrent."
How long do GoSafe speed vans tend to stay at one particular spot?
For technical reasons, a speed van will only remain in a certain spot for 90 minutes, Gareth said.
During his average eight hour shift, he will normally visit three different spots across where he has been ordered to visit.
Who decides where GoSafe speed vans park up?
Enforcement is usually carried out in certain areas for a number of reasons, including:
- Death or serious injury has occurred at the location.
- Speeds in the area have been recorded as significantly high.
- Speeding concerns have been raised by residents and those concerns have been corroborated by a traffic speed survey.
- Go Safe are supporting a police enforcement campaign
What happens if I am caught speeding?
It all comes down to the circumstances within which you were caught speeding as well as how much you were in excess of the limit.
The minimum penalty for being caught speeding on the UK's roads is a £100 fine but Gareth explained in some circumstances, officers can offer the option of attending a speed awareness course - an alternative to a fine and penalty points.
Gareth, said: "An accredited course is far more likely to improve driver behaviour and consequently make our roads safer. Courses are available to drivers who respond quickly to the 'notices' and who were driving at no more than 10%, plus nine mph, above the posted speed limit."
So for example, anyone travelling over 86mph on a motorway would not be offered the awareness course.
Those who don't have a clean licence at the time of the offence, or those who have been to the course in the last three years, are unlikely to be offered the awareness course.
