Thousands of drivers have already been fined this year for speeding on a specific stretch of the M6 motorway.
Motorists have been caught breaking temporary speed limits on the M6, where smart motorways are in use. A smart motorway is a section of a motorway that uses various methods to increase capacity and reduce congestion.
However, more than 3,500 drivers have been clocked breaking the temporary 40mph speed limit between junctions 7 and 8 at Great Barr heading northbound this year.
READ MORE: Drivers urged to ignore speed camera myths as AA explain how they really work
According to BirminghamLive, it's likely drivers are being caught in large numbers during specific periods when the cameras, typically fixed to gantries running over the motorway displaying the speed limit, are switched on. However, motorists are frequently witnessed ignoring the temporary limits.
The data suggests the cameras are being used to punish those who choose to ignore the slowest speed limit normally seen on the motorway - 40mph - as the numbers fined for breaching other speeds are much lower.
A total of 847 drivers were caught breaking the 50mph limit between junctions 7 and 8 in 2022, up to June, and another 453 for breaching 60mph. Another stretch of the M6 where drivers are caught in huge numbers is between the M54 exit near Wolverhampton and Junction 10 for Walsall, heading southbound.
Here, 1,472 drivers were fined for ignoring a temporary 50mph speed limit this year, along with another 1,291 who went over 60mph. Speed camera signs are clearly displayed along the motorway but there has always been uncertainty about how regularly they operate, and in which areas.
The message of police chiefs to drivers is clear - obey the speed limit. According to motoring organisation the RAC, variable speed cameras "work in a similar way to average speed cameras, but they’re unlikely to be in operation 24/7".
It adds: "They tend to be used on smart motorways when the speed limit is lowered to ease congestion or in the event of poor weather or some other hazard."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
Flight attendant urges people to avoid wearing two types of clothing on plane
ITV Emmerdale's Mimi Slinger dazzles as she poses on holiday with famous boyfriend
Levi Roots' net worth and Dragon's Den's most successful businesses
TUI's warning to passengers travelling abroad this week
Love Island stars who went back to working at Lidl, the NHS and the West End
