In our country there are 724 speed checkpoints, 62 average speed cameras and 557 mobile speed cameras, as well as 10 helicopters and eight drones with one common goal: to look after everyone’s safety.
Controlling speed is the main purpose of a speed camera, but not the only one. From 2020, the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has announced a new type of camera with other tasks that complement those of older devices. So, before talking about what average speed cameras are, it is better to stop and look at the imminent arrival of the proximity camera. This will be used to check that drivers keep a safe distance between vehicles when traffic is flowing (if there are tailbacks, this camera will stop operating).
They bear a certain similarity to those that flag up when a car jumps a red light, the so-called “traffic light cameras”. Or to the so-called seat belt cameras which, spread across the whole country – some of them take snapshots from the DGT’s Pegasus helicopters – penalise those who forget or avoid fastening their seat belt, which is compulsory for all occupants of a vehicle.
The general rule – without taking into account issues such as speed or weather conditions – says that we should allow a two-second gap between our vehicle and the one in front of us. This gap increases to four seconds or 100 metres in tunnels, or when the weather is adverse (ice or snow, rain). Four is also the number of licence points we can lose if we fail to keep a safe distance (plus a 200-euro fine).
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Fixed unmanned speed cameras. These are installed on posts or in cabinets at the side of the road.
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Mobile manned speed cameras. These are operated by Guardia Civil officers in unmarked cars, or on a tripod at the side of the road.
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Portable speed cameras. These use advanced laser technology, and are also smaller and easy to transport. Traffic officers place them at strategic points in each province.
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Average speed cameras. These cameras work as infrared machine-vision cameras located on specific stretches of road, at the beginning and end of each stretch. The vehicle is photographed while its average speed is calculated; if it exceeds the permitted speed, the photographs are sent to the DGT’s Automated Offence Processing Centre. The calculation is based on the average over the stretch, so it is pointless to ease off the accelerator once we have passed the point where the stretch begins.