Is it true some speed cameras dont photograph speeding drivers, they just flash a light at them?

as a detterent

You first answer is correct, some are "dummies" but you never know which ones. I got a ticket in the mail for one of my drivers, you can actually watch the video and see the light flash. So, I would never ASSUME that it's a dummy.

Yep, that's absolutely right!

These cameras cost a lot to service, so some of them are dummies.

Hope this helps!

Anything's possible...but I've seen enough actual red light camera photos to know that at least some of them are taking real pictures.

Yes!! My mum had to go to this speed awarness course and they told them that not every camera has a roll in as its expensive.. But they people here today were the unlucky ones.. ;).. Thats what he said!!

yes its true, in scotland i believe it was a county called refrwenshire or something like that. i was doing a ton 30 on the dual carriageway on my cbr 600, got flashed but no ticket ever arrived at my door.

Some may just go off once and they will not end up giving you a ticket. They have to take two pictures a short distance apart so the police can calculate the distance you traveled in between according to the white lines painted on the road and the radar that is in the device. Its a requirement that the speed is measured by two methods which corroborate each other.

Some are digital so there is no film though but if the film is used up then the flash will go twice and nothing bad will ever come of it but its a bit of a lottery isn't it......

Also some go off at a set threshold over the limit but no action is taken until its at least 10% over the limit

Oh......... and the film is not stored in the box at the top but in the base of the unit as some chap found out who went back to the camera and blew up the unit on the top.

Good luck

speed cameras are expensive but the boxes they put them in aren't. where i live we have 15 speed cameras but only 3 have a camera in and on other 5 have a flash unit in the others are empty but what they do is change the buggers around every few weeks so you never know whats in what the sneaky buggers thing is all the locals now know what the score is so just keep to the speed limit for that stretch of 4 miles. so its done the job then lol

Yes, when there is no camera/film in the casing.

only if they run out of film

I am sure that could be true just like all CCTV's cameras are not fully functional, just watch your speed you will never know.