Spain outsmarts hasty drivers with anti-braking speed cameras

It’s all about preventing the habit of slowing down just for the radar

Spanish roads are being equipped with a new type of speed camera setup, called anti-braking cameras. The purpose of these devices is to identify drivers who slow down only when they see one of these sensors, only to quickly accelerate above the limits once they pass unsanctioned.

The anti-braking speed cameras are basically secondary cameras located either somewhere before the speed radar or after it (could be 1 kilometre in distance).

Depending on their location they will either check whether the driver brakes excessively when seeing the signpost for a speed camera or they will check if the drivers speed up excessively once they’ve passed the fixed radar.

It’s these actions on the part of the motorists that help to determine better their overall driving habits and the extent to which they actually follow the traffic rules. The idea is that only slowing down for a speed camera doesn’t actually promote road safety.

If caught by these new cameras, drivers can face fines of up to 600 euros and a deduction of 6 points from their driving license. 

The catch in this setup is that drivers aren’t aware of where exactly the secondary camera will be located.

Started off as a pilot project in Navarre

These anti-braking cameras are set to become a common feature on Spanish roads only four years after they were first tried out. This happened in 2020 as part of a pilot project in Navarre, whose success then spread to the Basque region of the country.

The hope of the Spanish General Traffic Department (DGT) is that the new technology will prove efficient in deterring drivers across the country from speeding above the permitted limits posted on the roads.