Local authorities have been attacked for “fake policing” measures to deal with speeding motorists which could be putting drivers at risk.
Gary Digva, founder of safety group Road Angel has called out local areas for keeping inactive speed cameras on the roads.
He warned detectors which are not switched on could cause accidents as drivers slam on their brakes worried they could get caught.
This has the potential to cause a serious problem with cars behind possibly unable to react quickly enough.
The latest warning comes after a Freedom of Information Act request found that a whopping 46 percent of cameras in the UK are not currently live.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Digva said: “People need to drive at the right speed, the correct speed so therefore they are not slamming on the brakes.
“We always know distracted drivers are on the road everywhere. So the minute someone sees a speed camera their immediate reaction is to slam on the brakes. They don’t even check the speed.
“Somebody behind you could not be paying attention and just pile through and cause a big issue.
“But what’s annoying is when the local authorities, police or the council or whoever is operating that camera.
“If they’ve not maintained that camera, it’s got no film in it or it’s no longer active they should remove it because therefore that risk is eliminated for that area.
“They’ve felt the need they don’t have to service anymore because there is no potential problem there.”
The research found that all eight fixed speed cameras in Northamptonshire were not activated.
Meanwhile, Gwent has only one active camera out of the 31 boxes installed across the county.
According to the findings, Derbyshire has more fixed cameras out of action than anywhere else with 93 not working.
This means only 20 of the 113 boxes across the county are capable of doing their job.
Mr Digva called on councils to tackle the problem to make sure only legitimate speed cameras remain on the road.
He explained: “We are almost in this world of a Big Brother fake policing scenario. That’s what we don’t like this, fake policing. It’s got to be real.
“If there’s a problem please put the right measures in. If there is no problem, let motorists drive on and be happy.”
