Is a speed camera flash the same as a normal camera flash?

Question

I noticed a flash to the drivers side of my car the other day, curious to know would this have been a photo camera or a speed camera? Or do speed cameras only take front or rear photos , and you would see the flash from the front or rear depending on where the photo was taken?(this was during the day) Any ideas?

Answer 1

no it is different

Answer 2

Well.. hold tight, you should get a ticket in a few days if it is a speed or red-light camera.  Traffic enforcement cameras are usually set up to capture the license plate.  Now depending on the intersection, it may flash from all four directions and you may have only noticed it from the drivers side.  Flashes happen really fast and don't last long, typically only about 1/50000th of a second.  Just because you noticed it from the drivers side, doesn't mean it didn't actually happen from the rear.

There are lots of other things it could be though.  It'll be hard to answer without knowing the location.  It could have been the sun reflecting off something and being focused on you for that short amount of time.  It could have been somebody on the side doing flash photography???  Just hold tight and you'll find out soon enough if it was a traffic enforcement camera or not.

The flashes used in most traffic enforcement cameras are just a strobe.  In layman's terms, it's the same as a normal camera flash.