Red light/beam from back of speed van this morning

DRedSky

Hi, on my way to work this morning in the pitch black there was a go safe van parked on the hard shoulder in the distance so I watched my speed carefully and stayed under the limit.

As I was getting very close to reaching the back of the van there was suddenly a visible and quite strong red beam or maybe you could possibly go so far as to call it a minor red flash but more a beam really, which I'm now wondering the meaning of? It came from the window where the camera would be.

There was no car between myself and the van although several behind me. I wasn't quite level with the van when this red beam appeared, perhaps like 4 or 5 car lengths before the van's window.

I'm wondering does that mean it's snapped a photo of my reg? It's an 80 zone and I was doing around 70 so I'm baffled as to why they'd be recording my number plate OR is it some type of red laser used for measuring speed of cars behind me maybe?

I had been watching the van as I drew close and the red beam was not constant or anything, just saw it once briefly and then gone again, as if maybe taking a photo.

Anyone noticed this before and what does it mean exactly?

Miscreant

Could be a laser range finder or some such being used for calibration. If you were under the limit then you have nothing to worry about.

Buffman

That's the infrared flash for the night vision on the camera. Yes, it did take your photo. Every vehicle that passes has it's speed measured and a photo taken at the exact same time. If you're not speeding, nothing happens.

DRedSky

Thanks Buffman! Hadn’t realised that, every day is a school day! Cheers!