A DRIVER has ignited a furious debate by saying the speed camera sign is not actually what many people think it is.
Brit motorists will be only too well aware of the familiar black and white sign telling drivers there is a dreaded speed camera up ahead.
But a raging debate has kicked off over what the sign depicts.
For many drivers it would seem they automatically assumed the sign showed an old-style camera which pointed to the right.
Specifically, it depicted a Victorian bellows camera, where the lens can be moved back and forth by hand.
Putin accused of surrounding himself with same 'actors' at series of events
This though has been questioned by one social media user who believed this was wrong and actually showed a more modern speed camera with the two lenses pointing towards the viewer.
The man took to Twitter to write: “For years I thought the UK speed camera sign depicted a Victorian bellows camera pointing to the right but it’s just a boring CCTV camera pointing towards the viewer.”
They thought the black bits to the right of the camera on the sign showed the camera’s mounting.
The post caused many to completely reassess what they had originally thought.
One person said they had been “living a lie” while another claimed they hated the change because now the sign was “so mean looking to me suddenly”.
Another just wrote “oh my god”.
However, many refused to accept this new theory with one saying they would “carry on believing the Victorian bellows theory”.
Someone else said the old-fashioned design was the artist’s intention because “everyone knows exactly what it represents”.
Others simply refused to believe the sign showed a modern-day CCTV camera, stating “not having this” and dismissed the new theory.
The debate though has now been settled once and for all by the Department for Transport.
Edinburgh Hogmanay revellers stuck in queues for TWO HOURS in torrential rain
A spokesperson told The Sun Online: “We are proud of the sign’s classic design, which takes the Victorian-style bellows camera as its inspiration to produce a clear, understandable symbol.”
The sign is believed to have come into use in the 1990s probably with the introduction of the Safety Camera Partnerships and was included in the Highway Code in 1999.
It was designed in-house the DfT’s traffic signs team.
The placement of the speed camera signs is down to the local authority and there is no legal requirement to place the signs where there are cameras as it is seen as an “informatory” sign.
Last month, we revealed how drivers can check to see if they have been caught by a speed camera before a fine arrives.
We have rounded up all the different levels of speeding fines if you’re not sure what you could be facing.
Previously, a speed camera officer revealed three myths surrounding the feared cameras.
The Sun also revealed the UK's speed cameras that catch the most zooming drivers.
