Drivers have been warned to ignore a commonly believed motorway speeding myth this Christmas, or risk fines and points on their licences.

Millions of families will be battling through traffic to reach loved ones in time for Yuletide celebrations. Millions more will travel to other locations in the UK to bring in the New Year in style.

But with many set to use major motorways including the M6, M1, M4 and M25 during their journeys, one motoring expert has warned them not to get caught out by an old tale that could leave them with a fine, points and even banned from the road.

Graham Conway, from leading vehicle leasing firm Select Car Leasing, explained that a surprisingly large number of drivers still believe smart motorway cameras are NOT in operation all of the time.

7 common speed camera myths

That’s false – and gantry cameras can still snare speeders going above 70mph even when no variable limit is in place.

He said: “We hear this quite often, but it's something that could potentially ruin your Christmas if you get it wrong.

“It appears that many motorists think the speed cameras on smart motorways are only in operation when the matrix signs on the gantries show a variable speed limit, say 50mph or 60mph.

“They are aware that they need to slow down when they see this, but wrongly believe that at other times they won’t get clocked breaking the speed limit, as long as they don’t encounter the police.

“This simply is not right. Online motoring forums are full of accounts from drivers who’ve been caught out in such a manner.

"And the penalties for breaking the speed limit on a motorway can be severe. That’s as well as being dangerous and putting lives at risk, of course.”

Smart motorways have become a prominent feature of the UK's road network, offering increased capacity and improved traffic flow.

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But these dynamic highways also come with unique safety considerations. They utilise variable speed limits to manage traffic flow and enhance safety – depending on traffic conditions, accidents or roadworks.

The smart motorway speed camera myth is one of many commonly-held misconceptions that can catch out drivers.

Another is that there is no speed limit on the M6 toll road, in the West Midlands, because it is run by a private company – which is also incorrect.

Mr Conway added: “The big message here is simple: Don’t speed. Road safety charity Brake! says speeding contributes to 105,000 road crashes and leads to more than 1,500 deaths every year.

“Good drivers are aware of the rules and abide by them, while also being conscious of the conditions on the day and what other road users are doing.

“It can be tempting at this time of year, when schedules are busy and you’re trying to get somewhere on time, to put your foot down.

“But it’s much better to get there slightly late and still in one piece than to not get there at all.”