Police in Wales have started to enforce new 20mph speed limits across the devolved nation.
The 20mph default speed limit in built-up areas was brought in last September and the Welsh government has confirmed that the 'initial bedding in period' is now over and enforcement will begin.
Roadside teams will use speed monitoring equipment to catch offending motorists from today; however, drivers are likely to be given a choice between a fine and points, or roadside engagement.
North Wales Police told the BBC that enforcement sites would be approved where the data such as speed compliance statistics showed there would 'be a road safety benefit from enforcing'.
'Our aim is to ensure compliance with the speed limits for the benefit of road safety, not to catch people out,' a spokesperson told the press.
The BBC has reported that the enforcement threshold advice from the National Police Chiefs' Council, which sets guidance for UK officers, is 10% plus 4mph - rather than the usual 10% plus 2mph that applies in other speed limit areas.
This means drivers caught doing 26mph or more in a new 20mph stretch will be prosecuted.
Drivers could in theory be fined a minimum £100 and get three penalty points.
'We intend to engage the public in it and explain the change in the law and take enforcement action only when necessary,' South Wales Police Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said last month.
In September, Wales became the first UK nation to lower speed limits in residential areas from 30mph to a default 20mph. Local authorities were able to specify areas where the 30mph limit would be maintained.
UK highway authorities – backed by international guidance - have increasingly introduced 20mph speed limits, particularly around schools.
There are current plans to expand the number of 20mph roads in Scotland and in Cornwall, Oxfordshire, Leeds, Wirral and Herefordshire.
