Speed Camera Flashes?

The speed limit is the speed limit. Whether a particular Police force decides to abide by the suggestion of 10%+2 appears to be up to them. IIRC it’s Bedfordshire or Northants police that stated a few years ago that they give no allowance. One can ask for camera calibration data if you think it's wrong. I also doubt any current cameras actually have film in them. One's only hope is for a dummy camera and they rarely flash.
A decent adaptive cruise control with speed sign recognition will slow you down downhill - one thing my Tesla is quite good at except for the overhead gantry signs it ignores.
I did pick up a speed awareness course a few years ago which still rankles - speed camera van parked on a wide grass verge on a quiet wide road with 20 yard clear verges where there really didn't seem any logic in a speed limit of 40 - apparently I was doing 46 (no cruise set on an A road). Prior to that I was done in 1972 on a Sunday going up a hill with an overtaking lane.. happily chuntering along at about 32-33mph in a 30 limit when a car screamed up behind and tailgated me. I accelerated to give the guy a little room to overtake - which the unmarked police car promptly did. As a youngster I let that go and paid up but if such a thing happened these days I'd be making serious allegations against such arrogant police driving.
On the plus side I was once stopped on the A1(M) for doing 80 late one night. The copper checked I wasn't drinking and let me off on the grounds that I'd responded to the one blue flash in my rearview from 1/4 mile behind - decent policing.

pgk

If you do the calculations you will find that exceeding the speed limit doesn't save enough time to make it worth the risk. Quite often I find that I catch up with people who have sped off in front of me as well since they get held up by traffic just up the road.

I live in a village that is about 1/2 mile from entering to leaving and has a 30mph limit in the village and 60mph limit on all roads in and out, To go that 1/2 mile at 30mph takes 1 minute. To go like a bat out of hell trying to do 60mph will cut the journey by 30 seconds. If you go at 40mph will save you 15 seconds. In my mind that time saving is just not worth the risk to people, pets or property.

If you go a long way on a motorway or dual carriageway the time saving will still only be measured in minutes if you go at 10% over the speed limit. Set off earlier if you want to get there sooner.

The other thing to think about is how many cars have a dashcam these days that record location, date, time and speed. Combine that with the increase in the number of police forces that now allow dashcam uploads for them to look at and decide if they want to prosecute. All it takes is one disgruntled driver to report you and supply dashcam recordings and you could be getting a letter in the post.

Martin C

I once seen a police car stop suddenly on the shoulder of the road. The policeman opened His door and put a small (12"x12" sign on the ground saying "speed radar enforced". A car went by and He got the sign and persued It, all did not take 15-20 seconds.

The wife got a surprise ticket from a small berg known for shady dealings. They said She was speeding and the fine was $125 USD. The photo was black and white and color of car was not noted. They had the license blacked out. She was at work and cannot get out for lunch until Her company card unlocks the door. Company records show She did not leave. She caved and paid the ticket rather than fight. The State was made aware of this town's reputation and stripped Them of the Authority to write tickets, now They write "civil infractions", if not paid it goes on a credit report.

I got done for going 3mph over on the m5 near Bristol. Just at a speed awareness course v zoom. It was all about how great smart motorways are. To be honest I was half asleep through most of it. Motorists are just seen has cash cows by the councils and government. Maybe if the money was spend on better policing of the motorways I would not of been stuck behind a middle line hogger for miles driving along with the lorries at 60mph and unable to get past the pr..k due to the speed of the cars in the outside line all tailgating each other. I hate driving these days in the U.K. too many cars, stupid cyclists and now very dangerous e scooters.

Had a few speeding tickets in my time make not excuse if you do the crime pay the fine but one thing that really get my goat is that in the town in which I live we have a mobile speed camera mount on top of a small van, Ive always wondered how someone can do such a job and whilst being a complete hypocrite one more than one occasion Ive followed said vehicle at the end of shift speeding !

H

I got a speed awareness course going 6 MPH over a 30 limit. Fair cop I was speeding, on the course the people running it asked. "How far do you need to travel at 80 MPH instead of 70 MPH to save 10 minutes ?" The answer shocked me, it is 100 miles. I don't say that I now never go over the limit but am more aware and respectful of the limits which means the courses work.

A long time ago in the mid 70s I had the good fortune to have a Norton 650SS, which was a VERY fast motorcycle. I had just finished running it in from a major engine rebuild and was having a nice ride around. It was a beautiful day, little or no traffic it seemed like a good idea to ask the classic question....."Whatwillitdo mister". So on the Andover by-pass, which was still a relatively new road at that time, no traffic around so flat in third, change to fourth, well over 120mph on the chronometric speedo. All of a sudden out of nowhere appeared a white MGB GT V8, with flashing blue lights. "Oh dear, now I'm in shtuk". I had visions of my licence being ripped up and me being frogmarched into clink, as exceeding the speed limit (50mph on a non motorway) by 70mph would probably be looked on as a bit irresponsible. Anyway I pulled over and the police car pulled up behind me. The officer came up to me and we went though the usual routine....any reason, do you realise etc etc. Anyway he told me that I was doing 126mph. We then had a really good chat about motorcycles in general and Nortons in particular. He explained that he wouldn't give me a ticket I cannot remember the reason, I was too relieved, and that I should consider myself a very lucky chap. After a bit more of a chat, and a cigarette or two I went on my way suitably chastened.

cheers

Bill

ps For those about to comment that a 650SS was roadtested at 116mph in the January 17th 1968 edition of "Motor Cycle" by Fred Bloggs on the A1 dah de dah....my 650SS had high compression pistons (9.5:1 if I remember correctly) and a Dunstall racing cam

Out here in NZ, they use infra red spectrum that the majority of humans can not see. So you get no flash or warning that you have been caught speeding. So its possible to get multiple speeding tickets in one day. Just a revenue gathering device. If it flashed like they used to, then anyone who sees the flash will slow down also. This reduced the number of tickets being given. Cameras are now a real source of revenue for the road transport divisions.

It was in 1962 and I was going home about 10 o’clock at night on a motorcycle, was pulled by a police van which had followed me for a short distance then pulled me for exceeding the speed limit. It was a week after the law was cleared for one policeman in a vehicle to be able to book you for speeding, previously it needed two. I was only sixteen at the time and had to go to Juvenile Court, three magistrates sitting on the bench and they found me guilty and fined me one pound, licence endorsed for three years, being cheeky I asked for time to pay and was given two weeks! Dave W

Having collected a few speeding tickets and a couple of bans for totting up in my youth I got the message. The last ticket that I collected was one that annoyed me though, I had dropped our local scout group off in London for a sleepover on HMS Belfast, collecting them the next morning I decided to just drive through the city and over Tower bridge to collect them, Tower Bridge had an average speed camera setup for 20mph over the bridge, I didn’t see the sign or the cameras which the penalty notice explained due to the historic nature of the surroundings were not painted yellow. That was the first time I had ever encountered a 20mph speed limit on a main road or anywhere for that matter on a public road, my average speed was 31mph, just a shame the limit was 20, nowadays average speed and 20mph limits are common but both were a novelty then. My excuse is that the approach to tower bridge has rather a lot to take in and looking where I was going was plenty to keep me occupied and a sneaky 20mph was not something I was expecting.

Mike

Hi All,

Well, as expected, my late Xmas present from Devon & Cornwall Police hit the doormat yesterday!

81mph,

Must do better this year!

Cheers, Martin

Is there not a ruling about time limitation of notification?

Might be worth a check

It was only 10 days ago..

Martin

82mph?
Enjoy the speed awareness course. I was delighted to learn that I'd been under the delusion that NSL on single carriageways was 50mph (hangover from the 70's fuel crisis?) and chuffed to learn it was 60mph (doh!)

pgk

Lost my license back in the 60s due to totting up and doing 56mph in a mini van, which was classed as a commercial vehicle limited to 40MPH ! Noel.

And to put it further into perspective, if you spend the recommended 2 minutes brushing your teeth every day, that's over a day a year spent brushing your teeth, perhaps three months over a lifetime...

Neil

The warning signs for speed cameras were recently removed in NSW, Aust. but re-installed after some drivers complained and said it was a revenue raising reason.

I had no problem with the removal of signs because I have a fool proof method of not getting fined. Simple, don't speed.

Edited By Paul Lousick on 06/01/2022 10:43:28

My Sat Nav has an annoying young woman inside who comments when necessary even when I have anticipated the limit change by around 10 -15 feet!!

Digital Display readout of speed is better/quicker perceived than keep looking a a needle.

Cash cow speed camera that zapped me at the bottom of the M606 at 3am one Sunday morning led to a speed awareness course. Checked later, warning sign nicely obscured by excessive foliage. Seems to be one of the best "Earners" in West Yorkshire, last chance leaving Bradford to join M62 westbound. Strangely enough none on same junction leaving M62 to join M606.

Hopes of camera not containing film? Many are fitted with a hard drive which can be downloaded via wi-fi.

Agree with Paul, if you din't speed you won't get caught.

Regards Ian.

Edited By Circlip on 06/01/2022 11:18:01