Speed camera detectors

This is the place for posts that don't fit into any other category.

Moderator: RichardW

DervDonkey
Posts: 65
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 01:08
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by DervDonkey »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">There are too many amoebas out on the road. They have now grown into an epidemic.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Agreed. But surely the solution to most of the problems is better education of drivers - backed up by testing? Prosecution is merely treating the symptom, not the cause. If you think things are bad now, wait ten years and see - it's going to get <i>much</i> worse unless there is a significant change in direction by the authorities.
Speed cameras <b>do not</b> educate drivers in the error of their ways. Getting an automated ticket is merely seen as a bit of bad luck rather than an indictment of one's driving skills, which indeed in many cases it is! (How many of you can hold your hand on your heart and say "I have <i>never</i> broken a speed limit at any time, anywhere, even briefly"? Not many, I suspect.)
To get back on topic, I've never relied on anything but the good old Mk.1 eyeball to spot cameras - and it's been 100% effective so far, so I don't really care if they pass another piece of legislation banning the detectors. IMHO these units can't be relied on anyway, especially to spot handheld laser units - the best they can do is beep to say "You're nicked, sunshine", and they won't spot inductive loops at all!!!
Homer
Posts: 1503
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
Location: Yorkshire
My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180

Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever
x 16

Post by Homer »

But it is not the dangerous drivers who get caught.
The young, inexperienced driver who tears around everywhere rarely travels outside areas he knows. He knows where all the local cameras are. He never gets caught.
The joyrider, the unlicenced untaxed and uninsured cannot be traced so do not care about cameras. Their fines go in the bin, or worse their cloned numberplate gets traced back to <b>you!</b> One case on the TV this week, an innocent motorist hit with over £8,000 of fines which he has had to put in his own time and effort to clear his name, each case has to be fought individually and you are considered <b>guilty until proven innocent!</b>. He is not alone, next time it could be you.
It's the average motorist, off their usual patch, in an area with a limit not in keeping with the road type who gets caught. Lately a lot of these seem to be high ranking police officers, hardly public enemy number 1.
If someone is getting caught maybe it is because they are looking where they are going! Maybe they are watching out for children, cyclists, pedestrians. maybe we should give them a medal for not watching out for speed cameras?!
Homer
Posts: 1503
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
Location: Yorkshire
My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180

Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever
x 16

Post by Homer »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by DervDonkey</i>

I've never relied on anything but the good old Mk.1 eyeball to spot cameras - and it's been 100% effective so far,
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
You are saying you use a camera detector on a regular basis. YOU'RE NICKED!
User avatar
Kowalski
Posts: 2557
Joined: 15 Oct 2003, 17:41
Location: North East, United Kingdom
My Cars: Ex 05 C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 145k
Ex 97 Xantia 1.9TD SX 144k
Ex 94 Xantia Dimension 1.9TD 199k

Post by Kowalski »

My current strategy for avoiding speeding fines is to not speed, I pay attention and make sure I know what the speed limit is and stick to it. I would be extremely annoyed if I was ticketed for accidentally speeding.
I often find when I'm driving on a piece of road that I don't know what the speed limit is, in a lot of areas it isn't clear there are circumstances where one can be caught by a camera without intentionally speeding that is why I dislike speed cameras.
DervDonkey
Posts: 65
Joined: 25 Oct 2004, 01:08
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by DervDonkey »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">You are saying you use a camera detector on a regular basis. YOU'RE NICKED!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Oh dear[:0]
First job for tomorrow then - paint my windscreen black and get a radar set installed (the navigational type, that is). Oh, I forgot - the chavs have been doing this for years (minus the radar bit)! So that's what these drivers of blacked out Novas are doing - avoiding being fined for the heinous crime of allowing their attention to wander from that all important speedometer needle...[:)]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">My current strategy for avoiding speeding fines is to not speed, I pay attention and make sure I know what the speed limit is and stick to it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Makes sense. I tend to stick to limits myself, in general. As you say, it's the roads with odd/badly posted limits that catch people out. My own experience from a few years back: Joined a dual carriageway via a slip road and went to 65mph. Saw a grey Gatso a good distance ahead, checked speed, checked for any speed limit markings I might have missed (none) and continued on my merry way. Brilliant double flash as I passed the thing. 1/4 mile down the road, some little repeater signs appear saying "50". Fortunately nothing further happened, so I was spared the hassle of a court fight over it - after all, if the limit had been properly signed I wouldn't have been doing 65 past a Gatso that I had seen was there...
Another thing - has anyone watched the antics of some muppets in motorway roadworks monitored with SPECS cameras? You know the type: Limit is 40mph, so they see the camera on the gantry and out go the anchors. Pass underneath and it's full steam ahead again, braking for the next one etc. etc. I'd love to be a fly on their wall to observe the consternation when the ticket arrives!!!
Homer
Posts: 1503
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
Location: Yorkshire
My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180

Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever
x 16

Post by Homer »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Kowalski</i>

I pay attention and make sure I know what the speed limit is and stick to it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I completely ignore speed limits because I think it is a better idea to drive at a speed appropriate for the road and conditions.
The speed limit on a foggy NSL motorway is still 70mph, it wouldn't be a good idea to "stick to it".
The speed limit on most housing estates is 30mph but even on a dry sunny day it wouldn't be a good idea to "stick to it".
Unfortunately the message which cameras hammer home is just that, you are safe as long as you stick to the limit.
Lots of speed limits have been lowered over the past decade or so to levels which are quite rediculous for the road. One example near me was 40mph, nice wide semi rural single carrigeway, big wide verges either side. No schools, hospitals or houses opening onto the road. It had a spate of crashes a few years ago so they reduced the limit to 30 and installed a forest of speed cameras and a nice traffic aggravation scheme. It had a couple of good years, which of course the camera operators claimed victory for but has just had another spate of crashes. What will they do next?
The current policy is failing. Speed cameras have lost all credibility. They have to go.
Homer
Posts: 1503
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
Location: Yorkshire
My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180

Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever
x 16

Post by Homer »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by bxbodger</i>


Road death figures can be misleading, like all statistics they should be questioned. Are they drivers, bikers, pedestrians, cyclists????
I live in Essex, they have had a tough anti speed programme and overall deaths are actually down on last year, but the proportion of biker deaths has gone up to 25% of the total, so although you could say essex road deaths are down, you could also say essex road <u>biker</u> deaths are up!!!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I've done some digging and my information is that overall road deaths in essex are up. They may like to blame it on the bikers, they seem to be a convenient scapegoat just lately. That is now starting to shift to 4x4s and people carriers. Apparently these big cars are squishing all the drivers of small hatchbacks. Strange how we've managed to survive with HGVs and Transit sized vans on the road all these years! And if more people are in bigger cars shouldn't that actually reduce deaths. For each small hatchback squished by a people carrier there is a people carrier not squished by a larger vehicle.
You may not like 4x4s. I don't. But don't forget that when they've banned them they will move on to another target. French cars maybe?
yangreen
Posts: 381
Joined: 25 Jan 2005, 14:11
Location:
My Cars:
Contact:

Post by yangreen »

Yes, 4x4s get a very bad press just as I'm thinking of getting one! It is annoying because I live in the countryside and WILL use it off road but you can bet I'll still get nasty stares if I go to Sainsburys in it!
Back to the speed cameras, what is really needed is more confirmation of speed limits. My experience of a camera van on a 60mph road is that almost everyone slows to 40mph. This suggests they haven't got a clue what the speed limit is. Do they not see the signs or even worse, do they not know that the "national speed limit" sign means?!
I don't think cameras should be abolished but I definitely want to see more Police patrolling the roads taking appropriate action against "idiot, anti-social" drivers. But then these people will complain that the Police should go and stop some "real" criminals. Maybe we need a Highway Patrol like the states?
jeremy
Posts: 3959
Joined: 20 Oct 2002, 16:00
Location: Hampshire, UK
My Cars:
x 2

Post by jeremy »

Biker death are an interesting subject because of the high death rate amongst bikers who at first sight wouldn't be the risk class. I'm talking about those in their 30's and 40's. The reason of course is that they start or return to biking later in life and are able and do buy extremely powerful machines and when you come accross them (instantly recognisable by the highly polished machine) they are bloody terrifying - wrong lanes, hovering between lanes, innappropriate braking, only overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic, and so on.
Hampshire police have apparently concentrated on them for a while now and have produced a very significant reduction in the death rate (something like 30 to 5 in a year or so)and I must say that the incidences of really stupid riding do seem to have reduced a bit although I still allow loads of room for the real idiots. Apparently one of the items the police concentrate on is intimidation of motorists by overtaking in queues and cutting in! (Someone I work with was done for this! - think he's stopped riding it now!)
Real regular bikers - great - weekend overpowered incompetent idiots - stick to what you're good at - polishing it! (The bike I mean or do I?)
Jeremy
User avatar
fastandfurryous
Posts: 1388
Joined: 07 Jul 2004, 17:57
Location: On the road, travelling at high speed. Meep Meep.
My Cars:
x 4

Post by fastandfurryous »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Kowalski</i>

My current strategy for avoiding speeding fines is to not speed, I pay attention and make sure I know what the speed limit is and stick to it. I would be extremely annoyed if I was ticketed for accidentally speeding.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Which is the real point here isn't it. Speed cameras are a completely ineffective way of policing the roads. You could be Mr-excellent-driver-2005, but if you accidentally slipped through a camera site at 56 insted of 50, instant 3 points. Conversley, (as previously mentioned) you could be Mr-agressive-bastard-arsehole-driver, but never be caught.
I would personally much prefer to see more marked police patrol cars on the road. I can't even remember the last time I saw one here in dorset, which is bad, as the standard of driving is poor compared to other areas I've lived in.
Personally, I speed. Quite a lot actually. BUT:
I NEVER:
* Speed around town, or where there are pedestrians, etc..
* Use a mobile phone at the wheel.
* Eat while driving.
* Fiddle with the radio while driving (Load up the CD player, and just leave it alone)
* Tailgate people.
* Pull out in front of people.
and I ALWAYS:
* Indicate correctly.
* Stay in my lane.
* Actually drive AROUND a roundabout.
* Give others on the road the space they need.
* Comply with the highway code.
Etc, Etc, Etc.
One particular occasion, I remember driving along the M27 in hampshire at 2:00am in the morning, at nearly 3-figure speeds. It was safe to do so at the time, and I was paying attention to how I was driving. I saw a car gaining on me from behind, and as it overtook me, I realised it was a Police patrol car. It overtook me at about 125mph! He didn't have his blue lights on, and so undoubtedly could have pulled me over if he'd wanted to. Slightly further down the road, I saw him on the hard shoulder, having pulled over a somewhat chavved Golf, which I recognised as the car that had been being a dickhead round Portsmouth, not 30 mins earlier. Just one example of where a Police patrol officer was FAR more effective than an army of Gatso's
ACTIVE8
Posts: 2317
Joined: 16 Nov 2004, 16:49
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:
x 6

Post by ACTIVE8 »

At least we don't use cameras like this in the U.K. yet ! [:(!]
These are used in Europe, this type of thing is going to far !
They wouldn't last long here, before they would get damaged.

Image
Homer
Posts: 1503
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
Location: Yorkshire
My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180

Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever
x 16

Post by Homer »

They wouldn't use those here. A wheelie bin in the middle of a dual carriageway is going to stand out a mile!
You could use them where speeding is actually a danger, like residential roads, they'd me nicely camoflage dthere. But they can't be bothered with speed cameras in those areas. Why? because not enough people speed where it's really dangerous so they don't get enough money back!
JohnD
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2632
Joined: 14 Mar 2001, 23:41
Location: Epsom, Surrey
My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5-X7 tourer
1998 Citroen Saxo 1.5D
2018 Citroen C4-B7
1998 Peugeot 306. 1.9D
2011 Citroen C1
x 72
Contact:

Post by JohnD »

It would appear that the motorway speed limit through road works has been lowered from 50 to 40mph. Last night,I drove through a 14mile length of road works where two lanes were open on the M20. In 14 miles, they had 8 cameras in operation. Must be a nice earner!
User avatar
Kowalski
Posts: 2557
Joined: 15 Oct 2003, 17:41
Location: North East, United Kingdom
My Cars: Ex 05 C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 145k
Ex 97 Xantia 1.9TD SX 144k
Ex 94 Xantia Dimension 1.9TD 199k

Post by Kowalski »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Homer</i>
I completely ignore speed limits because I think it is a better idea to drive at a speed appropriate for the road and conditions.
The speed limit on a foggy NSL motorway is still 70mph, it wouldn't be a good idea to "stick to it".
The speed limit on most housing estates is 30mph but even on a dry sunny day it wouldn't be a good idea to "stick to it".
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Perhaps I should have said I don't break the limit rather than sticking to them.
I would agree that the current policy on speed gives drivers the impresssion that the speed limit is the recommended speed in all conditions rather than being the upper limit where conditions permit.
Homer
Posts: 1503
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 10:52
Location: Yorkshire
My Cars: Current:
Volvo V60 D4 180

Previous:
BX16RS (two of),
BX19TZI,
Xantia 2.0i saloon,
Xantia 2.0 Exclusive CT turbo Break,
Peugeot 807 2.0 HDi 110,
Renault Grand Scenic, 2.0 diesel (150bhp)
C5 X7 2.0 HDi 160 which put me off French cars possibly forever
x 16

Post by Homer »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Kowalski</i>


Perhaps I should have said I don't break the limit rather than sticking to them.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I was pretty sure that's what you meant but I know plenty of people who will say "I was driving safely, I was doing <insert speed limit>"
Still, I would like to spend a day driving with you and see just how true your statement is. I bet you break the limit from time to time without even knowing it.
For instance last year, the wife was happily driving along, just keeping with the traffic flow travelling between 50 and 60. I said "you know you are doing nearly twice the limit? No says she.
The fact is we were on a road bordered by agricultural land, no buildings in sight so it was natural to assume national speed limit. Being in N. Wales I was keeping more of a sceptical eye on things and had noticed the streetlights and lack of any notification of the end of the 30 limit. Likewise when we entered the next built up area, obviously a 30 there were no 30 signs.
I'm not going to say where it is because it would be a nice little earner for Brunstrom's bandits.
I know plenty of similar roads where the limit does not change although you would expect it to.
Post Reply