Speed camera

[Matt]

Absolute Bollix

Originally Posted by Tim M

Legend has it that if you put hairspray on your number plates they dont show up on the photo when the camera flashes you. Illegal of course, but if you get stopped you can just say it was like that when you bought the car.

[tcwozere]

Well done Bob.. Does this mean Bob's Dad now has room on his license for some points? cos..............

[Tim M]

Bob feels soooo grown up for making the right decision

[Gray]

I thought the idea of speed cameras were to catch all road users who speed through them. I've been told that it is possible to get off a speeding ticket when you've been caught by one of these 'face facing' cameras as they can only catch motorists with number plates facing forward and are therefore biased against certain road users!

So how are they meant to catch motorcyclists! That doesn't seem very fair to me. Expensive and risky to take it to court, but if your on the verge of loosing your license and know a good lawyer, maybe it's worth a shot!

G

[codprawn]

Another loosing!!!

[Bigmuz7]

Well Guys, Ive just read the whole thread cos I'm pissed off. Im 39 and been driving for 22 years, towing trailers, fast cars, HGV's you name it, and I just got done in my works 4x4. Mobile unit 200 yds inside a 30 zone clocked me @ 42 as the postal ticket says. I'm no muppet, and I dont drive silly, 22 years proves that,... but the van just looked like a builders van on the right hand side of the road as I approached,only as I got closer , the back doors were open with a camera peeking out. F*ck me I know I was doing 33 just then, so it caught me forward facing, no flash, and they say they can identify the driver, I didn't think they were allowed to do that. Now I'll take my points like a man, but, truth is, I don't know how far up the road the radar picked me up. For all I know it could have 'beamed' me well before I hit the 30 zone. B*sta*ds.

[Jeff Pike]

Originally Posted by pressman

I know somebodies wife who has 3 points and she doesnt know where they came from!!

As long as they get the money there seems to be little resistance but if you start saying i don't know who was driving thats when the photo comes into play.

Just make sure Bobs father didn't get flashed 300 miles away at the same time!!

Quite agree - share & share alike! Bit of points management keeps both Mr & Mrs on the road.

How about this one. I know a couple - both ex coppers - one got flashed. Fine came through the door. Sent it back (UNSIGNED) stating that he thought his wife was driving. Then his wife got a ticket. She sent it back (UNSIGNED) stating that she thought her husband had been driving. Nothing heard since then. Looks like they've got away with it. Signing the form is the admission of guilt. If its too much trouble and too expensive for the Plod to chase up and investigate they tend to let it go.

[AndyB007]

Well, it's interesting to those of us involved in vehicle safety!!

The law of physics dictate that the higher the speed at impact, the more energy must be rapidly absorbed by hard metal, soft flesh and brittle bone. If you hit a pedestrian while driving at 20 mph, the pedestrian has a 95% chance of survival. If you hit a pedestrian while driving at 30mph, the survival chance is 80%. But if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 40mph, the pedestrian's chances of survival is just 10% (20% for a child).

The 40 mph crash – a typical scenario
A child, 8 years old (120-130 cms, weighing 25kg), running out into the road where a car has hit them at 40mph. The child is hit initially on the pelvis. The pelvis and radius and ulna bones (lower arm) are broken. They are then thrown approximately 28m from the car, falling to the ground onto their arm initially, with the head hitting the road next, causing the skull to be fractured at the base. There are grazes on the side of the face (cheeks and temple) from sliding along the road. These injuries are most likely to be fatal.

The 30 mph crash
The child is again hit initially on the pelvis but the pelvis is just bruised. They are thrown approximately 16 metres and fall onto their side, fracturing the arm then hitting the head, but not so hard as to concuss them. In this scenario the child would most likely survive.

For those of you who keep abreast of these things, you will know that new European Legislation has come into force requiring cars to be tested for Pedestrian Impact (these tests simulate an impact speed of 25mph).

Nothing whatsoever to do with RIBs!!


Andy

[codprawn]

Just pray the kid doesn't run out in front of a lorry!!!

The danger is with speed humps - speed cameras - redesigned cars etc etc it give people a false sense of security.

[Swifty]

Mate of mine got a speeding ticket together with a letter of appology.

It seems he was driving his lorry at 60 on a road that was NSL. Trouble is he's only allowed to do 50 in a lorry (so I was told), so how was he caught?

Well the letter explained that due to a fault, the camera was flashing every vehicle passing, even if it was under the speed limit. He was flashed doing 60 because he would normally get away with that.

As regards mobile units, they have a problem detecting an accurate speed if the camera has to be panned to follow the vehicle. It is in their operation proceedures to capture them from as far away as possible. In a laboratory test they managed to clock a brick wall doing 30 MPH.

Mind you I am taking my license in peril soon, going to Cornwall... Isnt that where they breed cameras?

[bogib]

Been flashed couple of times in UK but not been charged through the car rental companies yet. Over here different approach, we have fitted radars to the police vehicles which can take both ahead and away traffic and recorded to "digi eyewitness" equipment so recorded live and sent ticket with possible view of you in good resolutions...............

Bogi

[widey]

Originally Posted by Bigmuz7

Well Guys, Ive just read the whole thread cos I'm pissed off. Im 39 and been driving for 22 years, towing trailers, fast cars, HGV's you name it, and I just got done in my works 4x4. Mobile unit 200 yds inside a 30 zone clocked me @ 42 as the postal ticket says. I'm no muppet, and I dont drive silly, 22 years proves that,... but the van just looked like a builders van on the right hand side of the road as I approached,only as I got closer , the back doors were open with a camera peeking out. F*ck me I know I was doing 33 just then, so it caught me forward facing, no flash, and they say they can identify the driver, I didn't think they were allowed to do that. Now I'll take my points like a man, but, truth is, I don't know how far up the road the radar picked me up. For all I know it could have 'beamed' me well before I hit the 30 zone. B*sta*ds.

go to http://www.pepipoo.com/ for some advice if you want. Its been known, according to this site, for exactly this to be happening. And illegal speed limits. And improperly signed roads (Folly Bottom, Somerset). And also people getting Nips for going through fixed speed cameras under the speed limit!!!! because they were not checked correctly (at the police HQ before they were sent out). If people dont check the details carefully first this could be happening.

Ill think you will find some interesting points of view at a http://www.safespeed.org.uk/ about speed and safety.

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by AndyB007

Well, it's interesting to those of us involved in vehicle safety!!
....The law of physics dictate that the higher the speed at impact, the more energy must be rapidly absorbed by hard metal, soft flesh and brittle bone. If you hit a pedestrian while driving at 20 mph, the pedestrian has a 95% chance of survival. If you hit a pedestrian while driving at 30mph, the survival chance is 80%. But if you hit a pedestrian while driving at 40mph, the pedestrian's chances of survival is just 10% (20% for a child)......

Andy
These speed figure are not as cut and dried as the government would have you believe Look at this Des

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Tim M

[color=black]Someone (let's just call him "Bob") was driving................................color]

I'll tell you what, why dont you get Bob to tell the authorities that that you were driving?
That way it will get Bob and his parents off the hook?
Common. You can afford it.

[randski]

Originally Posted by Swifty

Mate of mine got a speeding ticket together with a letter of appology.

It seems he was driving his lorry at 60 on a road that was NSL. Trouble is he's only allowed to do 50 in a lorry (so I was told),so how was he caught?

Mind you I am taking my license in peril soon, going to Cornwall... Isnt that where they breed cameras?

Over 7.5 ton 40 not 50.
Gatso's can measure the size of lorrys (area) as they pass.
Yes watch the cameras on the A30

[pressman]

I got caught on the Tolpuddle bypass dual carriageway no traffic dry conditions doing 81mph. I was driving my WRX impretza at the time.

Thought i saw a flash but was not sure. I did and paid the fine and took the points. Temporary camera on the kerb of a layby!!

After all this months later someone asked if there was any warnings of cameras in operation and did i check the camera had been callibrated.??

Whilst talking with apoliceman he said trouble is a beaten up ford fiesta (no offence meant) that has only just scraped through it's mot could be less safe doing a speed within the speed limit, than modern cars with all the safety gear.

But the limits are there for A reason i suppose

[codprawn]

South Wales are one of the worst areas for mobile cameras in the back of vans. They only come out when the weather is good and people are likely to be going fast.

They say they are "safety" cameras and yet you can go as fast as you like in fog/rain and at night cos they are never out!!! I have noticed that people now drive faster on the M4 in bad conditions - on a nice sunny day you KNOW the vans will be there!!!

Surely if they really WERE for safety they would clamp down on speed in the wrong conditions???

As to speed humps and all the other so called traffic "calming" the money could be far better spent elsewhere. A typical housing estate will cost about £500,000 for such measures - or you can have 4 heart surgeons - wonder which would save more lives???

[Dirk Diggler]

Originally Posted by codprawn

A typical housing estate will cost about £500,000 for such measures - or you can have 4 heart surgeons - wonder which would save more lives???

Not really a very good comparison, unless these heart surgeons work on there own out the back of a van also!

[AndyB007]

Originally Posted by Scary Des

Andy
These speed figure are not as cut and dried as the government would have you believe Look at this Des

... but the article you refer to relates to causality of speed and accident frequency, not injury levels.

We do pedestrian impact tests - trust me, it's scary!


Andy


ps - perhaps all cars should have a big inflated tube around them as well as our RIBs - Might solve quite a few problems!!

[Gray]

Just seen on the news the number of offences caught on camers whether it be red light offences, speed offences or bus lane offences is up 6% and as much as i hate to admit it, its us men that are the worst...9 out of 10 offences committed by us!