http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13106832,00.html

have a look here, new speed cameras can detect you a mile away!
this is a another sad day for motorists [V]

Chris

Why is it a sad day? Speeding is illegal and dangerous, especially in built up areas.

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Uno 1.0ie Start. Standard.

Come on paul - dont start this again - lol

I have a bling* bling* shiny blue thing

Yeah, but to try and catch people a mile off is just stupid, they put them in for a safety reason, not money making, i dont speed through towns or built up areas but dont mind putting my foot down on the open road. another money making scheme and trying to catch more motorists out. I bet you can not say you have been driving down a 30moh road, check the spedo and realised it was over 30mph accidently, but this speed camera a mile down the road has caught an innocent driver.

Chris

Yeah i agree with you Chris - i think cameras are a good idea if they are in an area for safety, but infact in most places they are just there to make money, the village where i live there are four cameras, and its about a mile long - thats just stupid!

I have a bling* bling* shiny blue thing

I agree with both of you - speed cameras are not there for safety primarily but as a cash cow for the government. The motorists [well the legal ones who pay taxes, insurance, etc] are an easy target.

We live near a SPECS system, on a 50 limit dualcarriageway. Every sticks at 50, for the whole length, or else. BUT a 735 BMW with two pykies came screaming past us all, not a care in the world. Untraceable - now, if I had sped up to catch them and make a citizens arrest, [ok, I wouldn't but hey], who would get caught by the cameras - I would also be locked up for aggravated assault as well, or something.

I don't speed in 30 or restricted limits, but feel that open roads with nationals are fair game.

Stu

Fiat Ulysse 2.2JTD Eleganza, 53 plate, with options Angel Tuning [see ad] tuned

Quoting the Sky News article
...the distance from which the cameras can be used breaks promises to ensure measures to combat speeding are conspicuous to drivers.

Click to expand...

It's hard enough to spot a regular hand-held camera; the mobile units don't even have to place any warning signs. These things are purely to extract money, they have nothing to do with safety at all. In fact quite the opposite; what poses a greater hazard, a line of drivers doing 65 on a dual carriageway, all staring at the speedo and trying to spot those b***ard yellow boxes and mobile camera units, or the same drivers doing 70-80, all free to concentrate on actually driving?
I know which I'd prefer to drive alongside.
It's getting more and more likely that I'll have to invest £400 in a GPS/laser/radar detector so that these f***ers don't get me [xx(]

At least if a copper catches you over the limit he/she will take road conditions and weather into consideration. These are just to make money

Sie
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My mates dad got done for doing 32mph in a 30 zone - its obvious its money making! When they set speed traps etc. its not going to stop people from speeding and they know it! they set it where it is most likely they would speed,normally on a open rd - not really dangerous and then start clicking away and then the pounds come rolling in! I think they are hoping people will use public transport but don't get me started on that[!]

I have a bling* bling* shiny blue thing

pisses me off cos there's a stretch of road where i always see c**ts doing 50/60 and it's a 30 road. they never get caught!

Sie
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Originally posted by Stuart Ash

I don't speed in 30 or restricted limits, but feel that open roads with nationals are fair game.

Stu

Fiat Ulysse 2.2JTD Eleganza, 53 plate, with options Angel Tuning [see ad] tuned

Click to expand...

I agree with that poing

I thought I got stung the other day, was doing about 60MPH on 50MPH stretch, it's a bloody dual carriage way in the middle of nowhere.

I was late for work as (usual, ok my fault) and thought better hurry up a bit, usually I don't speed on that 50 bit becuase I've seen them there before.

Is it not enough that I have to pay for my car, my maintance of it, the price of insurance, and not to mention the £40 a week just getting to work ffs!! That they have to try and get MORE money from me, basterds!!

Anyway been about a month now, just wood won't come through!! [}]

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Only a few weeks ago, went up to Lincolnshire in the Ulysse with my family.

SUnday morning, 9.20am, clear blue skies, just come out from Corby on the A43 heading north. An old boy in his Range Rover doing 45/50 in some Nationals, queue of traffic. We spent a few long miles behind him, saw a long straight road, middle of nowhere, pulled out and booted it [thanks Nige ]. Got round next bend, probably doing over 70, but easing off - yes, a camera van in the distance!!! Maybe sh33n may know this bit of road.

I was so shocked, I didn't slow down fast enough. BUT been over 3 weeks ago, still no NIP come through. Aargh. I bet that old boy was a plant, just driving slowly up and down forcing people to overtake him...

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ive seen those little hand held laser buggers being used...the policeman parked down a hidden footpath so people didn't see him till it was too late....luckily for my mate driving the pigs had already pulled someone over ahead of us so we had a lucky escape. also theres a dual carridge way near me thats been reduced to 30 in some places which is just stupid, it just causes more traffic and they whack a speed camera just after the traffic lights where overone tries to overtake the lorries....

Handheld and mobile lasers have been used in Norway for over 10 years. I remember using one when I was doing my duty in the Norwegian army as an MP. Maybe I didn't read this correctly, but haven't there been lasers in the UK until now? The lasers give 100% accurate speed.

Morten.


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When i was coming back from scotland, james was driving down the motorway and he did put his foot down - and then we spotted a police van with one of the b4st4rd cameras peeping out of the back so he did ease off unsure whether we got caught, am not sure whether to expect anything now, as it was beginning of may, but laser/camera on a bloody motorway[!]

I have a bling* bling* shiny blue thing

Can't reply properly but what people seem to be saying is:

Why should speed cameras be able to clock you a mile off? They should only be able to pick you up when you see them so that you get the chance to slow down. Well what's the point in that?! DO you want your kid to be run over by a speeding driver? Why do you state drink driving is awful and then saying speeding is ok, it's not, that's why we have laws - this country is far too overcrowded to not have anything.

I mean what I say when I do say it serves you all right (even Stuart!) for getting caught, if you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime!

Sammi, the absolute minimum they can do you for is the speed limit plus 10% (because speedos on cars are approximately up this far out as a rule). Most forces, and the general rules followed by the UK can be found by simple searching on the net, my previous research showed it to be 34mph in a 30 zone and 80mph on a motorway. Quite reasonable really!



My personal feelings are that there are plenty of areas that should be 20 limits (highly built up areas), the majority of 30 limits are right BUT there are a lot of roads which are set too low for what the road can actually handle, e.g. 50 limits on roads which could easily be 60, 40 limits on Nottingham ringroad (with SPECS) is just absurd, the road could easily handle 50. My other belief is motorway limits should now be increased to 80/85mph following long term advances in the mass majority of cars braking systems etc. An unlimited speed could lead to a number of accidents for some time whilst people get used to it, also a number of cars on our roads can't handle speeds in excess of 100mph and a large difference in car speeds is extremely dangerous.

The general (i emphasise general) trend is that speed cameras ARE placed in accident hot spots - at least in Nottinghamshire this is achieved - obviously with the odd exception.

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Uno 1.0ie Start. Standard.

Oh and apart from the above, I am not going to argue this point anymore, i do it too often, make too many enemies for it and it doesn't make a gram of difference! I will continue to abide by speed limits.

Paul

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Uno 1.0ie Start. Standard.

The specs system is flawed anyway.... as long as you notice when you passed the firstone, you can reduce your speed accordingly to make the average drop below the speed limit...

Drastic measure if you passed first one really fast would be to pull onto the hard shoulder for a min or two....

I've got the plug in for Tom Tom on my iPAQ which lists the specs locations, and as you pass the firstone, keeps your *average* speed on screen so you know how much you need to slow ....

ben

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The message speed cameras give out is "Hey, drive as badly as you like, just do it slowly and you'll get away with it". So let's all drive at 20mph everywhere, paying f**k-all attention to what's actually happening around us, and nobody will ever get killed.

The little group of halfwits that make up the government of this country need to realise that crap driving causes accidents. Slow-witted and inattentive drivers need to be weeded out and banned from driving altogether; as an example, I've been driving just over 3 years now, rarely sticking to speed limits unless there's either a good reason for that limit (i.e. 20/30 in built-up areas, near schools etc), and I haven't crashed once or even come close. In contrast, a girl I used to go to school with, who passed her test a few months after me, always stuck to the speed limits, yet wrote off three cars in the space of a year, each time due to her own carelessness.

Yet I'm the one who, in the eyes of the law, should have fines and points imposed. Speed cameras, had any of them managed to clock me, would have banned me long ago, while allowing this girl to continue driving despite her inability to control a car. Cameras are an utterly s**te method of enforcing "road safety", and serve only to rake in lots of money for the government to waste.

Good point! Before I start, no offence taken, Paul.

I have been driving for over 14 years. The cameras are there for a reason, revenue making. If I drove around like a t*at round built up areas and schools, etc, then yes, I deserve all I get - bang me up, rogered senseless and otherwise [V] - but I don't. But the cameras aren't in these areas because they wouldn't make any/much money because most law-abiding citizens are sensible.

I do drive faster in Nationals, and if safe to do so. I know my own capabilities. Even on the M1 I pull above 100, always aware of bridges with camera sites and such like. But do tend to stick it under that - if an unmarked car gets me, fair enough, but at least I can talk to a policeman face to face, and plead insanity, lol.

This old fart driving at 45/50 in Nationals [see above post]. Is he really that safe? I very much doubt it. I bet he is one of the tw*ts who drives that speed in Nationals AND in restricted zones - just been lucky - probably never caused an accident in his life, seen thousands.

In the old days, Police would take sight of prevailing conditions, etc. Not any more! The judgement has been taken away from them! The CPS will prosecute the easy cases, and not bother pursuing the others [i.e. how many uninsured/untaxed cars go through cameras - are they really chased up - No, you and me get the forms instead, quick £60 or whatever, easy!]

And yes, Specs is flawed. We have two stretches near us. If I know I am pulling off in between, I will boot it accordingly. If I am not going to hit the second camera, so what. If it is a dual carriageway - kids, schools, whatever, are never near. For them to get on there, the little blighters would have to climb over barriers, etc. Then blame the parents instead for lack of education.

Stu [^]

Fiat Ulysse 2.2JTD Eleganza, 53 plate, with options Angel Tuning [see ad] tuned