Monday evening I was going through Avely in SW Essex with a pupil driving the car. As an oncoming car passed us there were two bright flashes ala our friend the Gatso, but a check all round failed to see any evidence of such. At the end of the village, we turned at the roundabout and retraced our route. Even driving sub 20mph it took a good look before I spotted the fiend. Painted dark blue, mounted on a tri-pod and standing no more than waist height behind a lamp-post was a temporary camera. It would have been very difficult for the poor sod who was flashed to see it, as it was neatly camouflaged among the surrounding street furniture. Nothing about his approach had suggested anything more than a nominal amount over the limit anyway. It's easy to tell if an oncoming car is really going for it.
Parked out of view down a side road was a blue van with a picture of a camera proudly displayed on it's side, along with the legend "Speed Check Unit". I would assume that the two ars... gentlemen sitting inside it were civillian contractors. They must have thought Xmas had come that night, even on the short time we were there three drivers got flashed. What a way to earn a living!
What made it more galling was that the camera was set up on the "safe" side of the road, no houses, shops etc., just fields. They really are starting to take the P with these things, I'm sure the govt think they have found a lovely little backdoor for extracting at least £60 a year from the 30 million licence holders in this country, no awkward questions in Parliament either.
FIGHT BACK! Never pay up until you have been sent the offending picture, see if the system can cope with the demand. Even better take your right to appear in court and state your case. As I've said here before, if we all done that the system would certainly break down. If it sounds like this is becoming something of an obsession with me, your right, it is!
Watch out, you could be next. If you drive for a living, it don't take long for them points to mount up.
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Not a camera but sneaky all the same, visited some friends one day to see parked outside an old Standard Vanguard painted in that horrible Army sludge green.
Up the road was parked a plain van with a radar in it, and of course they were nicking em like good uns. The radar was just round a fairly open left hander and the Vanguard blocked your view of the radar.
When it came time to pack up, I am sure some of you are ahead of me already here, plod 1 gets in van, plod 2 gets in Standard. Taking the P?
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Wontee, is that you red CBR in a past life...?
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Heard of a sneaky way to get out of having points on your licence but could just be baloney - let's see what the Backroom thinks....
You are caught speeding and are sent a fixed penalty for £60.
You send a cheque for £61 - yes, £61.
PC Plod sends you backa cheque for £1.
PC Plod only processes the points allocation upon the cashing of the above £1
You throw the £1 cheque away.
Bingo - no points.
What's the verdict on this one then?
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An urban myth I'm afraid, Guy. When you get a fixed penalty notice you have to send your licence off with the fine. I couldn't see you getting it back clean no matter how much you paid.
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Tom,
You said you had a pupil driving - some sort of racing driver school ?
I think it's a bit sneaky when drivers break the law and speed when they think nobody's watching. I think it's a bit cheeky when they complain about being caught.
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I was not caught speeding, because we were within the limit as is always the case on a driving lesson. Every day I see drivers jump lights, weave from lane to lane to force their way in front of everybody else, drive within feet of the vehicle in front, etc. etc. etc.These are the practices which cause accidents, and which those engaged in policing the traffic laws should be concentrating.
Most of the people caught in speed traps are commiting an offence which, danger wise, is about on a par with parking on a yellow line. Do you always stick strictly to the speed limit? I bet you don't. Like 99% of drivers you drive at a speed which would get you summoned if every yard of your journey was monitored. And like most drivers you do this without causing any danger to anyone. The really over the top speeders will fall foul of a police patrol sooner rather than later anyway.
Speed cameras are an easy way of making the clear-up rate for motoring offences look good, without making any difference to the accident rate. They are a symptom of the current obsession with spin, it doesn't matter if something works or not as long as it can be made to appear to work.
And it makes a lot of money for HMG.
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All these are familiar standard grumbles about speed cameras. The situation is as it is because (a) speeding is esaily measured by technology, therefore being better than a 'his word against mine' which often applies otherwise, and (b) the rules of the game are biased in Plod's favour - not fair!
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What puzzles me about all these cameras is that if you are in a derestricted stretch of road they will only catch people doing 60mph (+ a fair bit). What about HGV's -limited to 40mpg on trunk roads and 50mph on dual carriageways. Minibuses -50mph on trunks, 60mph on dual carriageways. If the government is intent on cracking down on ALL speeders how do the speed cameras adjust to catch out those driving 14 kids in a minibus above the legal speed?!!! Me thinks they don't!?
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I suppose the simple answer to speed camaras is to not break the speed limit or is that a little nieve(I am not sure I spelt that corrrectly)
Andy Bairsto
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Wontee wrote:
> I think it's a bit sneaky when drivers break the law and
> speed when they think nobody's watching.
Shame you don't show the same disaproval for those who kill, crash and maim.
IIRC 2 per cent of crashes have speed as a factor. 75 per cent involve innapropriate action at a junction.
The wontees of this world are quite content with 98 per cent of the carnage on our road. It's just the speeding that bugs them.
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I suggest Dave checks the statistics again. 2% is not the figure I remember reading. Perhaps it's a number he uses to make him feel speeding is really unimportant. Most drivers will not have an accident most of the time, even if they are 20 or 30% over the speed limit. However, most limits are there as a compromise between safety for the residents (or other users) and convenience (or enjoyment) of the driver. Just compromise a bit more, that's all.
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I appologise if it's not the figure you have in mind (which you don't quote) however it is the figure quoted in Hansard from a recent debate.
I fully accept that if it doesn't match the figure you have in your head it must be innacurate.
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Andrew Tarr wrote:
>
> Perhaps it's a number he uses to
> make him feel speeding is really unimportant.
Let me put it this way. I see drivers speeding all the time. No problem since there is little danger to me.
Drivers pulling out of junctions without looking forcing me to brake hard occurs less frequently . However I deplore this behaviour because it scares me stupid and is the one thing that could potentially cause my death.
So yeah. I feel killing poeple in crashes is more important than driving at 71mph on the M4 at 5am.
Shame not everyone agrees with me.
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Tom,
I really do stick to speed limits that I'm aware of. Like everyone else I get caught out on unfamiliar roads with varying speed limits. As for the tailgaters, red light jumpers etc. being more dangerous than speedsters. They're invariably the same people!
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I suppose another way of looking at it would be to see the odd fine as just a random penalty for all the other times when one speeded and got away with it.
Speeding fines are optional, after all.
Cliff Pope
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I must say I do not agree with speeding but in the UK speeding punishments are out of all proportion to the offence .Three points for an offence and nine points and your banned .In Germany
you have one point if you exceed the limit in town buy 25% and buy 30% in the pampas,they grow with the percentage you are above the limit so as not to punish the absent minded to much and to hammer the real speed freaks.You are allowed upto 22 points before your banned and the points last two years,one thing when you reach sixteen points in a year you are asked to go and see a phyciatrist for an assesment to drive.
Andy Bairsto
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Tom Shaw wrote:
>
> FIGHT BACK! Never pay up until you have been sent the
> offending picture, see if the system can cope with the
> demand. Even better take your right to appear in court and
> state your case. As I've said here before, if we all done
> that the system would certainly break down. If it sounds like
> this is becoming something of an obsession with me, your
> right, it is!
Funny how the poilice are happy to caution for offences such as shopplifting and drugs related offences but speeding results in a conviction every time.
It's backfired though. Being a policeman used to be a matter of pride, now by their relentless persecution of the motorist they've become social lepers.
Example.
I was getting off a train at Victoria the other day and about 300 people got of 'my' train and walked past two rozzers. I imagine there was a time when everyone would have give them a cheery nod.
I watched.
The attidude of my fellow travelers was total disgust. Everyone avoided eye contact, and many (like 10 per cent) showed outward signs of disapproval.
The police have made criminals of a whole nation.
W*****s.
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Nice little story told to me by a friend of mine. His brother was driving his van along the Heads of the Valleys road here in Soth Wales. Mr Plod was in a layby in one of those camera vans that have a window removed.
My friends brother drove into the layby. fairly close to the police van, opened the bonnet on the Transit, shook his head and just sat in the van,blocking camera's view of oncoming traffic. After 15 to 20 minutes Mr Plod packed up and drove off. Not a word was exchanged between them.
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The number of accidents where excess speed is *the* cause is between 4 and 6% dependant upon which bit of the independant research you read. If you include accidents where excess speed is one of the contributory factors then it rises to 22%. But if you then read the Government stuff once the civil servants have had there hands on it its difficult to believe that they have started with the same report and data.
Biggest cause is inappropriate driver judgement, I forget the exact wording, but thats what it means, therefore spend money in driver education, that means education for all of us irrespective. We have to get away from the prevalent attitude of " I'm all right, it's all the others that are the problem" We can all improve, and want to do so, especially me.
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Woohoo, it appears i have an allie in this world.
I whole heartedly agree that there should be more driver training, for example, once you pass your driving test you can forget everything that was said or taught, and drive your way. you are taught at lowish speed around town, then you can up and go on the motorway at significantly higher speeds with no more training? O sorry, there is training, you have to pay mind you..............
Whether we like it or not, we should be retested every 5 or so years, free mind you, to make sure we are still fit to drive.
Inadequate training should not be an excuse, its not allowed for train/bus/plane drivers, so why should car drivers be differant?
Kev
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I live out in the sticks so a "Rural Myth" it is then.....
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