Speeding, fact or fiction?? - Illyun please read!

[Rog]

    My wife has been done twice in the last 4 years, once by a fixed camera ( 36mph in a 30 limit ) and more recently by a mobile van ( 48mph in a 40 limit ).  I then invested in a copy of the 'Drivers Survival Handbook' which you see advertised frequently in the back of car mags.  There is some good stuff in it but if you want to get off scot free then you have to go to court and obviously risk a bigger fine plus tonnes of hassel.  What I did was to drag out the procedure for as long as possible and make ' Thames Valley Camera Partnership' earn their 60 quid. Following processes in the book I managed to drag out things for over 6 months with them having to supply loads of information before my wife was able to 'respond correctly to their allegations'.
    If every convicted motorist went through this process the system would grind to a halt, unfortunately most of us are law abiding and as soon as we get a notice of intended prosecution we pay the fine and send off our licences straight away - DON'T!!!  We all know it's the government raising additional revenue eg another stealth tax - make them work for the money.  I reckon that with all the correspondence we had it cost them more than 60 notes with their secreterial work.

[volks695]

In a word, NO!! it wont work its a pure myth 

[illyun]

I'm wondering... by law do mobile units have to place camera signs before their positions - even if they are a mile away?... scraping the bottom of the barrel here   

[RedRobin]

Sorry to read you might have been caught speeding (if over 70 rather than the 30 or 40 limits). I've had two in my GTI and both for 93 mph on dry dual carriageway. Driving in the UK sucks compared with Germany where you don't feel you're being victimised and are much more inclined to follow the limits without being told to. If you think that someone is hiding behind a hedge to get you, it's more difficult to feel relaxed and focussed on your driving - A very unhealthy driving culture in the UK.

[Rhyso]

I'm wondering... by law do mobile units have to place camera signs before their positions - even if they are a mile away?... scraping the bottom of the barrel here   

don't mobile units have to calibrate their laser each day? ask to see the calibration for the day. 

watched a program on ITV the other week (possibly not the most reliable source of information) and it showed someone testing a mobile laser detector which wasn't properly calibrated.  they pointed it at a fixed speed camera and it was showing 5mph  on a stationary object!!

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I'm wondering... by law do mobile units have to place camera signs before their positions - even if they are a mile away?... scraping the bottom of the barrel here   

That is a very technical area.  The road in question should have warning signs within 1mile of "safety camera vans", although there is a general "get-out" clause which states something like "except for exceptional circumstances".  So if it was a scamera van, and NOT a uniformed police officer - and you have never seen them before or since at that location, then you aint got a leg to stand on.  However, if the scamera van is there on a daily basis, and has been so for a notable period, then signs must be displayed.  If no signs, then you can prove they are not operating within the ACPO Code of Practice.  <hint, log onto the ACPO website, and download the PDF>! 

If it is uniformed police officers, the signage issues don't apply, but they are still expected to comply with the ACPO CoP.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

Sorry to read you might have been caught speeding (if over 70 rather than the 30 or 40 limits). I've had two in my GTI and both for 93 mph on dry dual carriageway. Driving in the UK sucks compared with Germany where you don't feel you're being victimised and are much more inclined to follow the limits without being told to. If you think that someone is hiding behind a hedge to get you, it's more difficult to feel relaxed and focussed on your driving - A very unhealthy driving culture in the UK.

I fully agree.  Driving in Germany, and indeed most parts of mainland Europe is much more "liberating" than in the UK.  And if you are unlucky enough to get pulled for speeding <cough, Austria, cough>, it is usually just an on the spot fine, with no licence endorsements.

On the flipside, though, there are very hefty penalties for radar and laser detectors.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

I'm wondering... by law do mobile units have to place camera signs before their positions - even if they are a mile away?... scraping the bottom of the barrel here   

don't mobile units have to calibrate their laser each day? ask to see the calibration for the day. 

watched a program on ITV the other week (possibly not the most reliable source of information) and it showed someone testing a mobile laser detector which wasn't properly calibrated.  they pointed it at a fixed speed camera and it was showing 5mph  on a stationary object!!

Yup, daily calibration and alignment checks must be carried out, AND recoreded in a log book.

Also, at each individual site, the same checks must be carried out, so if a scamera van moves from one location to the next, they must have documentary proof they carried out the checks for each position.  This particular point is where many of the scamera vans fail. 

[R98 HUF]

Got done a couple of weeks ago 45 in a 30 ( i know ill get slated) but its the 1st in 15 years!!!!!

Some bloke with a hand held stepped out in front of me, i just signed the form and gave him my licence should i have argued it?

[Rhyso]

Got done a couple of weeks ago 45 in a 30 ( i know ill get slated) but its the 1st in 15 years!!!!!

Some bloke with a hand held stepped out in front of me, i just signed the form and gave him my licence should i have argued it?

deffo argue about it! it is has been calibrated then fair enough but its worth a shot; you're no worse off by asking