Gatso Camera- Catch oncoming traffic?

[Sideways]

Hi

I got flashed by a Gatso Speed Camera on Sat. The camera was positioned on the opposite side of the road, facing to take pictures of cars driving away from it. I was driving towards it, there were 'white lines' on both sides of the road but only one camera. The camera flashed twice. There were no cars on the other side of the road so I can only assume it was me who triggered the camera.

I wasn't speeding as such, 34mph max in a 30 zone. I know technically this is breaking the law, If I have to take the fine I will. I have been driving for over 20 years and have a clean licence.

Can Gatso cameras catch oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the road?

I have read that the Gatso is not type-approved in the UK to catch oncoming traffic because the flash could temporarily blind drivers, is this still the case?

Should I expect a ticket in the post soon?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

A worried driver. :(

[hewhoisnotintheknow]

if it was on the other side you can cross your fingers and hope that it was only for traffic going the opposite way, allthough i assume most cameras are forward facing to stop speeders wiggling out of tickets saying it was not them driving as there is no face picture as proof

[jscalow]

dont worry !

it was triggered by the cars on the other side of the road, doesn't matter what speed you were doing it was catching them.

Drive happy.

[Sideways]

dont worry !

it was triggered by the cars on the other side of the road, doesn't matter what speed you were doing it was catching them.

Drive happy.

But, as I mentioned in the OP, there was no passing car on the other side, the road was clear.

[roddydogs]

Gatsos often flash for the wrong side, even if no vehicle is passing, their would be no markings in the road on your side anyway, which their needs to be for a Gatso

[Sideways]

Gatsos often flash for the wrong side, even if no vehicle is passing, their would be no markings in the road on your side anyway, which their needs to be for a Gatso

There were markings on my side too, I went back to double check.

One camera, both sides of the road with lines, this is not uncommon.

[bargepole]

Can Gatso cameras catch oncoming traffic on the opposite side of the road?

I have read that the Gatso is not type-approved in the UK to catch oncoming traffic because the flash could temporarily blind drivers, is this still the case?

There is such a thing as a forward facing Gatso, but these do not flash, they use an infra red image.

It looks like you went past a standard Gatso set up to capture traffic in the opposite direction, that type flashes after you've passed it, to get images of the car on the gridlines to corroborate the radar reading.

It often happens, however, that these can be set off by a vehicle passing in the opposite direction, due to reflected or "ghost" images. In this case it won't have a photo of your car on the gridlines, so your chances of getting a ticket are about the same as those of Russel Brand becoming the next presenter of Songs of Praise.

[astreix]

Hi


I wasn't speeding as such, 34mph max in a 30 zone. I know technically this is breaking the law, If I have to take the fine I will. I have been driving for over 20 years and have a clean licence.


How do you know you were doing 34mph? Was that the speed shown on your speedometer?

What many people do not realise that by law car speedometer are allowed to overindicate the speed by upto 10% (but they can't underindicate). Hence in most cases you would be going slightly slower than what you speedometer indicates.

A good way to see this is if you have a gps system, compare the speed when driving on your gps and your speedo. you will see that there is a difference.

[withabix]

DEFINITIVE ANSWER:

It is possible to trigger a Gatso camera when travelling towards it.

HOWEVER, the photographs CANNOT be used to prosecute you.

In fact, due to the angle of the Gatso to the traffic on your side of the road and the way they work, there will almost certainly only be one photograph showing your registration number, not the two required to prosecute, so even if they were allowed to use them (which they aren't), they wouldn't have the required evidence.


Don't worry about it.

[banger9365]

you will have to wait 14days to find out good luck

[Sideways]

DEFINITIVE ANSWER:

It is possible to trigger a Gatso camera when travelling towards it.

HOWEVER, the photographs CANNOT be used to prosecute you.

In fact, due to the angle of the Gatso to the traffic on your side of the road and the way they work, there will almost certainly only be one photograph showing your registration number, not the two required to prosecute, so even if they were allowed to use them (which they aren't), they wouldn't have the required evidence.


Don't worry about it.

Cheers, I feel a little more relaxed about it now but, as banger says, I will have to wait a couple of weeks to be certain.

I will come back to this post in three weeks and let you know if I got a ticket. This info may be of use to others who find themselves in the same boat.

[pianeet]

There were markings on my side too, I went back to double check.

One camera, both sides of the road with lines, this is not uncommon.
the reason they have markings on both sides is to stop you driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid the camera markings on your side of the road.

[bargepole]

I will come back to this post in three weeks and let you know if I got a ticket.
If you have, I'll be looking forward to Sunday's episode of Songs of Praise, hosted by Russell Brand!

[Sideways]

:j

Almost three weeks and no ticket!

:j

[Thunderbird]

nothing to worry about then (Apart from paying more attention to the speed limit in the future!)

Happy motoring

[sarahg1969]

"nothing to worry about then (Apart from paying more attention to the speed limit in the future!)"

The OP says he was doing around 34 - if that's what the speedo said, he probably wasn't even speeding. It probably wouldn't have been the speed that set off the Gatso anyway - more like a fault.

[Berisford]

was it on the A68?

[Thunderbird]

"nothing to worry about then (Apart from paying more attention to the speed limit in the future!)"

The OP says he was doing around 34 - if that's what the speedo said, he probably wasn't even speeding. It probably wouldn't have been the speed that set off the Gatso anyway - more like a fault.

Ok, agreed ;) .

But if he was doing 30, would he have been worried of the flashing camera? Hence the second part of the comment :A :D

[Charic]

Hi Sideways
Same thing happened to me on the A96 (dual-carriageway)coming out of Aberdeen? Accelerate off the roundabout too quickly and you'll get flashed from the Eastbound Gatso designed for motorists exceeding the limit coming into Aberdeen (40mph) Like yourself, I was taken by surprise, and so at the next roundabout, at the Airport junction, I went back to check and got flashed again? so something triggers the system? On the second run, I could quite clearly see the GATSO, from my side of the road, so naturally. it can see me, but no markings on the Westbound carriageway, so no NIPS which can take upto 14 Working Days, not including public holidays or weekends. The authorities do have licence to send the NIPS later, it has been known for some motorists to get a ticket many weeks after the event, especially if the car is not owned by you?
The next camera Westbound, at the Overton junction can face either way so look at the way the camera is facing here(if there are bright luminous stripes on the back of the camera, its set to look at you as you pass) but it still surprises me how many people still slam on the brakes at the last minute and pull over into the left hand lane while doing 60mph....if they dont know the speeds on a dual-carriage then they should'nt drive on them, no wonder there are so many hold-ups!
And regarding the speed limits..if the sign says 30 then that is the maximum legally permitted speed........if you choose to drive any faster on that stretch of road, then yes, you are a CRIMINAL in the eyes of the law.