Please Help, Flashed But Not Speeding

catz747

Hello,

Well not sure if it was for me or the coach in front, I was quite close to the coach, I was doing 50 in a 50 zone, and the coach maybe a fraction faster than me. I knew the camera was there (static camera on the A15) and it double flashed - I'm not sure if it flashed the back of the coach or the top of my car, or the back of my car, but why would it

Any ideas?? please, I hope they're not going to claim I was speeding :eek:

anewman

Only worry if you *were* speeding. A few MPH over won't usually be a problem.

catz747

Definitely I wasn't, and I didn't think the coach was either, I go down there every week so know where the cameras are (not that I would speed the rest of the road )

Checked my speedo after the flash & it was dead on 50

One time I thought I got flashed by the one facing the other way but nothing ever came through - must have been the opposite facing traffic

balsingh

chances are there was a fault with the camera. I have seen cameras flashing all drivers regardless of speed.

bargepole

catz747 wrote: »

Any ideas?? please, I hope they're not going to claim I was speeding

I wouldn't put anything past the Scamera stealth tax collectors, they must be getting desperate for revenue now that high fuel prices are making people drive at slower speeds.

If you're the Registered Keeper of the car, they must send you a NIP/S172 notice within 14 days. If they do, fill in the form confirming the driver details, but if you're certain you weren't speeding, do NOT pay the fixed penalty.

This may lead to a summons, and they should also send you the two photos taken by the camera. By calculating the distance travelled between the two photos, using the gridlines on the road, and the time interval between flashes (printed on the photos), you can calculate your actual speed, and decide whether to fight the bar stewards in court.

catz747

:eek: that sounds technical!! I'll be back on here if they send me anything

I'm not the registered keeper, so I'm sure my husband will be dead impressed if something turns up.

If that's how they work out the speed, it makes me wonder if it was the coach, I still don't think the coach was speeding though either!!

Will wait and see, definitely I wasn't speeding - unless the speedo is faulty! - has just has it's MOT and service though (not sure if that makes a difference)

Thanks for your help people

:T

tomstickland

anewman wrote: »

Only worry if you *were* speeding. A few MPH over won't usually be a problem.

Having read a few accounts regarding slap-dash attitudes to intrinsic errors caused by reflections and oblique angles of laser systems, I'd disagree with this statement. A few years ago I realised that the aim was to net as many fines as possible, regardless of common sense or decency.

Conor_3

Different classes of vehicles have different speed limits. For example in a 50 limit on a single carriageway, the legal maximum for a HGV is 40MPH so if the camera was of the type there are which can distinguish between car and HGV, it'd flash even though the lorry was doing 50 or less.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Gatsos can easily distinguish vehicle types from the strength of the returned radar signal. The bus probably set it off. The lines on the road should corroborate your speed (however there is controversy over the lack of any meaningful testing of power supplies to these cameras, and their ability to correct time the interval between flashes).

gner_ex

Conor wrote: »

Different classes of vehicles have different speed limits. For example in a 50 limit on a single carriageway, the legal maximum for a HGV is 40MPH so if the camera was of the type there are which can distinguish between car and HGV, it'd flash even though the lorry was doing 50 or less.

Remember that a lower speed limit also applies to a van of 2 tonnes or more - see http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/speedmanagement/vanspeedlimits

If your speedo said dead on 50, then you were probably doing about 48, so they'll look through the photos, see you're a car and he's a bus, and realise that no offence has been committed.