Speed camera in Brighton

TiTheRev

Tozer wrote: »

I didn't think cameras could zap cars on the other side of the road as there was a concern of the flash being directed right at them.

It's happened to me before, but I was near the middle of the road passing parked cars

Conor_3

TiTheRev wrote: »

How on earth could anyone proof they couldn't have been doing more than 32???

With the timed photos the camera takes. It shows the car going over the markings which are a preset distance. Using that and the known time between the two photos, you can work out the speed being done.

TiTheRev

Conor wrote: »

With the timed photos the camera takes. It shows the car going over the markings which are a preset distance. Using that and the known time between the two photos, you can work out the speed being done.

I appreciate how the camera works, but was more interested how they could dispute the 'actual' speed done verus the speed clocked by the camera...

There's another camera at a site near this in Brighton, on Ditchling Road, which zapped someone at 38mph, and it was later proved in Court, and accepted by the prosecution, that they couldn't have been doing more than 32. So don't take their "evidence" as gospel.

hewhoisnotintheknow

tavarishink wrote: »

I know a few people who have been flashed & fined both there at at the Woodingdean one, when they swear they never went over 30. My landlord got a fine for doing "32" mph - didn't even know it was possible to calibrate a camera that precisely? I don't think he had to pay it in the end, but can't remember the whole story as was several years ago ...

You are making the assumption that your speedo is accurate

The cameras might give you 10% + 2mph, but if your speedo is wrong and is Reports that your doing 32 you could be doing more and get flashed

bargepole

TiTheRev wrote: »

I appreciate how the camera works, but was more interested how they could dispute the 'actual' speed done verus the speed clocked by the camera...

Don't think I explained it clearly in the previous post.

As the car approaches the camera, a radar beam is sent out, and if a speed is detected above the threshold, that is recorded, and the camera is set to flash twice a pre-set time later, so that it gets 2 photos of the car on the gridlines.

The speed measured by the radar should then be checked against the speed calculated from how many gridlines were crossed in the 0.5 seconds, and if there is more than a 10% discrepancy, the film should be disregarded.

In the case in question, they went ahead with the prosecution, but the defendant was able to point out their error in court.

TiTheRev

hewhoisnotintheknow wrote: »

You are making the assumption that your speedo is accurate

The cameras might give you 10% + 2mph, but if your speedo is wrong and is Reports that your doing 32 you could be doing more and get flashed

My SatNav shows current speed to check against known speed restrictions, and compared to my speedo it's approx 3/4mph lower than the speedo. So, if im shown as doing 32 on the speedo, it was 28 on the Sat Nav! Rather that way around, than the other :rotfl:

Cardelia

Just a couple more details - it was quite late at night and the road was deserted apart from me, so I was the only thing which could have set it off. Also, I had driven past the same camera a few times before and it didn't flash me. I suppose it's possible that in the couple of weeks since I last drove that way my speedo could have become inaccurate, but I would have thought that was highly unlikely.

I'll give it 2 weeks and try to remember to come back and post an update.

hewhoisnotintheknow

TiTheRev wrote: »

My SatNav shows current speed to check against known speed restrictions, and compared to my speedo it's approx 3/4mph lower than the speedo. So, if im shown as doing 32 on the speedo, it was 28 on the Sat Nav! Rather that way around, than the other :rotfl:

so what if the 4 mph was the other way, or would vw not be so silly

boyse7en

Speedometers are set to read high by the manufacturers. The legal requirement for a speedo is that it can read up to 10% over, but 0% under, actual speed, so they are always made so that they read high.

So if you are doing exactly 60mph, your speedo could anywhere between 60 and 66.5mph, but it wouldn't read 59mph.

It's unlikely that your speedo has suddenly become any more inaccurate, certainly such that it is reading too slow compared to your actual speed. You could make it mis-read under by fitting wheels or tyres that make the circumferance of the wheels larger.

Cardelia

Just to update everyone, the 2 week deadline passed on Monday and I've had nothing through the post.

Apparently one of my girlfriend's housemates was also flashed by the camera despite not speeding and she didn't get a ticket either, so it looks like that particular camera isn't working correctly.