Average speed cameras on M1 - less than half abide

lindopski_2

One of the main problems these days are drivers sat in something German thinking that 70 means minimum speed limit. 25 years ago sitting in the slow lane doing 55mph was quite acceptable but in the 'its all about me' millenium age you are obviously !!!!!! for taking it easy.
You only have to see how people approach a motorway or dual carriageway these days, they hammer down the approach ramp at about 80 Miles an hour zipping past everything they can before flicking a right indicator and barging as fast as possible to the fast lane.

30 limits are the best for this new driving mentality, if you stick to 30 to avoid killing pets,children and old people doddering about then you have cars right up your backside - they only slack off ever so slightly if you take her up to about 40 (in a 30). speedo out that much? I doubt it - its morons in a hurry that dont care about anyone else until they roll over them - then they spend years getting help for themselves to deal with what they have done.

Its the 'me generation' that we have nurtured over the last 30-40 years, the recession is well deserved to be honest to give everyone a good hard kick in the nannys and start to think about others again for a change.

martinthebandit

BAA1 wrote: »

Can anyone point me at specific, reliable information that proves car speedos are calibrated to read high.

Or can anyone identify any info that proves car speedos are calibrated at all and if so what specification do speedos comply with.

P.S.
SatNavs may give a reasonable average speed reading when receiving a constant good GPS satellite signal for the required distance that the software uses to calculate speed. But, does the average driver know what the signal quality is at all times and do they know how the software calculates the speed, if not then do not rely on the SatNav speed

European Union member states must also grant type approval to vehicles meeting similar EU standards. The ones covering speedometers [4] [5][6] are similar to the UNECE regulation in that they specify that: The indicated speed must never be less than the actual speed, i.e. it should not be possible to inadvertently speed because of an incorrect speedometer reading. The indicated speed must not be more than 110 percent of the true speed plus 4 km/h at specified test speeds. For example, at 80 km/h, the indicated speed must be no more than 92 km/h.

System

martinthebandit wrote: »

European Union member states must also grant type approval to vehicles meeting similar EU standards. The ones covering speedometers [4] [5][6] are similar to the UNECE regulation in that they specify that: The indicated speed must never be less than the actual speed, i.e. it should not be possible to inadvertently speed because of an incorrect speedometer reading. The indicated speed must not be more than 110 percent of the true speed plus 4 km/h at specified test speeds. For example, at 80 km/h, the indicated speed must be no more than 92 km/h.

Thanks for posting that text, it partly answers my first point, but what I really want is the link to the Type Approval Reference Documentation which would hopefully give details of the calibration test specifications that are used for modern vehicles. In the old days you could look up the British Standard, but the European standards do not seem that well published on the internet yet.

martinthebandit

lindopski wrote: »

One of the main problems these days are drivers sat in something German thinking that 70 means minimum speed limit. 25 years ago sitting in the slow lane doing 55mph was quite acceptable but in the 'its all about me' millenium age you are obviously !!!!!! for taking it easy.
.

Not !!!!!! no, but certainly an inconsiderate driver.

You do know that failing to drive to the speed limit when it is safe to do so is a fail in the driving test, don't you?

Perhaps, instead of complaining about those drivers that do drive in accordance with the skills they have learned prior to passing the driving test, you should be thinking more about why you have let your driving skills lapse?

martinthebandit

BAA1 wrote: »

Thanks for posting that text, it partly answers my first point, but what I really want is the link to the Type Approval Reference Documentation which would hopefully give details of the calibration test specifications that are used for modern vehicles. In the old days you could look up the British Standard, but the European standards do not seem that well published on the internet yet.

Don't know if it is what you want, but try here


http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs21-40.html

Scroll down to regulation 39, it opens as a pdf

Nearly_Old

BAA1 wrote: »

Can anyone point me at specific, reliable information that proves car speedos are calibrated to read high.

Or can anyone identify any info that proves car speedos are calibrated at all and if so what specification do speedos comply with.

In the UK it is the Construction and Use Regulations that follow the EU but with different tolerances:

The amended Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 permits the use of speedometers that meet either the requirements of EC Council Directive 75/443 (as amended by Directive 97/39) or UNECE Regulation 39.[11]
The Motor Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2001[12] permits single vehicles to be approved. As with the UNECE regulation and the EC Directives, the speedometer must never show an indicated speed less than the actual speed. However it differs slightly from them in specifying that for all actual speeds between 25 mph and 70 mph (or the vehicles' maximum speed if it is lower than this), the indicated speed must not exceed 110% of the actual speed, plus 6.25 mph.
For example, if the vehicle is actually travelling at 50 mph, the speedometer must not show more than 61.25 mph or less than 50 mph.

Modern speedometers are generally more consistent but to be safe manufacturers build in some "overread" otherwise they could be in breach of the Regulations.

System

martinthebandit wrote: »

Don't know if it is what you want, but try here


http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs21-40.html

Scroll down to regulation 39, it opens as a pdf

Many thanks, that document confirms that speedometers are calibrated to make sure they never read lower than the actual speed and that the industry and hence the production of car speedos are checked by the authorities at least every two years to ensure they conform to the regulations.

lindopski_2

martinthebandit wrote: »

Not !!!!!! no, but certainly an inconsiderate driver.

You do know that failing to drive to the speed limit when it is safe to do so is a fail in the driving test, don't you?

Perhaps, instead of complaining about those drivers that do drive in accordance with the skills they have learned prior to passing the driving test, you should be thinking more about why you have let your driving skills lapse?

Nice try at defending your pistonhead friends Martin but since when is thundering down an approach ramp at 80 Mph 'driving in accordance with gained skill' - perhaps skills gained at Silverstone on a track day ?

Zipping onto the motorway/dual carriageway and finding the shortest route to the fast lane before hammering off at 135mph.

Undertaking and overtaking everything and anything then moaning on forums that people are 'hogging' the middle lane - when the alleged 'hogger' is doing 80mph himself.

Hitting every 30 limit at 35 minimum as 'the speedo is probably out' - ignoring that its actually just hit 43/4/5 and onwards.

moves over to the right hand lane at every set of lights even though the group were already all above the limit by 5-10 Mph or so.

The only time the cocksureness ends is when they hammer into a little girl that wasnt looking what she was doing - In a 30 limit at 47 Miles an hour, watch her smash against the car slam into a nearby wall and stop breathing.
Then and only then does the 'im the worlds greatest driver' 'tude vanish quickly - and for good!

Thats one nightmare I - and my 'lapsed skills' will never have to face as I dont thunder up the main road at 45 as 'its only the main road - everyone does it'.
I take care where people walk and hide behind parked vehicles, I dont whallop past them 10mph above the limit.
and If I do hit that little girl at 30, in real terms 'alledgedly' I will only be doing about 25-6 mph. A lot less than most others 45mph.

Ill stick to my 'poor' driving skill instead thanks, and leave the nightmares to the other guy.

datostar

Hammyman wrote: »

That is because your 50MPH is in reality 45MPH...

Lorry speedos by law are far more accurate than car ones and checked for calibration every 2 years. As a lorry driver it used to pee me off when you'd get some moron in a car in L2 doing 45MPH as I couldn't go into L3 to go past due to both width restriction and the law banning HGVs from the outside lane of a motorway 3 or more lanes wide.

Good point, and it's not a bad idea to tuck in behind a British registered right hand drive lorry (at a sensible distance - never mind the nonsense about trying to hide from cameras) as there's every chance that his tacho is more accurate than your speedo, and points risk his livelihood. And for the cruise control fans - if it's combined with a speed limiter use that instead and you've got full control over minor variations in the speed of the traffic flow.

neilmcl

Getting back to the OP and to try and clarify a couple of things. If the OP is referring to the new, gantry mounted gatsos that are on the M1 stretch around the Derby, Nottingham area then these ARE NOT "average speed cameras", these are normal HADECS gatso cameras not the SPECS cameras used for average speed enforcement. And like the M42 stretch these cameras are aimed at traffic flow management NOT enforcement so you will rarely see anyone get caught speeding below the NSL within this stretch.