cop pointing speedgun on motorway

londonTiger

there are much safer ways to control speeds, i remember reading a long time ago some country where they displayed a upset smiley face on a dot matrix screen above the lane where cars were speeding. it has a draws huge psychological responses and forces drivers to slow down.

where cars were driving at reasonable speeds, they received positive encouragement and got a smile.

speed traps are not about road safty or congestion easing at all, they're all about revenue generation. speed traps are dangerous, I've been on many roads where everyone is speeding during rush hour and then the dreaded dotted lines occur on the road and everyone slows down. some have to slam on their brakes and cause a near pile up.

wba31

You sure it wasnt the village idiot in a flourescent vest trying to dry the motorway with his hairdryer..?

Tobster86

Should probably add something useful to this discussion.

A number on the display of a hand held speed gun proves absolutely nothing other than some arbitrary object had some component of it's velocity vector measured within some accuracy of the displayed number.

So if you find yourself pulled over and facing such 'evidence'; consider politely declining any offer of a fixed penalty notice.

The earlier comments about deserving it if actually being stopped have a degree of merit though; traffic police tend to apply a lot more discretion than just the arbitrarily low national speed limit.

NBLondon

londonTiger wrote: »

there are much safer ways to control speeds, i remember reading a long time ago some country where they displayed a upset smiley face on a dot matrix screen above the lane where cars were speeding. it has a draws huge psychological responses and forces drivers to slow down.

It's called England

There's one in Blackheath for a start (if you ever make it through the Blackwall Tunnel).

I think they have a part to play when people don't realise they have drifted over a 20 or 30 limit but not much to those who don't care or think having a faster car exempts them from the rules.

FatAndy

There's a section of the A55 running through the town of Colwyn Bay were the speed limit drops from 70mph to 50mph for a distance of about three miles (apparently because the slip roads along that stretch are too short and speaking from experience it certainly can be hairy trying to merge into the main of traffic at times). This section of road opened about 25 years ago and the 50mph was never really enforced until the police started a campaign at the beginning of this month. In the first three weeks they're reported to have caught 700 offenders, not just speeding but also people using mobiles phones, eating and not wearing seatbelts.

I know they have had officers stood on a bridge with cameras as I doubt they've have the manpower available to pull over 700 people in such a short space of time I assume they can "convict" using the cameras. Clearly the cameras are also capable of taking close up photos if they can catch people on phones, etc.

Incidentally a lot of people, myself included, are glad the police are acting this way as it's not uncommon to see idiots flying through the 50mph stretch at 80mph+ so this crackdown by the police is long overdue.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/10/22/700-caught-speeding-on-a55-at-colwyn-bay-in-three-weeks-55578-32079601/

Jamie_Carter

brat wrote: »

I hear about it on forums much more often than I've experienced it. Every time I have used it it gives a completely expected reading. Not to say it can never happen, but if the units are used properly (which is not at all difficult) there should be no likelihood of a misread.

I wouldn't take much notice of brat. He tries to make out that he is a traffic police officer, but his posts in other threads have proven that he has very little grasp of the highway code, or road traffic law. Personally I think he is another armchair expert.

Jamie_Carter

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Always thought they played snooker, so who ever is driving the black or red car

They still do. So you are better off with a white car

Jamie_Carter

thenudeone wrote: »

Was it really a hand held gun? Or was it a laser device (with video film) on a tripod being pointed by hand, in which case everyone who has been targeted with the laser and over 10%+2mph over the limit will get a NIP in the post once the video is reviewed (or possibly a speed awareness course offer). It's quite possible to target every car going past - there's usually two seconds between each car - that's enough time to take a reading and move to the next car.

And these are the type of cameras that are usually in vans (that brat thinks don't exist). :rotfl:

Jamie_Carter

londonTiger wrote: »

there are much safer ways to control speeds, i remember reading a long time ago some country where they displayed a upset smiley face on a dot matrix screen above the lane where cars were speeding. it has a draws huge psychological responses and forces drivers to slow down.

where cars were driving at reasonable speeds, they received positive encouragement and got a smile.

I've seen those in this country. I can't remember where though.

londonTiger wrote: »

speed traps are not about road safty or congestion easing at all, they're all about revenue generation. speed traps are dangerous, I've been on many roads where everyone is speeding during rush hour and then the dreaded dotted lines occur on the road and everyone slows down. some have to slam on their brakes and cause a near pile up.

So not only were they speeding, but they were also either driving too close, or driving without due care and attention.

So is it the speed cameras that are dangerous, or the drivers?

Jamie_Carter

FatAndy wrote: »

There's a section of the A55 running through the town of Colwyn Bay were the speed limit drops from 70mph to 50mph for a distance of about three miles (apparently because the slip roads along that stretch are too short and speaking from experience it certainly can be hairy trying to merge into the main of traffic at times). This section of road opened about 25 years ago and the 50mph was never really enforced until the police started a campaign at the beginning of this month. In the first three weeks they're reported to have caught 700 offenders, not just speeding but also people using mobiles phones, eating and not wearing seatbelts.

I know they have had officers stood on a bridge with cameras as I doubt they've have the manpower available to pull over 700 people in such a short space of time I assume they can "convict" using the cameras. Clearly the cameras are also capable of taking close up photos if they can catch people on phones, etc.

Incidentally a lot of people, myself included, are glad the police are acting this way as it's not uncommon to see idiots flying through the 50mph stretch at 80mph+ so this crackdown by the police is long overdue.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/10/22/700-caught-speeding-on-a55-at-colwyn-bay-in-three-weeks-55578-32079601/

They probably used the tripod mounted cameras in vans, as these actually record (unlike the handheld ones).