best speed camera detector?

shaun_from_Africa

Hoof_Hearted said:

The "holier than thou" mob are out in force, I see.

It's not being "holier than fhou" simply being realistic about the OP's driving skills and situational awareness.

I occasionally break the posted speed limits on motorways but if I was caught twice in 6 months, I may well start thinking that maybe, just maybe I'm breaking the limit in inappropriate places and rather than ask for advice on how to keep doing this without getting booked, I might think it a good idea to change my driving habits before I get another ticket or end up causing an accident that injured or killed someone.

[Deleted User]

AdrianC said:

shaun_from_Africa said:

AdrianC said:

Whether you know the road or not is irrelevant. You drive to the hazards you can see.

Sure, you know that there's no junctions or entrances around that bend you know well... but is there a cyclist? A sack of anvils in the middle of the road?

Which is basically what I stated.

shaun_from_Africa said:

If you are not familiar with the area in which you are driving, how can you be driving to the conditions of that road if you have no idea what may be just ahead and if you need a detector to warn you of a camera that you've not spotted, what about any potential hazards that you may also not have spotted?

If you have no idea what may be ahead (and this not knowing could be because of a bend, another vehicle blocking your view, weather conditions etc), you drive accordingly.

Indeed.

And where visibility allows, it may well be that an appropriate speed for the conditions does not stop at a purely-paperwork upper limit.

If 50mph was perfectly safe and appropriate on a stretch of road one week, why does simply changing the signs change the visibility and road conditions the next?

Speed limits change based on many factors - you are not privy to the reason why they are lowered. 50mph may have been too fast with information from the various agencies that indicate that it wasn't safe, hence it's lowered to 40. Perhaps there is a plan to build houses in the area, perhaps there were lots of accidents. You may think you know better than the people with the facts and data, you don't, but, because you think you do, please feel free to conduct your own study and prove 50 is safer. Speed limits aren't changed because someone chucked a dart at a map and decided it should be lower. 
Did you ever consider that just because some people may have (probably imaginary) advanced training courses under their belt and can drive at the speed limit, and beyond, in total safety, the majority don't, and speed limits are set for the majority? Thus when someone is caught because they think the limit should be higher, they come and whinge on here...

JustAnotherSaver

bigadaj said:

JustAnotherSaver said:

AdrianC said:

I break the speed limit regularly.
Mostly, it's a perfectly deliberate act, a decision taken in full awareness of the situation and risks around me.
Sometimes, it's simply down to my brain being in neutral, and driving on mental autopilot.

Three guesses which of those a camera detector helps with...

All of them.

I had a device which alerted me to speed cameras. I can't remember what it was now. Might've even been a sat nav app on my phone. Whatever it was, when i was approaching a speed camera it would give off a ding-ding-ding noise.

Not so bad if i'm driving where i drive every day as i know where the speed cameras are (aside from when the vultures are parked in lay bys) but when i'm driving areas i'm not so familiar with they were a great help. Ding-ding-ding, oh hang on there must be a camera about i haven't spotted, let me check my speed. Speed checked & now time to ease off.

I drive to the conditions of the road. There's a spot round here that was 50mph for as long as i can remember. 20, 30 years plus. Then they decided to drop it to 40mph. Probably because some fool stepped out in front of a car when there's a crossing a bit further down which was too much effort for them to walk to. I still do 50-55 there in a morning because there's sod all on the road when i pass at that time. Do i do it at night when there's much more traffic? No. Do i do 100mph on the motorway when travelling at 10pm at night and i don't see another car about for as much as i can see? Sometimes. Would i do it when there's plenty of cars about? No. All this members pretending they stick exactly to the limit thing is a load of nonsense. Very very very few people do that.

That's all fine just don't whinge if and when you get caught.

I didn't. 

I've been caught, once. I was speeding, they got me and that was it. If you decide to speed then you do so knowing the risks. I took the chance and got caught out by a mobile vulture but such is life. I paid the money, did the class and then I carry on. 

Has it stopped me speeding? No. I'm more careful on that particular part of road because as you come in to view of where they park if you're speeding then you've had it. Now I know it's a spot they like to park in I'm careful but I still speed. 

The class taught me a couple things I wasn't aware of but it didn't stop me. Nor did it stop one of the other guys who was on his 5th class. When one of the motorcyclists was asked why he was speeding when he got caught his response - you don't buy a bike because you like going slow. Yeah true enough I suppose. 

You take your chances and hold your hands up when you get caught. That's life. 

I still don't speed in congested conditions or conditions I think are unsafe to do so but if I think it's safe to do so in the conditions then I do it. I won't do 100 in a 50, I'm not that bad but I'll do 55-60 without even worrying about it.

If I get caught again then I get caught again. 

Grumpy_chap

Deleted_User said:

AdrianC said:

And where visibility allows, it may well be that an appropriate speed for the conditions does not stop at a purely-paperwork upper limit.

If 50mph was perfectly safe and appropriate on a stretch of road one week, why does simply changing the signs change the visibility and road conditions the next?

Speed limits change based on many factors - you are not privy to the reason why they are lowered. 50mph may have been too fast with information from the various agencies that indicate that it wasn't safe, hence it's lowered to 40. 

It certainly helps if there are apparent reasons for changes in speed limit.  
There is a dual carriage way near me that was all 50 mph and then the limits changed.  I would like to think that the "powers that be" had data to support the changes.  In my view, though, it is more dangerous now as you have to "keep up" with what the speed limit is on each section of road and it is not well signed.  It changes from 30 - 40 - 50, which would be fine if it was a progressive change like that but it is not - the 30 / 40 / 50 is all random and up and down like a yo-yo so you end up thinking about speed and what is permitted rather than watching the road and concentrating on driving.

AdrianC

The A-road near me is NSL... until you hit a local authority border, then it dips down to 50. Meanwhile, the local authority who have reduced the limit refuse to do anything about reducing NSLs on single-track lanes right slap bang through the middle of villages...

Tell me again how these limit changes are anything but political?

onlyfoolsandparking

JustAnotherSaver said:

bigadaj said:

JustAnotherSaver said:

AdrianC said:

I break the speed limit regularly.
Mostly, it's a perfectly deliberate act, a decision taken in full awareness of the situation and risks around me.
Sometimes, it's simply down to my brain being in neutral, and driving on mental autopilot.

Three guesses which of those a camera detector helps with...

All of them.

I had a device which alerted me to speed cameras. I can't remember what it was now. Might've even been a sat nav app on my phone. Whatever it was, when i was approaching a speed camera it would give off a ding-ding-ding noise.

Not so bad if i'm driving where i drive every day as i know where the speed cameras are (aside from when the vultures are parked in lay bys) but when i'm driving areas i'm not so familiar with they were a great help. Ding-ding-ding, oh hang on there must be a camera about i haven't spotted, let me check my speed. Speed checked & now time to ease off.

I drive to the conditions of the road. There's a spot round here that was 50mph for as long as i can remember. 20, 30 years plus. Then they decided to drop it to 40mph. Probably because some fool stepped out in front of a car when there's a crossing a bit further down which was too much effort for them to walk to. I still do 50-55 there in a morning because there's sod all on the road when i pass at that time. Do i do it at night when there's much more traffic? No. Do i do 100mph on the motorway when travelling at 10pm at night and i don't see another car about for as much as i can see? Sometimes. Would i do it when there's plenty of cars about? No. All this members pretending they stick exactly to the limit thing is a load of nonsense. Very very very few people do that.

That's all fine just don't whinge if and when you get caught.

I didn't. 

I've been caught, once. I was speeding, they got me and that was it. If you decide to speed then you do so knowing the risks. I took the chance and got caught out by a mobile vulture but such is life. I paid the money, did the class and then I carry on. 

Has it stopped me speeding? No. I'm more careful on that particular part of road because as you come in to view of where they park if you're speeding then you've had it. Now I know it's a spot they like to park in I'm careful but I still speed. 

The class taught me a couple things I wasn't aware of but it didn't stop me. Nor did it stop one of the other guys who was on his 5th class. When one of the motorcyclists was asked why he was speeding when he got caught his response - you don't buy a bike because you like going slow. Yeah true enough I suppose. 

You take your chances and hold your hands up when you get caught. That's life. 

I still don't speed in congested conditions or conditions I think are unsafe to do so but if I think it's safe to do so in the conditions then I do it. I won't do 100 in a 50, I'm not that bad but I'll do 55-60 without even worrying about it.

If I get caught again then I get caught again. 

Not sure I would have given the same answer as the motorcyclist but as you say it is true enough and I guess (not having been on a SAC) honesty is what they are after, it did make me chuckle though. Wonder if their answer went against them on 'passing' the course?

JustAnotherSaver

AdrianC said:

The A-road near me is NSL... until you hit a local authority border, then it dips down to 50. Meanwhile, the local authority who have reduced the limit refuse to do anything about reducing NSLs on single-track lanes right slap bang through the middle of villages...

Tell me again how these limit changes are anything but political?

Agree with you totally on that one.

If the A road is bad then i'll take the back road home. This is one area i don't speed on - unless i can see well well ahead. I will annoy the guy behind me as i approach corners because i do so creepily. I keep well left.

All this because of the 'i know these back roads like the back of my hand' and 'i could drive these roads blindfolded' brigade. Yes you may be familiar with every dip in the road but you still can't see around bends. The number of times me hugging tight to the left has saved me from an oncoming guy taking a blind corner at silly speeds in the middle of the road is just crazy.

But as far as the speed limit goes, they wouldn't be breaking the law. Yet me doing 50 on a long A road stretch that used to be 50 but is now 40 is suddenly unsafe and illegal. Nice one.

Marvel1

JustAnotherSaver said:

Throughout life you always seem to get told that nobody is perfect.

Yet jump on MSE and you see numerous people portray themselves as such on a daily basis.

All this preaching about don't break the law as though none of you have ever gone over the limit before. I call bulls poop on anyone who tries to claim they simply do not speed at all. Each and every one of us have done it so don't act holier than thou.

I do on a. daily basis, but if caught it's my own fault and don't need a camera detector, it's my risk.

[Deleted User]

Anyway Waze is the best option.

Back when I was driving daily I set my phone up to automatically load it up when I got in the car. There is an app from Sony that lets you set that up.

I got a magnetic mount for the car, very easy to set up every morning and I got warned about fixed and mobile cameras, accidents, traffic etc.