W3526602 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hi, I was bookmarking the link in the discussion on types of speed cameras, and when I came back the title was blank.....still on the menu, but blank. I was unable to link back to it. Only me? Anyway, there was mention of average speed cameras being used on road works speed limits. This reminded me that French toll booths know the time you left the previous booth, so can calculate your average speed. 602 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 tch tch - you KNOW they're really Safety Cameras, *-) put there for your own good, to help protect you in this big bad world >:-) B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionwagon Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 :D Well if you do not want protecting then at least the system is hoping to protect the other - generally innocent- party from clowns! 8o| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W3526602 Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hi, I generally try to stay within speed limits..clean licence for 43 years, three lots of full NCB, and never a parking ticket. I'm the one that needs protecting. Driving down the A465 (dual-carriageway) at 70mph, catching up with slower car. Mirror shows me two 4x4s (soft rovers) coming up behind. Engage on-board thingy between my ears, calculate that if I do nothing, both 4x4s will pass me just in time for me to pull out to pass the car in front. Calculations were correct, rest wasn't. They both pass me, I start to pull over to miss the car in front......and the lead 4x4 suddenly notices the camera van in the layby on the other carriageway - with departing police bike - and hauls on his anchors, closely followed by the trailing 4x4.....and therefore me as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way2Go Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 W3526602 - 2007-03-06 7:59 AM Hi, I was bookmarking the link in the discussion on types of speed cameras, and when I came back the title was blank.....still on the menu, but blank.Yeah, sorry about that, your eyes didn't deceive you.I posted a long article about how to spot speed cameras and a link to explain what each type did and how they provided 'safety' to us drivers.Once posted I checked the link and realised non-subscribers to the web site got a blank screen. You need to subscribe to access the database download area contained on the same page.However, I have created a PDF containing just the information about types of speed safety cameras.If anyone would like a copy please send me a PM and I'll post a copy to your email address.W2G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W3526602 Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hey......I didn't finish! continued..... OK, things were particularly close, and it only mildly ruined my afternoon. But, if I had shunted the car in front, could I have blamed the camera car for "causing an accident due to its presence on the road" (lol) 602 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W3526602 Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hi yet again, How did that happen? Way2go broke into the middle of my mail. 602 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way2Go Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Only coz you were taking too long to finish ;-) Only joking 602 :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 W3526602 - 2007-03-06 5:30 PM Hey......I didn't finish! continued..... OK, things were particularly close, and it only mildly ruined my afternoon. But, if I had shunted the car in front, could I have blamed the camera car for "causing an accident due to its presence on the road" (lol) 602 In a word no. The facts are that you were too close to the rear of the car in front as you only just managed to avoid colliding with it. Sorry 602 but if you hit someone up the rear on the road then its pretty much set in stone that it was your fault. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 That temptation to maintain momentum is very dangerous until you get used to the handling characteristics of 3.5 tonnes, isn't it? I have also been surprised (embarrased?!) at just how much more slowly things happen, even with 4 wheel servo assisted discs and ABS! That quick pull out into the overtaking lane that you're used to in a car can also get a bit untidy, as the 2.0 tonne tail tries to catch up with where the 1.5 tonne head has just gone! Slooowwwww down, the poor thing is more of a cart horse than a cow pony! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tp002c784tp002c784tp Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Hi Way2go Could you please send me a copy of your PDF on (Speed ) Safety Cameras My Addy Below tp002c7840@blueyonder.co.uk Ta Very Much Terry (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meninspex Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Without wanting to be too prissy, surely the best way to spot speed cameras is to drive past them at the legal speed limit! Meninspex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carioca Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 yet another one of the holier than thou brigade (meninspex) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 meninspex - 2007-03-07 10:14 AM Without wanting to be too prissy, surely the best way to spot speed cameras is to drive past them at the legal speed limit! Meninspex Another SOTBO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carioca Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 sorry frank "SOTBO" youv'e got me there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 If you had seen the carnage and loss of life that I have seen due to irresponsible speeding, then you would be glad of the safety cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 carioca - 2007-03-07 10:46 AM sorry frank "SOTBO" youv'e got me there? You've obviously not been keeping up with the 'Chatterbox' correspondence.SOTBOStatement of the bleeding obvious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 foxy - 2007-03-07 10:59 AM If you had seen the carnage and loss of life that I have seen due to irresponsible speeding, then you would be glad of the safety cameras. I've never actually heard anyone on this site arguing about the efficacy of speed cameras, all we are bothered about is accidentally going through one!Anyway, here's something I made earlier, as they say on 'Blue Peter'.I’m so fed up with the ‘holier than thou’ brigade who chip in with the obvious ‘If you don’t speed, you won’t need a speed camera detector’ SOTBO (statement of the bleeding obvious), that I’ve decide to type this as a Word document so that when someone else leaps into a thread with their SOTBO, I can just paste in my reply!Why I have a speed camera detector.Obviously, to many people, I own one of these things because I’m a reckless lunatic who takes great delight in driving at crazy speeds in all situations and whose greatest achievement is mowing down, and preferably killing, a few innocent pedestrians and other motorists.However, this is the real reason. It is easy to accidentally break a speed limit and I firmly believe that people driving with their eyes on the odometer, constantly worrying about straying over a limit, pose a bigger threat to safety than those like me who prefer to monitor the traffic, pedestrians and other potential dangers and drive according to these criteria, which may well mean driving well under the limit when circumstances demand and occasionally straying over the limit because I am concentrating on more important safety aspects than going 5mph over the limit, where it’s perfectly safe to do so.It is even easier to accidentally break a limit when in a strange place, where you may be concentrating on navigating unfamiliar roads whilst driving a large vehicle, which demands even more care and roadcraft.Such is my dedication to driving well, that I refuse to use cruise control (CC) for instance, despite having had it on every car for over twenty years. The reason I take this attitude is that using CC removes one vital element between me and my vehicle and may well lead me to lose concentration and go into a kind of ‘auto-pilot’ mode in which I have a far greater chance of failing to react to an emergency. Imagine driving along a motorway with nothing to do but sit in the comfy armchair-like seats in many modern motorhomes and just steer. It has to be a recipe for disaster, whereas the more you have to actually operate and drive your car, the more likely you are to remain alert.(Sits back and waits for a certain CC enthusiast to have his say!)Finally, in February 2007, a motorist successfully challenged a speeding conviction because the 30mph sign was obscured by tree branches and he hadn’t spotted it and was convinced that he was still in a 40 mph zone. His conviction was overturned but only after he’d been turned down in the lower courts and after he’d gone through an appeal and then to the High Court. Fortunately, he had the principles and the determination to fight it all the way, knowing that he was right.If he’d had a speed camera detector he would have had ample warning of the camera that caught him and would have been informed by the detector that he was actually in a 30 mph zone.So please, if ever a thread comes up on the efficacy or models of speed camera detectors, spare us the SOTBOs. We all know that it’s illegal to speed but, unlike one or two people on this site, we are not all paragons of virtue and occasionally we err, and all we’re trying to do is protect ourselves against our own human frailty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Well said, Frank. How's this for a "safety" camera: En route to Devon a couple of weeks ago via A303, long stretches of single carriageway with brief bits of dual or "3-lane." In car, not van. 3-lane stretch uphill - centre lane marked exclusively for uphill use, obviously to enable overtaking of slower traffic (first, and maybe last, opportunity for several miles). Along with several others, I pull out to pass some vehicles we've been behind for a while. Safest course of action? Overtake as quickly as possible, to get back into NS before the end of the 3-lane stretch. EXCEPT that halfway up the hill, there's a speed camera, causing everyone to take their eyes off the traffic while out in the middle of the road, check their speedos, and SLOW DOWN WHILE OVERTAKING UPHILL. We avoided getting "flashed," but how safe was that? If anyone tries to tell me that was a "safety camera," I'll have them under the Trade Descriptions Act. It was a Police/Council Cash Machine. For safety, I'd rather watch the road than my speedo any day. Rant over. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Frank and Tony I am sure you are both considerate and responsible drivers and do agree that some cameras are in the wrong place. What I am saying is, it is the t*ssers that don`t give a dam about the speed limits or they are that incompetent they do not know the speed limt in the area that they are driving. I live in a 30mph area, but you wouldn`t think so if you saw the idiots driving through. I am positive a safety camera with all attentant warnings would soon slow them down. Right enough of that, I am setting off on me hols. bye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 foxy - 2007-03-07 12:58 PM Frank and Tony I am sure you are both considerate and responsible drivers bye You don't know any such thing. For all you know we might actually both be exactly the kind of driver you're concerned about; that's the problem. How do we (society) deal with those who drive dangerously (including excessive speed but in other ways as well) while ensuring that responsible drivers don't get penalised for watching the road instead of the speedo? Simple: you employ more TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS. For those who can't remember them, they were usually intelligent individuals capable of looking at the whole of a situation and deciding whether a driver was acting irresponsibly or not. We used to see a lot of them around before they became almost extinct, due to their natural habitat being taken over by the predatory "Speedus Camerus." But I said my rant was over - go and enjoy your holiday, and forget about those of us who're working! Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Frank Wilkinson - 2007-03-07 12:05 PM . It is easy to accidentally break a speed limit and I firmly believe that people driving with their eyes on the odometer, constantly worrying about straying over a limit, pose a bigger threat to safety than those like me who prefer to monitor the traffic, pedestrians and other potential dangers and drive according to these criteria, which may well mean driving well under the limit when circumstances demand and occasionally straying over the limit because I am concentrating on more important safety aspects than going 5mph over the limit, where it’s perfectly safe to do so I'm afraid I will have to disagree there Mr Wilkinson, a good driver should not need to constantly look at his / her speedo, they should be aware of their road speed at all times, and whilst you might think that it's safe to exceed the speed limit by 5 mph, you are still breaking the law, that extra 5 mph could be the difference between my granddaughter living or dying in the event of a collision. When you look at it that way, it's not quite as trivial as you make it out to be. I hate the present system of speed traps as much as the next person, but limits are there for a reason, and if you break them you break the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Simple: you employ more TRAFFIC POLICE OFFICERS. For those who can't remember them, they were usually intelligent individuals capable of looking at the whole of a situation and deciding whether a driver was acting irresponsibly or not. We used to see a lot of them around before they became almost extinct, due to their natural habitat being taken over by the predatory "Speedus Camerus." Tony Hi Tony, It may (or not) interest you to know that within the Essex Constabulary it was a well know comment to say that to join the traffic department (when it existed) it was pre-requisite to have your legs chopped off and your brain removed!! Bas Edit To Donna Millar, The speed limit that was being obeyed didn't stop my mates daughter getting mowed down by the mobile using moron. Speeding only relates to a minute proportion of accidents, like one in ten the rest, the other nine are due to other circumstances. Too much emphasis is placed on speed and not enough on the other causes including the dozy pedestrian and cycle riders who think they are invincible and can go where the mood takes them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Basil , LOL still the same in Essex my daughters moaning now about targets clear up rates ohhhhh ppolitics politics .......And as a side I at the risk of getting into an argument am not perfect no never . But I happen to agree with Donna I tend to already know the speed limit I am doing by judgement alone ? Often test myself still saying wonder what I,m doing guessing looking to see if I,m correct 9/10 times right. 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Basil - 2007-03-07 4:12 PM Edit To Donna Millar, The speed limit that was being obeyed didn't stop my mates daughter getting mowed down by the mobile using moron. Speeding only relates to a minute proportion of accidents, like one in ten the rest, the other nine are due to other circumstances. Too much emphasis is placed on speed and not enough on the other causes including the dozy pedestrian and cycle riders who think they are invincible and can go where the mood takes them. Point taken, but this thread is about breaking the speed limit,not using your mobile whilst driving,or dozy pedestrians etc.It's irrelevant that speed only causes 10% of accidents, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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