A couple of thank yous

[scotttait]

On Friday night the wife and I were heading up to drumnadrochit for a night away, from Callander to drumnadrochit are very very fun roads. On the way up sitting at a comfortable 60-65 mph a camper van heading the other way gave me a quick flash and a thumbs down. Can only mean one thing, so I slowed to the recommended 60 mph and sitting behind a tree was a police bike. So a massive thank you to that camper van...

On the Saturday on the way back down, decided to go up to Inverness then down the a9. And again a nice driver in a BMW flashed, again only meaning 1 thing, mile down the road, speed van. So a massive thank you to him aswell 6 points saved. Cheers

[Smokey]

60 is not the 'recommended' speed...:no:

[stamford]

Not a wise thing to admit to on a forum no matter how angelic we may seem.

[Cally180]

its always good to get a heads up

.. even if your not doing 90mph :whistle:

[Jay-ZS+]

Got to love a flasher!

[shcKr-]

That was a cheeky ninja edit changing your speed to 60-65 mph, if you were doing that you would have had no need to adjust your speed. I for one never flash oncoming vehicles when there's a speed trap, if you're speeding you deserve the ticket :)

(edit: I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, but it's my own opinion)

[Jay-ZS+]

That was a cheeky ninja edit changing your speed to 60-65 mph, if you were doing that you would have had no need to adjust your speed. I for one never flash oncoming vehicles when there's a speed trap, if you're speeding you deserve the ticket :)

(edit: I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, but it's my own opinion)

Negged for poor road etiquette. No need to be an arse! :no:

[stamford]

I always give indication wherever possible of a sneaky camera trap, too many drivers getting done for a few mph over the limit and forcing people top pay for the speed course or take points.............**** Turpin anyone?

Sorry if this offends any officers but my daughter got done for being a couple over 30mph and that annoyed me as she had no choice in the matter. It is nothing but a licence to print money and the motorist is the one that always cops it. One of my girls got mugged a couple years ago, did they catch him? No! too busy chasing cars :angry:

[Captain Peanut]

I thought it was against the law to warn of speed traps! I usually make a call based on the road, if its near a school or accident black spot I'll let the police do their job as they are there for a reason. Otherwise will always give a signal (although often ignored).

Personally, I wouldn't post speeds on forums as you never know who's lurking!

[Smokey]

I agree with Mick, these static and van cameras are set way to low so as to get as many motorists, and thus money, as possible. This was not their function. They are meant to be a safety feature to keep speeds down and prevent accidents.

Everyone speeds to a degree and to be fair, some of the limits are a little dated considering car safety improvements. But 90 in a 60 or 50 in a 30 is way beyond that limit and should be punished.

Motorway at 4am on a dry road with minimal traffic? Is 85mph really excessive? I'll let you be the judge but I have my opinions, that I won't voice here.

Just be safe out there!

[Dan1971]

The internet is a hive of boasting and untruths that will never lead to a prosecution unless there's supporting video footage or a witness.

I drove home at 150mph tonight after work. Total boll0cks so nothing's gonna happen to me.

Here's the score -

You go over - you get points - simples. You don't want points - don't go over. I'm no angel - but if I go over, I expect to get done for it and contrary to popular belief I don't have a get out of jail free card. In some forces - there are kittys in place for reporting officers from surrounding areas.

Limits have been here for years and will be for many years to come. If we didn't have them people'd be getting killed all over the place.

For some people who can drive - have good reactions and have maintained their cars with good brakes and good tyres, they may be too low. For others they are still too high. The most dangerous group are those that THINK they are good good drivers and THINK their car can stop instantly if they need it to.

Until you've dealt with the aftermath of a serious accident - lost someone precious - you won't understand fully.



Flashing to warn is obstruction.

[Smokey]

Until you've dealt with the aftermath of a serious accident - lost someone precious - you won't understand fully.

Couldn't agree more!

[stamford]

I would also like to add that in the 30 or so years I have been driving I have never been done for speeding or been breathylised, totally clean licence etc. However if one day I do get a ticket for going too fast I will not complain as it was obviously deserved. Driving a car today is a risk due to the amount of cars on the road and so many people in a rush to go somewhere reliant on satnav and snoopers with little regard for other road users and pedestrians.

I took up motor racing over 24 years ago purely to get the red mist out of my system in a safe environment. It is easy to get carried away.

Drive safe people!

[WalkerDnB]

As a few people have said I think they can be very harsh with camera vans catching people who have unwittingly crept over the limit.

The laws are abit strict I think everyone brakes the law whilst however minor because there's so many driving laws Im surprised you allowed to adjust the volume on your stereo (in fact I bet there's a law for that) :laugh:

Also some officers (because there not all bad lol) should set an example
I've seen police driving Mobile phone in hand and one driving with no hands on the wheel

[theboynoz]

I have a feeling there could be a few arguments soon, lol.

I had points, for driving like a tw@, luckily the only times I crashed (and I have twice) no one was hurt and one of them I was actually stationary waiting for a press repoter to drive past (he skidded, and hit me).

Anyway I digress, I have not had any points for several years now as I realised that driving like a b3ll3nd is not a good idea. All i can say is thank god i realised before it was too late! If i get caught speeding again, then it is my own fault. I was breathalised twice, probably as I was a young driver, but never failed that....I do have some sense!

About the coppers on the phone etc, yes it happens, but have you seen the amount of 'normal' public that do the same? Oh well.... Back under my rock now.

[Smokey]

Police doing it is inexcusable imo.

[WalkerDnB]

Police doing it is inexcusable imo.

yeah same here
Dont get me wrong though I have nothing against the police (im not one of those people that moans about them driving at 100mph plus) just they should be setting an example

[stamford]

Anyone caught driving whilst on the phone should be shot imo, time for Dredd.

[mattie007]

One thing I do notice while out on the motorbike is the amount of drivers that flash me to warn of a speed camera. I was riding around Bedford a few weeks back and about 20 cars flashed to warn me! Crawled past the officer with his speed gun at 20mph and gave a friendly nod :) Can't get more safe and friendly than that.

[Smokey]

This is why I introduced the track car. I don't know about Grimmy, Marcus, Kev, Stephen and all the others but I don't need as much of a buzz from the mk2 180 as the adrenalin was dumped on track. Nothing compares to 900bhp monsters flying about you and cars on your tail to get the blood pumping! Nothing on road really compares so there's no point!

[stamford]

Track is the best and safest place to lose the red mist, not the road. More people should do it and the roads would be a better place.

[Enright]

Unfortunately the majority simply don't have the disposable income.
I wish I could afford to do a track day every month, but that would sap at least £1500 per, year before factoring in tyres and fuel - it's simply too much for me to entertain.
It would be great if the government had the imagination to subsidise track-days, but administrating and justifying it would be more trouble than it was worth for them.
As the roads are already so clogged they have a vested interest in either keeping people off them, or setting the prices for use so high that they simply rake in the profits from the rest. And if you’ve been caught going a couple of miles an hour too quickly – tough luck, you’re gonna pay for all the REALLY bad ones who avoid the law altogether.

One thing that bugs me is that it's all biased towards speed, as that's the most easily measurable thing.
I always respond to the “Speed Kills” tag-line with “no it doesn’t – stopping quickly does!”
That’s why these new “black boxes” that the insurance companies are introducing that you can have installed “to lower your premium by proving what a good driver you are” fill me with suspicion. How do they measure how often you fail to indicate? Do they know if you use a hands-free kit while driving around with your fog-lamps on? No – all they are concerned about is if you regularly exceed speed limits, and how long will it be before the same insurers start refusing to insure people who aren’t prepared to have Big Brother in the car with them?

[stamford]

:hmmm: if people continued to speed and get caught, get fined and attend these awareness courses and then have to inform their insurers of points to declare then that will soon cost them alot more than a track day. Catch 22.

Next thing they'll be camera traps outside race circuits to catch drivers going home after a good days 'release' only to still be buzzing and perhaps speed on the road out!

[Enright]

I agree with you, but the majority of people go out with the attitude that they'll take a little risk because they won't get caught (or simply don't think at all). Then they DO get caught, feel all upset about it because "the world is so unfair", and decide to either not to declare their points, or worse still, not bother to get insured. I'm not saying it's right, but you can see how these little risks escalate until you have public enemy number one on the roads.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see plod lurking on the roads near to racetracks for a couple of other reasons too:
1) With the accelerated wear that tracks inflict on road tyres, it's not surprising if a car that arrived with legal tyres goes home at the end of the day with illegal ones.
2) We've all heard the stories of people who over-cook it on track, and then mysteriously have an accident at the first roundabout on the way home so that they can make a claim.

[peterzs]

I'd better not get into, "flash or not flash", debate, but what annoys me is that the speed traps are always on wide, open, normally going down hill etc. roads.

If they were near schools, narrow roads, middle of a village, I can see why they are there and any one going over the speed limit deserves all they get.

On our spur road into Bournemouth A338, there is a lay by, going down a steepish hill, favourite place for a radar van to sit. We join the spur road at a junction that runs alongside a flyover. Radar van sits at the end of our slip road, trouble is, to join the traffic you have to get up to 50 and then merge in. Having to check for traffic coming down the flyover, making sure there isnt a van, all adds to the fun of it. Apart from a motorcyclist that spotted the van, braked, skidded and ended up sliding across the carriageway, onto the opposite carriageway. He wont be going over the speed limit any more, but hell of a price to pay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats without all the changing speed limits as you get nearer to the town. Spur road 70, goes to 50 by the flyover, then down to 40. All on the same dual carriageway. Dont know how the visitors keep up with it.

[Enright]

Oh there's an easy answer to that last bit Peter - they don't!
In fact even TomTom don't keep up with it.
A couple of weeks ago we visited my mate down there. It was lovely weather but the sun was right in my eyes as we entered the 40 limit that evening, so I was relying on the TomTom because I couldn't see the signs properly.
Suddenly I passed a camera, then caught sight of a roadsign shortly afterwards which confirmed the speed limit as being 40, but TomTom was still telling me it was 50.
I've been dreading a Fixed Penalty ever since.
It would be such easy money for the local council from that camera because the road seems like such an open and fast one.

[peterzs]

They have them turned off quite a bit nowadays, I have a "little helper", that tells me when they are switched on!!

Its only a recent change 6 months or so, mainly because the slip road off Richmond Hill roundabout is too short and a blind pull out into the traffic flow, thats going from Poole to Ringwood way. ie. out of Bournemouth. So bad I never use it, I drive across to the next joining junction, once stopped at the bottom you are stuck, cant see back down the road and pric*s, pushing you from behind, always accidents there.

The worse camera is at the ASDA junction on the Holes Bay road at Poole, dual carriageway 50, goes down to 30, 4 lane junction with lights.

In the middle of it all is a speed camera, red on green or something they call it. The temptation is that when it goes to orange you can be at 30, but still put your foot down to get across this great big junction. Many will say stop on orange, but with cars sticking on your bum expecting you to go through, easier said than done.

This camera has taken more money than all the other cameras in Dorset put together!!!

Hope you get away with it and it was turned off. Only time they have all been off, is when we have the party political conferences at the BIC.

:whistle::whistle::whistle:

[Enright]

Hope you get away with it and it was turned off.
Well it used to be that they had to serve a Notice of Intended Prosecution within 14 days, and we've JUST gone beyond that now, so...

Only time they have all been off, is when we have the party political conferences at the BIC.
Oh, I wonder why THAT was?!? Can't have MP's being hoisted by their own petard can we! :judge: :no:
Who would pocket all the revenue then?

[peterzs]

Reckon you could be OK, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

When we had the air show in August, there were 400 parking tickets issued. I know its easy to park correctly but a lot of roads were closed off along the cliff tops. Kids moaning about walking too far etc.

We got the times wrong, doh! got down late, but there is a great big car park, on the left as you go back down a little bit of dual carriageway, towards the railway station, from the Landsdown/Christchurch Road. Only £4.00 for all day and there were still quite a few spaces left, even though we got there about an hour late.

:-D:-D

[andy-81]

i think a lot of the police get beaten with the bad stick quite a lot with the roads they place they park the camera vans although a few of them are sometimes questionable a long straight road can be where the worst accidents can happen, e.g. you are travelling at 40 mph on a dual carriageway, you check your mirrors and miss judge a cars speed in the lane next to you, you pull out to avoid a hazard lets say a cyclist or an item of debris so you indicate and pull out then bang the car who was sppeding in the next lane has hit you.

Next thing you know is you have spun and rolled and your passenger has met there demise in the accident and the driver of the offending vehicle has killed someone.

this is the reason why they park the cameras on the straight roads if i'm right in thinking.

What people say about the speed cameras can be an over reaction, who would say the same thing if it was a traffic officer sat in the same spot and caught you at the same speed? I know i would'nt, if i was caught speeding i wouldnt be angry at the officer or camera as it would be my own fault being daft enough to break the speed limit i'm not saying that i don't speed as that would be a lie

Most if not all speed cameras have been set a several mph over any way so you have a small amount of leniancy any way the same as a traffic officer has a degree of tolerance as well i mean if it was me and you went past at 35 i would lei it go' if you went past me at 45 you would be getting a tug for it

[peterzs]

Agree with what you are saying Andy, and its easy, dont speed and you wont get a ticket.

If you do speed and get caught, man up, take the hit and let it be a lesson.

:wave::wave::wave:

[KevG]

:hmmm: if people continued to speed and get caught, get fined and attend these awareness courses and then have to inform their insurers of points to declare then that will soon cost them alot more than a track day. Catch 22.

Next thing they'll be camera traps outside race circuits to catch drivers going home after a good days 'release' only to still be buzzing and perhaps speed on the road out!

Thing is Mick, they do...I was at the last BTCC meet at Knockhill, and I went home via the M9, on the road home there was a camera van tucked in behind the hedgerow, IMO that is very sneeky, I got a warning about 20mins prior to leaving the circuit, so I know it was there, crawled past the van and waved at it:p

[grimmy]

They have been doing that for years outside and around knockhill.I once got a nice letter from central Scotland police for doing 33 mph through forestmill telling me they were not going to give me points or a fine but my details were being kept on record in case I was naughty again.