Safe Speed Forums

Yesterday as I drove south through Bagshot in the offside lane of the A322 where it's ("new" speed limit which wasn't there when I was using this road every day in the 1980s) I came around a right hand bend near the A30, and some distance away I could see a white van with dark back windows parked at the side of the road. I saw it right away and instinctively hit the brake, but not hard. In the seconds leading up to my passing of this thing, my speed was 48. As I passed it, I had plenty of time to take a look at it. It didn't have any yellow or blue on it. I didn't see the word POLICE on it. On its side expected to see something like "Surrey Camera Pratnership". But all it said was "Casualty Reduction Unit". As always, I had RoadAngel on, but no alert was given for this van location. (However, an alert WAS given for the new, tall "vandalproof" speed camera half a mile further on at the Windlesham crossroads, so I believe my unit's database to be up to date)

I was worried about this all afternoon, because some of those laser camera things can acquire a target at very long range (although there was another car - in the nearside lane).

But then it occurred to me that deployment of this van might be the act of some do-gooder group like BRAKE, just as I've seen people taking the law into their own hands by putting up hand painted 30 signs, and putting up yellow boxes that look like Gatsos.

Comments please!

yep, isn't it a shame that some people don't have anything better to do with their worthless lives...

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

This sounds to me like an 'innocently placed, but perhaps paranoia 'effect' van' that was there to pursue other Police matters.
It does not sound like a Camera Van.

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.

What you describe sounds like the Surrey Police ANPR unit.

They frequently set up a van with a Casualty Reduction Unit written on it on the dual carriageway near my house, and have intercept units hidden in the junctions nearby.

The fact that you weren't stopped suggests to me that all was in order.

I use the A322 regularly and also saw this van. Another one I have seen on or around the M25 is a Road Traffic Police Support Unit (something like that anyway). I thought they were just plastic units.

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Prepare to be Judged

Well - 14 days since seeing that van, and no NIP, so I believe I am indeed in the clear.

Saw this van this morning. It is a camera van. It was parked up on the A322 on the verge, probably illegally, with a camera sign leaning up against the back doors.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=dukes+covert&sll=51.372437,-0.690379&sspn=0.001698,0.004823&ie=UTF8&ll=51.372343,-0.690079&spn=0.003396,0.009645&t=h&z=17
The van parks up between Dukes Covert and Dukes Hill on the map on the verge where the trees are in front of the house with the long drive and swimming pool. As you arrive at this area, before Dukes Covert, there is a brow which makes it impossible to see the van until you crest. Of course the operator would have time to assess whether or not you are speeding prior to putting you in the sights It is also a for those that don't know.

I have also seen the van parked on the north side of the cross-over to Dukes Covert, just above the A322 label.

How the hell this can be caused a "Casualty Reduction Unit" given the dodgy positioning I really don't know.

*Edited to update link

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Prepare to be Judged