Safe Speed Forums

Can anyone tell when a van camera parks in a particular place is that place measured or can they park in central reservation slightly hidden I have lived in my area for thirty years and the police speed camera can has been on each side if the carriageway on hundreds of occasions. Can they change to the central reservation without some kind if measurement to go by.also can they park just before a forty sign that changes the speed from 30 ?

They can park pretty much anywhere they like it doesn't affect the admissibility of evidence.

They don't need to make any measurements, the speed measuring equipment works like one of those electronic tape measures. It measures how far away you are then does the same again a fraction of a second later. From that it works out your speed. Or at least that's the theory.

If you are looking for an easy get out clause there isn't one. For not so easy ways to fight the allegation you should visit http://www.pepipoo.com/

hmmm.. local, knows the limit, knows where the change in limit is, knows where the vans usually sit.... yet still over the limit ?
oh well.

I should try forcing your wife to take the points.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

But make sure you're faithful to her..

AFAIK, depending on where you live, you will likely as not be offered a speed awareness course which, I think, is currently £80. I think this is more likely to be offered to older, more experienced, drivers which sounds like you are. So if you accept to attend the course, and don't try and argue with them, you will have no points. It's called mind control

I'm not sure what the cut off point is but someone at my work has recently been offered such a course for being 7mph over, (37 in a 30). It used to be a since the road was built back in the 50s/60s and with all the road and car innovations and improvements you would think it would have remained so, but now he's branded a speeding child killer

Er, ed_m makes a good point. If you knew about it for so long and where they operate etc. wasn't it a bit silly of you ?

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

The thing about exceeding a speed limit it isn't an open and shut determined crime such as pinching a bar of chocolate down the newsagents or robbing someone. It's a "crime" that you don't intend to commit or even maybe aware that you have commited. A person can be driving 100% safely, observing everything that,s going on around him, the traffic, the lack of pedestrians the dog running up the adjacent road, the van behind wanting to overtake him the car 200 yards ahead who'se waivering across the road a bit but not notice that they,ve just entered a 30MPh limit that's been 40 for the last 10 years and was quite safely 60 or 70MPH a few decades ago.

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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.

Add to the last post ,that this is now becoming a popular tactic . Change the limit with no real warning signs ,then a short time later, you've got a "nice little earner" . It's not about road safety ,but keeping the empire financed . As for all those pious preachings about how they'd be delighted if no one was caught ,I can think of a few cameras that were moved in the heyday because everybody knew where they were and I suspect the income was very little . I can also think of a few that were converted to digital .it is interestingthat figures released by one SCP showed that when the camera was wet film it was one of the highest earners ,so possibly it was running out of film . And there's no interest in not catching anyone .If that happened ,how many SCP would be bankrupt, and staff signing on .

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Thanks for all the answers. Yes was at fault stressful day friend diagnosed cancer and ye was not concentrating but the van did not look like a camera van I actually thought it was pulling over the carriageway and not concentrating give me a shock. Oh and yes I'm female so don't have a wife!! Thanks for the more positive thinks but you can keep the remarks nobody is perfect !!!

Insight, please don't think I/we don't understand.

The point that if a good driver is distracted and gets 'done' has been debated many times here.

ACPO, can't find the link, but the association of police realists have guidelines which are something like 10% +3mph - ish.

So although theoretically anyone could be done for so much, (or rather little), as being just 1mph over a dumb speed limit there is still, just, a vestige of common sense on prosecution

So, as I say, I would expect you to be offered a Speed Awareness Course. Do please keep us posted on the outcome though.



P.S. Sorry about the personal distress. I know how that can be a distraction too...

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Tone- I've been informed of someone been done in a 30 =10%+1 =35mph locally, so has the money making point been reduced .

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

30+10%+1 would be 34

The guideline is 30+10%+2 which is 35, and that is the minimum speed they prosecute, not the maximum you can get away with. Same as it has always been.



According to Pepipoo some areas are giving them for up to 45 in a 30 now. It used to be for only 2 or 3 mph over the threshold. That's where the real money grabbing has started. Pay £60 to the courts or £80 (more I think in some areas) to the scammers in return for no points. Soon they'll be letting you take it twice, you can already do one course for speeding and one for other offences, such as mobile phone use.

Bear in mind that a lot of cars would be showing 50 on the speedo to be doing 45, that's a fair bit of inattention they are happy to turn a blind eye to as long as you line their coffers and not the courts.

Having said that, there are plenty of 30s reduced from higher limits where a lot of the traffic is doing well over 40, so a cunningly concealed Talivan could make a mint.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

If I had paid the money immediately would they have still have given me points. I thought it was pay and point or fight it. Is it still worth plead guilty instead of not guilty ?

This is a matter I do know something about..

If you plead not guilty and you are found guilty, the penalty will be worse for 'wasting the courts time'. They very much frown on those whom do.

So a word of warning, unless you know you're right and can prove or a££ord such, don't even think of going there!

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Something i've been saying for some time now . As the income decreases ,the limit for a course ( to keep the SCP ship financially afloat) keeps rising. Once upon a time ,the emphasis was on visible deterrent ,now it's blatently on cash . Oh ,yes the vans are visible ,but not from any distance .

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Would have been good if you had kept this in one thread.

Yes it is pay and points or fight it.

If you fight it and lose it is pay more and points and costs and victim surcharge (or whatever they call it).

I guess you have passed the point of accepting the fixed penalty? I'm afraid that between this thread and your other one it doesn't look like you have much chance of winning.

This bothered me from the start Homer; so I'll ask the question: Exactly who is this "Safe Speed lecturer" ?

Troll alert or angry poster who hasn't got the response he/she wanted?



A "he" & "him" - so not Claire then. What "he/him" has been giving lectures on behalf of SS lately If not lately, then who else???

I smell something; but maybe I'm insightful....

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I don't think it has anything to do with this "Safe Speed", my initial thoughts are that it was a speed awareness course and OP found their way here by mistake.

There are other sites/companies using very similar names.

http://www.safespeedforlife.co.uk/ for instance, whos address is...

Fixed Penalty Unit
Northumbria Police HQ
Ponteland
NE20 OBL

What a load of absolute twaddle (the spelling mistake...as it is on the site...says it all)...so anyone doing 40MPH on black ice or snow, in an urban 40MPH limit, is always driving at a safe speed for the conditions are they? No wonder there are so many accidents in Urban areas if they promote driving below or at the speed limit to be ...."Drive(ing) at a safe speed for the cond(it)itions"

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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.