GPS, Speed Cameras and Cars

[Superstrath]

I've got a clip-on GPS for my Palm pda. Got it for boaty reasons, but it lives clipped to my dashboard of the car so that I can use the Palm on the move. There's another GPS in-car to get me places. I found a use for the Palm one recently, for £49 a year the palm/GPS warns me of every speed camera and police haunt in the UK. Tells you what kind of camera, how far, and your current speed. Great. It warned me of a police lay-by thing on the M74 last week, I slowed, went round the curve, and there was a police car waiting for me. Ha! I was so pleased that I phoned the missus to brag. And completely missed the camera van on the bridge. Bastards, the notice came in this morning, sixty quid and three points. I've been flashed by Gatsos more often than I can remember and never ben fined. These manned ones are a different kettle of fish though. (80mph - not a lot) I suppose three points in four years doing 50k miles a year isn't too bad really.

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[pvb]

3 points in 4 years of 50K mileage is very good! In the mid-90s, I was routinely doing 45K a year and suddenly found myself with 9 points on my licence. I spent just over a year driving high mileages at no more than the speed limit, getting overtaken by lorries, vans, men in Volvos, etc. Absolute nightmare! Hope your kit keeps you clear of further points.

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[Oldhand]

<I suppose three points in four years doing 50k miles a year isn't too bad really>

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Is it your being caught ratio against miles travelled and time that "isn't too bad really" or is it because you have only been proved to be breaking the law on this one occasion?

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[Superstrath]

<I'm not sure what you mean by this. >
I meant that bearing in mind the time spent on the Motorway and A road network, driving at normal motorway speeds (being overtaken regularly by young lassies in 106s peering over the wheel) I have been lucky not to get pulled more often. It would seem that "normal" for a lot of drivers is 85-90 mph even in the dark and even in the wet. The Cumbria Cop thought it appropriate to charge me for 80mph - which is an indicated 85mph by most speedometers. Almost any stream of freely-moving traffic is exceeding this speed.

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[gandy]

"The Cumbria Cop thought it appropriate to charge me for 80mph - which is an indicated 85mph"

Did you think it inappropriate?

Tony S

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[Superstrath]

<Did you think it inappropriate?>

No, of course not. I broke the law (and got caught) and must pay my dues, although I will admit to being a little bit surprised that they issued a ticket for 80. The whole point of my post was that I made an arse of myself by getting caught, while testing a new gizmo to prevent me getting caught, by a camera which I had seen before many times and NOT been caught by. Without the gizmo, I might have remembered about it - I've certainly warned others of it's existence. BTW, Cumbria Polis sent me a map showing the location of all their fixed and mobile traps!! Thoughtful or what? I will paste it to the windscreen in future.

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[bruce]

you are lucky, over here it is a hide and seek job, they set up when and where they want to, not required to give maps, hide where ever possible, we even have used them for stop sign violations.

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[chippie]

The highway patrol here in NZ often book you for the next speed bracket lower than what you were doing. It is apparently a way of appearing to be human when they arent really.

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[CliveA]

£49? Nice one!

I use a gadget that's even cheaper. It's called an accelerator pedal. It needs be be used in conjunction with a brake pedal and a speedometer, but the good news is that the whole package comes free with most cars. Careful use of all three at all times while I drive means I never get caught!

Superb!

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[halcyon]

Or does the glow from your halo obscure the camera.


Brian

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://link>www.kddpowercentre.com</A>

 

[Nauti Fox]

Are people on here seriously saying they have never exceeded the speed limit?Even on the advanced test (motorcycle) trained and tested by the police I spent about 50% of the time above it.The only place we actually stuck rigidly to it was in the 30 mph limit.Where circumstances allowed we were encouraged to make progress.

<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.

 

[Cobra]

I hope...

<blockquote><font size=1>Quote from previous post:</font><hr>

Ha! I was so pleased that I phoned the missus to brag

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...that it was a hands free phone!!!

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it.

 

[Superstrath]

Ooooh, that's put me in my place. I now realise that I should hang my head in shame, rather than laugh about it.


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[CliveA]

With ten deaths a day in the UK alone, yes, that might be a good idea.

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[Nauti Fox]

But are all these tragedies because of going faster than the speed limit?The misuse of speed in certain area's is reckless and should be punished harshly,but in others there is'nt really a problem.How many people can honestly say they have'nt gone faster than the limit.I personally do not know one person that has'nt.


<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.

 

[Superstrath]

Hmm. Road-death statistics now. It might interest you to know that for a living, I work with the Fire Service supplying rescue equipment, the stuff they cut you out of cars with. I'm heavily involved in training for the the extrication of road traffic casualties and know more than most people about what can and does happen on our roads.

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[CliveA]

Do tell...

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[Superstrath]

<Do tell..>
I don't think so. I sense that this would be a good time to stop.

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[Its_Only_Money]

I'm sure terrible things happen on the roads but let's face it, if you "designed" the current car/road transport "system" now you wouldn't be allowed to start it:

"So you test people once, when they are young and then not again until they are 70???"

"You can drive HOW close????"

"..and they are a FASHION item as much as a means of transport???"

etc etc - but to blame all deaths on the roads down to a single cause (any single cause!) is surely unrealistic and does nothing to persuade the population as to what the real accident causes are and what to do about them.

Remember Speed cameras have been used to justify the redeployment of traffic police to other duties, and cameras only police a single possible accident influencer - nothing is being done about obviously dangerous drivers as there aren't any traffic cops out there to see them, those that are at the side of motorways seem to always have the radar gun glued to their eyes and hence aren't looking at/for anything else.....IMHO of course!

<hr width=100% size=1>Rgds

Simon
Its Only Money
Fairline Sprint
Solent-based

 

[CliveA]

Spot on.

I couldn't agree more.

I do think there is sometimes a problem, however, when people hide behind these very valid points as as excuse for their speeding.



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