AA and safety camera warnings.

[oldfatfool]

[QUOTE 2132247, member: 45"]That's bonkers. If you drive properly it will make no difference if a safety camera is hidden or not.[/quote]

If you have 9 points on your license and drive for a living and the cameras become camouflaged then I would imagine your speedo will become rather an important focal point of your driving.

 

[ufkacbln]

Thats fine if there are road signs showing the limit, and a lot of the reduced limits on roads aren't always what could be called suitable. 30 mph on a duel carriageway at 8.45 am might be the max safest speed but deserted at 4 am 70mph could equally be judged as suitable.

As for awareness, which is it easiest for a driver to do, concentrate on the speedo or scour the bushes for hidden cameras that may or may not be there? As mentioned with modern cars it takes nothing at all to be doing 33 instead of 28, even a slight change in incline can do that.

So if the local boy racer decides that he can "safely" drive through your residential area at 70 then we should allow him to do so as he is a competent judge of what speed is appropriate?

 

[GrasB]

Yes, I am that confident, I drive like that all the time. My speedo is checked every 2 min or so as part of my instrument review (that's a quick check of speed, temps & pressures among other things) or 2 speed checks in rapid sucession when changing speeds, say from 40 to 20mph with a speed limit change.

Why in gods name has someone got 9 points on their licence? A laps of concentration at the wrong time might get 3 points however to rack up 9 points & there's some sort of systematic breakdown in your driving or you've been a right idiot & been drink driving or such like. Either way I have absolutely NO sympathy for someone who gets banned in those situations as they've already proven them selves to be right at the bottom or bellow the minimum standard of driving required to hold a driving licence.

 

[oldfatfool]

So if the local boy racer decides that he can "safely" drive through your residential area at 70 then we should allow him to do so as he is a competent judge of what speed is appropriate?

Now you are being silly.

There are plenty of duel carriageways that are completely barried off from pedestrians etc that are 30/40 mph limits, equally there are plenty of single lane roads with footpaths either side that are NSL. If the speed limit isn't posted and made obvious upon which road are you most likely to find

a) a speeding motorist
b) a scamera

and which road would you think would be the safest road to drive on at say 60mph if there was no other traffic around.

I have no issue with driving within the speed limit, if I want to play I will either go abroad or find a track day.
I don't even have an issue with speed cameras that are visible, marked and not put in places where they are clearly placed to catch out the unwary rather than at an accident blackspot.

What, as a paranoid motorist, and I freely admit I am paranoid about scameras as I drive for a living, does nark me off is that the speed limits on roads are not clearly marked, how much would it cost (apart from lost revenue) to paint a massive 30 or 40 or whatever in the middle of the road every 500 yds?? With the amount of road side furniture, and twisted buggered painted over yadda yadda yadda signs, parked buses/ lorries etc at the sides of our roads it is easy enough to miss the single speed limit sign even when paying attention.

 

[oldfatfool]

Yes, I am that confident, I drive like that all the time. My speedo is checked every 2 min or so as part of my instrument review (that's a quick check of speed, temps & pressures among other things) or 2 speed checks in rapid sucession when changing speeds, say from 40 to 20mph with a speed limit change.

Why in gods name has someone got 9 points on their licence? A laps of concentration at the wrong time might get 3 points however to rack up 9 points & there's some sort of systematic breakdown in your driving or you've been a right idiot & been drink driving or such like. Either way I have absolutely NO sympathy for someone who gets banned in those situations as they've already proven them selves to be right at the bottom or bellow the minimum standard of driving required to hold a driving licence.

See my post at the bottom of page 2, obviously you are perfect and a driving god, never break the speed limit, never pick your nose, change the radio station, sneeze, smoke or knock one out whilst driving, but I can assure you lots and lots of people do and have 9 points on their license to prove it, and I would guess a goodly proportion of those would be classed as professional drivers at that.

 

[oldfatfool]

[QUOTE 2132312, member: 45"]If you don't know the speed limit of a road you're driving on then perhaps you would benefit from some retraining. It's not difficult.[/quote]

So I can put you down in the middle of any road in the country and you can tell me the speed limit, okkkkk.

And in anycase what is the harm in reinforcing the message, other than loss of revenue?

I am sure I read a report somewhere that said the signs that flashed up the limit and a smiley or sad face with your speed where much more effective than scameras at reducing average speeds over a given stretch of road.

 

[Alun]

All this talk indicates that some here still think a driving licence is lost at 12 points.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/thir...ts-rack-up-offence-after-offence-6455073.html

 

[oldfatfool]

[QUOTE 2132329, member: 45"]Cars don't fly. You have to drive to a point. And on the way you are alerted time the speed limit. If you're paying attention.[/quote]

If you see the sign. If the sign isn't obscured by foliage, parked vehicles etc, I ask again what would be the harm of reinforcing the speed limit by repeaters, and more frequent repeaters? Surely you don't want people to speed, so cram the limit down their throats.

 

[oldfatfool]

[QUOTE 2132333, member: 45"]Anyone with nine points is a proven dangerous driver.[/quote]

We are never going to agree, basically because you are wrong

 

[Alun]

[QUOTE 2132333, member: 45"]Anyone with nine points is a proven dangerous driver.[/quote]
No, someone who has been found guilty of dangerous driving is a proven dangerous driver.

 

[oldfatfool]

[QUOTE 2132358, member: 45"]There's no need to do anything more. Millions of us prove this day after day.[/quote]
Like I said you must be the only motorist in the UK that as never inadvertently broken the speed limit . I am very happy for you.

 

[oldfatfool]

[QUOTE 2132361, member: 45"]If you've got nine points it's because you've been caught presenting an unnecessary increased risk on the roads.[/quote]

My final post on the subject, but out of interest who would you say presented the greatest risk, and out of these three examples who would receive the 9 points.

A) Joe Bloggs driving in a 30 limit at 35 mph on a rural road Sunday evening at 7pm, isn't aware of the speed cameras and gets flashed 3 times

B) Damien Hill (or anyone really but we will go with a very talented driver) driving down a deserted motorway, 6.30 am in the morning, perfect visibility, middle of July, driving a new lamborrari at a steady 110 mph

C) Aunt Fanny, aged 86, driving an Austin Metro, 1 month of MOT to run, driving down the m1 at 8.30 am on a friday morning in January at 45mph in patchy fog

 

[Bromptonaut]

If you see the sign. If the sign isn't obscured by foliage, parked vehicles etc, I ask again what would be the harm of reinforcing the speed limit by repeaters, and more frequent repeaters? Surely you don't want people to speed, so cram the limit down their throats.

But realistically what are the chances of signs, pretty well invariably on both sides of the carriageway, being totally obscured? One of my techniques while teaching The Lad to drive was to ask him the speed limit; he was usually right. The chances of being wrong/confused and in range of a camera are minimal. If not then you're simply not giving the task enough attention.

And I don't buy the bollox about danger through too much focus on speedo either. Can pin either of my cars to 20, 30 or 40 and engine note confirms speed is constant. Sure I glance at the speedo as part of scan of road, mirrors etc. But there's no need to fix it in a catatonic stare.

 

[Bromptonaut]

My final post on the subject, but out of interest who would you say presented the greatest risk, and out of these three examples who would receive the 9 points.

A) Joe Bloggs driving in a 30 limit at 35 mph on a rural road Sunday evening at 7pm, isn't aware of the speed cameras and gets flashed 3 times
B) Damien Hill (or anyone really but we will go with a very talented driver) driving down a deserted motorway, 6.30 am in the morning, perfect visibility, middle of July, driving a new lamborrari at a steady 110 mph
C) Aunt Fanny, aged 86, driving an Austin Metro, 1 month of MOT to run, driving down the m1 at 8.30 am on a friday morning in January at 45mph in patchy fog

You are the late Paul Smith (safespeed) AICMFP.

But to keep the pot boiling:

I'm not sure Joe deserves 9 points but if he was unlucky enough to find a rural 30 with three cameras in quick succession then his number's up anyway. On an urban or semi urban road the first flash should wake him up.

Damien would get a short ban and a big fine, I've a feeling there's an oddity that lets him off the points he richly deserves.

Provided Aunt Fanny is in lane 1 she's no problem to anybody.

 

[mumbo jumbo]

I've skimmed the thread but seen no mention of the French law which prohibits radar detectors, whether they are in use or not (I'm not sure if a suitably enabled sat nav counts but I don't see why not). I think I'm right in saying that if you have one in your car you get an on-the-spot fine and the device and your car is liable to confiscation. I suspect that other mainland Europe countries have similar laws (but am not arsed to do a comprehensive google trawl before posting!). I'm not sure exactly when this came in, maybe 10 years ago, but having driven in France before and after the change I can assure you it made a massive difference. I agree with the OP that the position in the UK is farcical. I'd support some French style enforcement on this front.