Jump to content

Speed Cameras


kwsaint
 Share

Recommended Posts

Got flashed by the speed camera in A33 Kingsway late yesterday afternoon. Just before you get to Hoglands park. I was doing around 35-36 mph.

 

Any ideas if the police are still sending out penalty notices? I thought that they were all switched off now - but clearly not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got flashed by the speed camera in A33 Kingsway late yesterday afternoon. Just before you get to Hoglands park. I was doing around 35-36 mph.

 

Any ideas if the police are still sending out penalty notices? I thought that they were all switched off now - but clearly not.

 

Coming up to the end of the month and will have been switched back on to fill the coffers back up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Varies from area to area. Were you actually doing 35-36 mph or was that what your speedometer said? Most, if not all , car speedos read up to 10% fast, though the percentage error can also vary with speed.

 

So if your speedo read 35, you might well only be doing 32 or 33, and most (but not all) police forces allow approx 10% plus 2 mph over the limit before they take action -- ie c35 mph in a 30 mph zone-- so you ought to be ok

 

If, on the other hand, you were actually doing 36 mph as read by your satnav or a 'road angel' device, based on GPS and dead accurate, you are on more dodgy ground.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s up to the area council if they choose to keep the cameras going or not, if the cameras are making money then they most likely will be kept on, however you won’t go on a speed awareness course you’ll just get the standard fine and three points.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mrs Mars got done by the same camera a few years back, I suggested that she contest it as we were selling the car at the time and thought we might be able to get away with saying it was someone test driving the car, and we cant provide their identity.....

 

That was until the coppers sent a picture (clear as day) of her driving the car, and me sat in the passenger seat.

 

We wouldn't have got far in a court of law.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is not much chance of avoiding this. It's a street lit 30 limit. So as long as there is a camera sign and the camera is yellow you can't fight it on signing.

 

If the white lines were 2m lines with 5m gaps you could argue it had road markings of a 40+ road.

 

40 & 50 mph limits are far easier to fight on signing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Varies from area to area. Were you actually doing 35-36 mph or was that what your speedometer said? Most, if not all , car speedos read up to 10% fast, though the percentage error can also vary with speed.

 

So if your speedo read 35, you might well only be doing 32 or 33, and most (but not all) police forces allow approx 10% plus 2 mph over the limit before they take action -- ie c35 mph in a 30 mph zone-- so you ought to be ok

 

If, on the other hand, you were actually doing 36 mph as read by your satnav or a 'road angel' device, based on GPS and dead accurate, you are on more dodgy ground.

 

I got done doing 34 in a 30 zone near to SMS, had to go on the Speed Awareness Course where the guy told me that there is no margin for error and that 'over is over' !

Not sure if this applies everywhere (maybe he was just trying to discipline me!) but that is what he told me !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got done doing 34 in a 30 zone near to SMS, had to go on the Speed Awareness Course where the guy told me that there is no margin for error and that 'over is over' !

Not sure if this applies everywhere (maybe he was just trying to discipline me!) but that is what he told me !

 

As I said ... "most (but not all) police forces allow approx 10% plus 2 mph". I think the logic relates to the historical legal requirement for speedometers to be accurate within 10%. Nowadays they are much more accurate than that, but I don't beileve the law has changed and manufacturers set them up to 10% fast, deliberately, to impress us poor punters by how fast our nice new cars go. ( Don't know where the plus 2 mph comes from -- simply avoiding absurdly trivial prosecutions maybe?)

 

Similary, some police forces offer the option of a speed awareness course and others just insist on a fine and endorsement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're lucky they offered the course option for being that much over.

 

I think 53 was the upper limit for being over the 40 limit. It's actually a stupid limit on that road - it's a good B road in the middle of the countryside. I could understand a 50 limit, but 40 seems a bit silly in that location. Never mind, I broke the law :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only ticket I ever got in the UK was a month before emigrating to Oz and it was because I was flailing at the kids in the back, not looking at the road and pushing down on the accelerator to get leverage to turn round! Bad me - did the Speed awareness course and it was ok, but never previously got tickets coz I never speeded - apart from this one non-voluntary speeding. In Oz I have racked up over $1K in fines in 3 years, it is basically a tax, and they have a very reasonable system where you can pay $30 a fortnight - police are forever pulling people over, much more so that in the UK. In one way this is a good thing - 'police presence', in another way, I think they they go for easy targets to generate revenue. Not so many cameras here, so keeping plod gainfully employed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got done doing 34 in a 30 zone near to SMS, had to go on the Speed Awareness Course where the guy told me that there is no margin for error and that 'over is over' !

Not sure if this applies everywhere (maybe he was just trying to discipline me!) but that is what he told me !

 

100℅ true. You could in theory be done for doing 31, but police forces allow you a small margin of error to take speedo inaccuracy into account, its also worth noting the margin varies from force to force, some are less lenient than others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Incidentally, what's the lowest anyone has ever been done for speeding on a motorway? My current box on wheels starts to drink fuel if I go much above 70 anyway but I was just wondering. Going by the 10% + 2 rule, I'm guessing 80 or above is the lower end of the limit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the ticket yesterday. Clocked at 35mph. Looks like an evening being lectured at on the dangers of speed. Ho hum.

 

Are there any other speed cameras in Southampton that are still on?

 

Both the ones on the way out of St Marys going towards Hedge End are live got done by the first, mate got done by second and mobile unit but his solicitor managed to argue it was the same offence as they were both so close to each other. Did the course, quite revealing, especially if you hit someone and kill them, if you are 1mph over the limit they will prosecute to the full extent of the law. If you are 1mph under you get councilling for your trauma of the accident.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...