There seems to be a huge increase in speed trap vans round here. Always on a busy dual carridge way rather than near a school, and always when your going down hill. Anyway.....I have TOMTOM5 on my pda with the camera database on it but I only tend to plug that in when doing on a long journey or a new place. Most of my journeys are in the local area. Therefore I am looking for some sort of GPS gadget that will alert when I break the limit.
I figure this would be better as the vans can spring up anyway and on A routers there are plods out with their hairdriers. Anyone got a suggestion?? The unit would need to know the limit of the road and if it has a camera datbase even better. I would fit it in the car so its on all the time so it would ideally need to be battery powered.
Cheers
James
P.S No smart alec comments about using your speedo, there seems to be little margin for error now with the new "zero tolerance" policy and I don't want to risk it. If anyone wants to debate about it, or speed traps themselves, please start another thread.
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I wanted the GPS limiter technology fitted to my car, I contacted a Leeds University professor, but he said the system was not comercially available and the government had lost interest. I think if they could get it to below £500 they would have a lot of buyers.
Just thought I'd add that to your thread.
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So you wanted a mechanical device that would take away your ability to have full control of your vehicle. One of the most dangerous devices I could think of!
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Quite mlc. I can't help noticing that some people really, really hate and fear cars, and can't wait for them to be turned into little harmless plastic things that are completely and utterly foolproof and horrible.
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So you wanted a mechanical device that would take away your ability to have full control of your vehicle. One of the most dangerous devices I could think of!
Errr, no. Please re read my post.
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"Therefore I am looking for some sort of GPS gadget that will alert when I break the limit."
No need for GPS as long as your eyes work and you have cruise control. Some systems can have preset limits programmed in so it sounds an alert when you exceed it. It was fitted to an Audi S3 I once had as a courtesy car and it is still an option on some new VAG cars.
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Afraid I don't have this on my car! But I do have Cruise so maybe I should be using that more.
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I read somewhere that the GPS limiters allowed the driver to over-ride in an emergency by pressing down hard on the accelerator, so it is not a totally limiting system.
My concern is the accuracy of the database. I have Tomtom 6 and it includes speed limits for roads but some are out of date with the road signs taking precidence - obviously
Of course the Govt. don't want a system that keeps drivers to the limit - where's the profit in that!
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Much as I really dislike the bunch of shysters in Westminster it isn't their fault of TomTom's database is out of date!
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Afraid I don't have this on my car! But I do have Cruise so maybe I should be using that more.
If it is a simple system as fitted to the Mondeo and Focus in my household, it will not save you if you are on a downhill section of road.
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>So you wanted a mechanical device that would take away your ability to have full control of your vehicle.
>One of the most dangerous devices I could think of!
Not only has there been extensive trials done here and in Spain, where no problems were reported. But you are saying that all HGV and coaches are extremely dangerous because they can't exceed the speed limit.
Oh dear my car can't exceed the speed limit oh my oh my, it must be so dangerous, how much safer it would be if I could go faster than the given speed limit.. My ability to use the brake pedal is seriously affected because my car won't exceed the speed limit. It's just one of those things i've had since birth, I can't use the brake pedal when I'm in a vehicle with a speed limiter, you might laugh and scoff, but it's true, I mean I can be driving 40 mph straight ahead towards a stationary car infront of me and I just panic I'm like a rabbit in headlights, I can't brake I can't turn the wheel, I just end up crashing all the time. I've tried it five times now, and wrecked 5 cars, luckily for me I don't get very far before I hit something, but now I've had enough I'm not getting into another vehicle with a speed limiter, I value my life too much for that. I've had enough of crashing.
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Didn't some Road Angel units have the ability to set a "top speed" warning - e.g when you hit 78 mph. Don't think it would be programmable for individual speed limits though.
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&* is too late many cases have now gone through at 75, the old 10% plus 2 is no longer applicable, particularly to LTI 20-20 type technology. Regards Peter
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Sorry 78. Having said that many modern speedo's read around 4 or 5 MPH high at 70. Regards Peter
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Didn't some Road Angel units have the ability to set a "top speed" warning
Even my £30 Inforad has that feature.
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I'm fairly sure the geodesy family of GPS gadgets have a feature where they bleep as you approach a fixed camera, but they only bleep if you are exceeding the speed limit, and they stop bleeping when you slow down to below speed limit.
The inforad might also do this, but IMO they are complicated to work with.
It would be a simple thing for Geodesy to give this option of beeping whenever over the speed limit camera or no camera. They could easily upgrade the software - and charge an arm and a leg for the optional extra. But it would have it's draw backs such as where 2 roads intersect, but they should be able to work around that with silent areas (except where there is a camera on the intersection).
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The inforad might also do this, but IMO they are complicated to work with.
Complicated?
2 buttons, and 3 LEDs.
Left button mutes the alarm. Right button stores points of interest. Pressing both sets max speed limit. Continous audible beep and all 3 LEDs flashing if you go over preset speed limit.
Green LED.
Flashing = no GPS signal.
Steady on = in detection mode, confirmed with one audible beep.
Flashing orange LED = Aproaching a potential risk zone (ie, stored point of interest.), confirmed with 2 audible beeps.
Flashing red LED = Aproaching a certtifed risk zone (ie, static camera), confirmed with 3 audible beeps if under the speed limit; continous audible beep if breaking the speed limit.
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Might be just the one I experienced but no amount of button pushing or slowing down will turn the alarm off. It seems to have a will of it's own and turns itself off when it wants to.
How do you delete incorrect right button taps?
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How do you delete incorrect right button taps?
With the same interface software that you use to update the Inforad with. You can also access the map grid references, and locations displayed by multimap's website as well. To store points of interest you actually have to hold the button down for approx 2 seconds, stopping accidental storage if you only momentarily press the button..
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A device which would meet OP's requirement would appear to be Roadpilot @ £150. Warns of fixed cameras and continuously displays the speed limit on the road being travelled. Website is something like www.roadpilot.co.uk or Google for it. Saw it advertised in one of the freebie evening papers in London this evening.
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