hi,
can anyone shed some light on this?
Do the speed guns (hand held type) used by the police on the motorways pointing out of a traffic police cars send out the conviction through the post or do they stop you there and then?
I just passed one today at about 80mph and am really worried!
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If its an indicated 80 you were probably only doing 73 so I would not worry.
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Not necessarily Rattle - my new Mondy seems to have a reasonably accurate speedo, with 70 on satnav being only about 72 on speedo.
Impossible to give a definitive answer to the OP without knowing details of the device in use, but to me, hand held sounds like the old VASCAR device which would usually entail a tug there and then.
14 days and you'll know for sure... :-)
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To me a handheld device sounds like a laser type of device. And if it is, then sometimes they do have a car down the road to chase and pull you in. Or they send you the NIP through the post.
You have at least 14 days to wait. If it is a company owned vehicle then you could wait even longer.
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it should read 14 days and youll know for sure :-(
;-)
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It might be an idea to get a passanger to read the sat nav while you do 70mph on the motorway you will get an idea how accurate your speedo is now. I did this my dads on the M180 which has a lot of speed camera, we found that an indicated 80 was actually 73mph but like Rob says it largely does depend on the car.
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I just passed one today at about 80mph ..........
You knew you were doing 80? You were deliberately/intentionally doing 80?
I've got no sympathy for you.
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To answer the original question. The normal protocol is that for Hand Held Radar the offender will get a pull at the time.
Any equipment that results in paperwork through the post is a bit more cumbersome and has a camera recording facility.
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I saw a bit of an odd one the other day. I wasn't speeding so it didn't concern me but it was a bit strange. At the side of a rural road near us in a lay-by was a dowager duchess lookalike type lady in a deck chair. Armed with a clipboard, she was apparently recording something as vehicles passed. Standing next to her was what appeared to be a young WPC with a radar gun thing which she pointed at me. I say police officer but I'm not so sure, something about the uniform didn't quite add up in that her hat had a blue band around it rather than the usual black and white chequered detail.
As I say, I'm not bothered as I was not doing anything I shouldn't and was in a legally insured etc car but remain curious as to what was going on.
Is this a new one? The "Granny Trap" or something
;-)
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Is this a new one? The "Granny Trap" or something
Local residents trying to gather evidence to support installation of a speed camera, with police support?
Edited by Focus {P} on 24/04/2009 at 11:03
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@ L'Escargot - OP didn't ask for sympathy, or even state that he was deliberately or intentionally doing 80. Anyway, we aren't all perfect you know...
Edited by smokie on 24/04/2009 at 10:46
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Not so long ago 80mph was the speed you did on the motoroway anyway, unless you had a Lada which meant your ears would pop after 65mph.
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smokie - are you a moderator or post police ?
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He is a moderator.
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Not Perfect, your right there when you said "hand held sounds like the old VASCAR device" Vascar was dash mounted and does not need pointing at the alleged offender. They were probaby using a Prolaser II or III. Regards Peter
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@ Old Navy - yes, I'm a moderator. Can create quite a dilemma when I want to post my own view - which is what I've been posting in this thread. I (usually) indicate on a post when I'm posting as a mod, by saying so at the bottom of the post.
Thanks for the correction Peter D - I should have got it right, as I was done with one some years ago). Happy to prove my own point! :-)
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Can create quite a dilemma when I want to post my own view - which is what I've been posting in this thread. I (usually) indicate on a post when I'm posting as a mod by saying so at the bottom of the post
Your moderator hat indicator noted.
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Next time the OP is on a motorway, get a passenger with a stopwatch to time your passage over a couple of km using the roadside markers. Work out your true speed, and compare with indicated.
You are unlikely to get an NIP for less than 78 mph, so you can then put a small piece of tape on the speedo marking the indicated speed that results in a true speed of 78 mph.
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I think they need a camera to send you the NIP through the post. I charged under a camera van on the M4 a few weeks ago doing an indicated 85. Had a very unpleasant fortnight afterwards which was probably more of a learning experience than 3 points and the fine. :-)
14 days and you're in the clear.
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Its very easy this one. No plod will bother to throw his twix on the floor and chase you down the road for speeding at 80mph. In fact most plod wont even bother to speed up if you pass them at 80mph.
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Its very easy this one. No plod will bother to throw his twix on the floor and chase you down the road for speeding at 80mph. In fact most plod wont even bother to speed up if you pass them at 80mph.
I believe the key here is "Indicated"
i.e. they are unlikely tlo care if you are doing an INDICATED 89 but a true 89 (i.e. an indicated 90 ish is likely to be different. All aassuming good weather, clear visibility, decent stopping distance etc.
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I always figure that anywhere up to a true 80 mph will see you ignored. Dont forget plod has calibrated speedos and eyeballs.
Depends on traffic and rooad condition of course.
The worse thing is that plod hates to be ignored. If they think you havent seen them (unless there are trying to be covert) you will get a tug.
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I'm with Altea - cops have a very good sense of estimating speed and tend to look for the person doing well in excess of the other traffic and go for them.
On a bridge, or a ramp they tend to be looking for the lane 3 'owner' doing over 90.
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forget it on the motorway, you are a sluggard and getting in the way of people making Britain 'Great'- again.
It's called Businessmen's Speed- apparently, and 80 is the benchmark. Above 90 though and you start being noticed.
Of course at weekends ,when the old fogeys are about, the average drops - so watch it.
But then the cops are after the bikers who are a far better target for sport as they do real speeds.
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most plod wont even bother to speed up if you pass them at 80mph
I got VASCARed at 79.44mph on an empty M25 at midnight - I got the full "maniacs like you cause the kind of carnage we have to clear up" lecture plus a virtual roadside MoT test before "kindly" being let on my way. That did wonders for my perception of the police force in general, I can tell you.
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I witnessed many cars overtaking a police car on the M6 today - dozens. I was only doing about 74-75mph (real not indicated) at the time so never caught the police car up to overtake ;-)
Edited by rtj70 on 24/04/2009 at 23:59
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Well known in the old days amongst Traffic cops was to play Snooker, pot a red then a colour, then another red etc. May depend on the colour of your car Rattle. I did an indicated 84 mph past a Police car the other day on my VFR - I was alongside a lorry so I hope I got away with it ! I know its wrong L'escargot and I am a very bad criminal.
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Indeed you are PU. If you are a man of religion you must with all haste go to your chosen place of worship and beg forgiveness. ( or at least thank some higher authority for providing the truck.....)
;-)
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Come and have a drive along my stretch of motorway. We're too busy dodging BBC cameramen to worry about anything else!!
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Wonder how much it'd cost to get "BBC" stencilled on my car? Sounds like a bit of a plan......
;-)
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Then why don't you simply ask the federation to seek a ban on this. ?
I suspect because some of your colleagues bask in the attention and it wouldn't get full backing. Beats me how you can be doing your job 100 % when you also dealing with the demands of an on board camera person as well.
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Don't you ever see the humorous side of anything!
I choose not to carry the cameraman around. Others don't mind. He sits in the back and keeps out of the way. He doesn't make demands and is actually very careful about what he does and avoids distracting the Officer in anyway. So why you see a need for the Federation is beyond me.
Why do you insist on looking for confrontation in every thread.
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'We're too busy dodging BBC cameramen to worry about anything else!!
Who's looking for confrontation ?
You made a point- I offered a suggestion.
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...Don't you ever see the humorous side of anything!...
mlc,
Police humour can be a bit hard to grasp for those of us not in the job, but even I got that one.
Mr X,
Lighten up a bit, go on, just to prove you can do it.
It's the weekend, the weather's nice. :)
Edited by ifithelps on 25/04/2009 at 12:17
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Its always raining where mr x is, every cloud has a lead lining, and his glass is always half empty.
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There is a war being waged against the motorist in this country, a war which intensifies week after week. It's a pincer movement of endless new rules and regulations, joined by ever increasing taxation. It has only one purpose, to remove as many of us as possible from the roads and bring an end to car ownership by the masses. There is, quite frankly, very little amusement in that concept.
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There is a war being waged against the motorist in this country a war which intensifies week after week.
My goodness ...... I find myself agreeing with Mr X....... 'NURSE!!!!'
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 25/04/2009 at 21:01
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... I find myself agreeing with Mr X...
So do I, and not for the first time.
Just wish he would inject a bit of levity now and again. :)
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