Motorway speeding q

What are the ways of getting caught speeding on a motorway? Is it only if the police spot you and catch you with their radar or if they track you in their car?

I drive sometimes on the M25 near the M40/M4 and there are those 1 metre partition marks on the road for cameras, same as M11, but even though I've gone over them many times at 100mph I have never been done, so why are they there? Do any motorways have cameras? I also drove 100mph from London to Teeside on the M1, no camera got me. It was Xmas morning so no police around

Curious cos I have a few long motorway treks in the next few weeks

Originally posted by hogmaw

What are the ways of getting caught speeding on a motorway?

I drive sometimes on the M25 near the M40/M4 and there are those 1 metre partition marks on the road for cameras, but even though I've gone over them many times at 100mph I have never been done,

Sounds like you've been lucky so far.

The cameras on the M25 do work, although there are a number of parameters that have to be met for them to be operable, if just one isn't met, the cameras don't work. This could be as minor as just one bulb not working on the overhead display.

I'm sure that if you continue to drive at 100 mph on motorways, even the M25, you'll get done eventually, unfortunately its an occupational hazard of driving these days

The only advice that I can give is that if you've got a lot of motorway driving to do in the near future, and you don't want to get done, is to keep your speed below 77 mph.

Its not just fixed cameras these days, there's SPECS which take an average of your speed over a distance, and a few other nasties.

http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk have got a list and description of all the cameras and other devices in use, makes interesting reading, know your enemy and all that

Good luck

I thought the M25 ones were only in effect if there was a temporary speed limit in place?

Originally posted by Thorin

I thought the M25 ones were only in effect if there was a temporary speed limit in place?

Thats what I thought too,but I also thought there is a threshold where they will work irrespective ot the temp speed limit,I think it was about 95mph

I know of someone that goes through them regularly at speed and has never been done. I'm sure they only work when the temporary limit is in place.

Speeding on the motorway concentrates the mind. You have to look ahead for marked/unmarked cars on the motorway, parked on the hard shoulder, parked in slip roads and bridges. Then there's the speed trap vans/temporary cameras and fixed camera's too. Don't don't forget to look behind you, especially when you pass a junction to make sure plod isn't coming down the slip road...It's a game of cat and mouse and your license is at stake....

The cameras are expensive so they only buy a few and move them around. Because of this it is possible to speed trough there for your whole life and never get caught but is purely down to luck.

I remeber that a few years ago Oxfordshire had 120 gatso camera boxes (the grey things) and only 10 cameras which were moved around. They also had some flash units without cameras to fit in the boxes so that you are flashed but no picture is taken.

It's worth noting that in certain places you can be caught speeding by helicopter. You will see a big white square in the road and another a little further on. These are a fixed distance apart and the helicopter times you in between them and gets your average speed. You're pretty safe on this one as flight time is too expensive to bother. The squares can be used by police cars who are following you too.

How long will it be before your GPS unit reports directly to the police when you are speeding? This is perfectly achieveable and cheap now.

Remeber that if you see the blue flashing lights in the distance behind you.... SLOW DOWN they are usually chasing you for an average speed and to get that they have to catch up before you slow down.

Forgot to mention

Scottish police will sometimes have men in seperate towns/villages that have straight roads in between and they will report to each other the reg numbers and times of cars that they expect will speed down the straight road.

They know the distance, time of departure and time of arrival so they can get average speed. Copper in the next village stops you and does you for speeding...... sneaky huh

Originally posted by wicked-wench

Remeber that if you see the blue flashing lights in the distance behind you.... SLOW DOWN they are usually chasing you for an average speed and to get that they have to catch up before you slow down.

Good point. I drove past a marked car parked on the M20 once (tucked away out of sight I might add!), kept my foot down for a bit and then slowed to 70mph. I was too far from the M25 to take an alternative route and I'm sure he'd radio'd ahead so I just let him catch me up. He eventually did (nearly gave up waiting) and could only give me a 25minute lecture as he didn't have me on camera. I was polite, listened to his rant on how it's suicide to drive faster than 70mph and then went on my way.

Same happened to me I was going a bit too fast and noticed blue lights in the distance behind me so I slowed right down. They turned off the lights and followed me off the motorway.

They didnt stop me but just glared at me a lot must have been gutted to let one get away

I drove past a marked car parked on the M20 once (tucked away out of sight I might add!).....

Hidden police car Dukes of Hazard style? This is from the PePiPoo site:

'ACPO Traffic Enforcement Guidelines are also not mentioned in the law, but they unambiguously state that traffic officers performing speed checks should do so from a position that is clearly visible to the public - take a look.

"31.2 The operator must be clearly visible to the public and the target vehicle throughout the check."

So, if you see a Traffic Officer hiding behind a bush or working from inside an unmarked transit van, why not stop and ask them if they realise that their conduct is breaching the ACPO guidelines - please don't forget to ask them for their name, number and the contact details of their Chief Constable so that you can write a letter of complaint about the officer's conduct.'

If I go over 80mph I'm totally concentrating on 1) not crashing(!) and 2) keeping an eye out for plod. Our lass as you might expect usually wants to chat, but I'm too busy sorry honey

The lines you are on about are the bigger ones in the centre of the lanes I assume? These ones AFAIK are there to enable certain types of mobile units to be set up easily. But on some roads they are used as a speed reduction measure. People see the lines and assume there is a camera and slow down. Theres a hod of them on the M11.

Remeber that if you see the blue flashing lights in the distance behind you.... SLOW DOWN they are usually chasing you for an average speed and to get that they have to catch up before you slow down.

If they have put the blues on to pull you over then they will have already calculated an average speed and slowing down after this will make no difference I'm afraid.

They dont need a speed to pull you over, remember they can just make up a number.

Originally posted by Bobbeh

They dont need a speed to pull you over, remember they can just make up a number.

Of course. But you need evidence to prosecute.

I was told that the cameras on the M25 (M4 to A3) have a threshold of 100mph when not in variable speed limit mode..this was told to me by someone who claims to maintain them...however I have (known lol) people to go through them at well above the 100mph and not been done.

There are camera measering lines north of the M4 to the M40 and the Snooper GPS alerts me of cameras on the gantries, but where the hell are they....coz i cant see them!

I have also been flashed by the gantry cameras on the variable speed limits..but.....I have never been done...infact I dont know anyone yet that has...has anyone on here ever been done by these cameras?

TBH I get the feeling there is less chance of getting done for speeding on Motorways than there was say 10 years ago!

(I'm talking about the South of England though and leaving out the Specs cameras around Birmingham)

Originally posted by Thorin

Of course. But you need evidence to prosecute.

No they dont.

Originally posted by Bobbeh

No they dont.

In the case we are on about (VASCAR reading from following vehicle), yes they do.

Thats up to a cop if they chose to use it or not, the can just make up a speed. It happened to me Im afraid.

Originally posted by Bobbeh

Thats up to a cop if they chose to use it or not, the can just make up a speed. It happened to me Im afraid.

I'm afraid that is right, the magistrates will tend to always listen to plods' opinion and the other devices merely make the case easier to prove. Vascar is totally down to which points the operator chooses to use and you can't prove one way or another whether it was operated correctly or not.

If you see those neatly marked squares in the carriageway look up and see if there is a plod on a bridge. All he needs for proof acceptable to the court is to be able to see you cross over each square and be able to start and stop a cheap stopwatch.

At the end of the day it is always your word against theirs - if they don't decide to get you for a specific speed they can easily accuse you of dangerous/careless which is entirely their opinion.

Not saying it happens all the time but it can easily occur.

I wonder how many j-specs on here are strictly 100% legal if they were put under close scrutiny?

 

If you see those neatly marked squares in the carriageway look up and see if there is a plod on a bridge. All he needs for proof acceptable to the court is to be able to see you cross over each square and be able to start and stop a cheap stopwatch.

 

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i dont think that is right, when i was stoped they clocked me doing 98.7 i had a bit to say about when was the cam last calibrated they even showed me on the screen what speed i was doing, i thought i had got away with it coz i slammed on the brakes when i saw them but it was to late they said they seen me coming from miles away they were hideing behind a bush gits

saying that i was lucky coz i was doing 110

whats the difference between a copper with a speed gun and a hairy muff

you cant always see the c*nt behind the bush

by the way i know that was ment to be what does a copper with a speed gun and a hairy muff have in common

i alwys screw up my jokes:mad:

Sorry - I don't understand why you think that isn't right?

well for a start unless he can do the maths and tell you what speed you were doing he has to prove that you were speeding and just a he got from the first white square the second white square in 12 secs i dont think it will be good enough to stand in court and i am sure he would need some solid evidence to say you were speeding. a few years ago(when i was a nipper) i was driving over a round about pritty quick and there was a shitty fiesta (plod) coming the other way, he turned around and pulled me "what speed where you doing, you looked a bit fast to me" i just replied "no i was doing 30" he tried to get me to admit to speeding i just said "no" if i had of admitted then he would of bounced me because i said "can you prove i was speeding" he got the cob on then questioned me about my british forces germany plates because they are untraceable in the uk for sercurity reasons so he decided to act the tw@t and ask for all the paper work for the car to check vin numbers and so on but i had it all so he just had to walk back to his gay little car and tell me to be careful next time