"Pink" Speed Cams

[AdamW]

Many cars have an engagable speed limiter now, I think it is a good idea and if on all new cars would remove many excuses of "didn't realise my speed had crept up". I would be interested to see how it works though, seeing as few cars have a "drive-by-wire" throttle.

I had a Fiat Stilo hire car that seemed to have something similar, but when I set it all it did was beep continuously when I exceeded the preset speed. I hate it when car companies include half-a**ed ideas.

 

[kendor]

I don't think it would be a practical solution, It's very hard to keep within the speed limit most of the time as traffic flow dictates the practical speed limit, you may have to drive say 5 miles or more faster, if you set the speed limiter to compensate for this and then forget about it and get used to relying on it, you will eventually get caught out and flashed anyway.

 

[pipme]

Set it at the limit and drive up to that !!
No excuse in town, or genuine camera policed road, for exceeding limit.
I think it is a helpful accessory and Renault do have them, I was looking at another web site, the concensus amongst actual users was that the limiter was very usable and allowed a greater percentage of concentration on the road ....

P

 

[AdamW]

you may have to drive say 5 miles or more faster,

Kendor, I am shocked! There is no reason one would need to drive above the speed limit, just because other people are. I drive dead on the speed limit (to my speedo usually, GPS if I have it turned on). OK, so I get people sitting right on my back bumper because they seem to think that a 40mph limit means you are meant to drive at 45-50. Doesn't bother me, the closer they drive the more stone chips they get off my back tyres.

If we ALL had speed limiters (which would be pretty much true within 5 years if they started fitting them to all new cars now), there would be little excuse for speeding, and much less tailgating. In fact, you would get where you were going quicker because people would be more likely to drive dead on the speedlimit instead of wavering around it. I hate driving on the motorway behind someone who does 65 on upward slopes and 75 on downward ones!

Of course, if we could get laws to ban people who accelerate slower than a Lada full of bricks, on wet tarmac, I would be a lot happier.

 

[kendor]

The police themselves unless they are on a purge allow for a small breaking of the speed limit and have even campaigned at one time or another to increase the limit.

 

[AdamW]

The police themselves unless they are on a purge allow for a small breaking of the speed limit and have even campaigned at one time or another to increase the limit.

Certainly they do, and for good reason, but the only way to make it acceptable to drive at 35-40mph on a 30mph road is to raise the speed limit to 40mph. There are plenty of stupidly low speed limits about, but they are often put in place because they know many people will go "30mph, oooh that means I must drive at 40." If everyone stuck to every speed limit all the time, that contingency could be removed and we would all be able to drive at 40 safely and legally.

The stupidest speed limit I drive through regularly is the A308 between Hampton and Hampton Court, 20mph on a big wide road, nowhere near the touristy bits. But I always drive down there dead on 20. I know the road well and know it should be a 40mph (it used to be), but it is a 20 now.

 

[AdamW]

The police... allow for a small breaking of the speed limit

Yes, but for the purposes of ruling out instrument error, not because they think it is acceptable to speed.

Motorways are the exception, on some stretches many traffic cops allow calibrated speeds of up to 90mph to go unchecked provided the driving is sensible, the conditions suitable, and they aren't in a bad mood. I say calibrated speed, this would read as nearer 100 on a typical car speedo. Which is pretty damn lenient.

I am in favour of M25-style variable speed-limits on all motorways, and think they could use it as an opportunity to safely raise the speed limit to 90 or possibly even 100 on some stretches (again, in perfect conditions) whilst reducing speeds in dangerspots or in bad conditions.

 

[pipme]

Have a peruse here :-
http://www.speed-trap.co.uk/Home/Menu1.htm

This section is interesting :-
http://www.speed-trap.co.uk/Accused_Home/Rules_useage/The_Law.htm

In particular read this chapter A textbook case, and how it was overturned. A better understanding of asking to see 'original pictures' ,counting road markings, siting of cameras etc ... I bet there are some real mistakes made by the operators !!

P