Police speed van at night

[BenBhoy]

1 hour ago, bruno22rf said:

BenBhoy - respect to you sir for defending the police - now give TVP a call and ask them how many officers are dedicated to protect children against  Sex Offenders then ask how many are on speed camera work every day.

It's not so much I'm defending police, more defending speed limits. They have to have a way of enforcing them.

I'm speaking as someone who lost a loved one when she was hit crossing the road by someone doing 37 in a 30. It's small margins, but potentially can have life altering consequences. 

Edited March 15, 2019 by BenBhoy
Mis spelling

[Davyo]

47 minutes ago, BenBhoy said:

It's not so much I'm defending police, more defending speed limits. They have to have a way of enforcing them.

I'm speaking as someone who lost a loved one when she was hit crossing the road by someone doing 37 in a 30. It's small margins, but potentially can have life altering consequences. 

I did the speed awareness and its shocking what 5mph difference makes. I was 57 in a 50 and had the attitude of many.My attitude changed after that course.  

Edited March 15, 2019 by Davyo

[Rewulf]

2 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

BenBhoy - respect to you sir for defending the police - now give TVP a call and ask them how many officers are dedicated to protect children against  Sex Offenders then ask how many are on speed camera work every day.

Well said Bruno.

Ive been driving cars and motorbikes for 35 years now, in all that time Ive been on 2 speed awareness courses and been given 3 points, all of these happened in the last 4 years, and each case I was 1 or 2 mph over the prosecution limit, all were mobile units.
Has my driving got worse ? Or are there more speed cameras, put in places designed to catch motorists, rather than reduce accidents ?
One of the times I got caught I never even saw the van, to this day I dont know where it was that I wouldnt see it, 300 yards away from my house on a straight country road I dont remember there being an accident on for the 15 years I lived there ?

If you dont believe that most cameras are there as a revenue maker, then you are living in fantasy land.

[243deer]

Respect your country, respect your laws, respect your speed limits, respect your community  - there appear to be quite a few on here who are selective in their respect.

In my experience aggressive and impatient driving often goes hand in hand with speeding as well as tail gating and putting other folks lives at risk through no fault of their own. My 38 mile each way commute now feels like I am on a racetrack in an F1 race - there was a time not that many years ago when it felt considerably safer.

If you do not like the speed limits become an MP and change them.

I lost my best friend at school to a driver speeding past the school, which one of you hero drivers that speed would like to defend that incident? He had been done for speeding several times over the years and had become an habitual speeder, he was obviously very sorry after the event when he went to jail. 2 families lives ruined.

My challenge to all of you who speed is to time your normal commute then on the same journey stick to the speed limits, keep a decent distance between you and the car in front, sit back, relax (and save yourself a bunch of stress), put the car on cruise control if you have it and time your journey. More than 5 minutes difference on a normal commute? 

[Rewulf]

19 minutes ago, 243deer said:

I lost my best friend at school to a driver speeding past the school, which one of you hero drivers that speed would like to defend that incident?

Take it you never break the speed limit ?

[243deer]

No - I do not see the need

[Rewulf]

7 minutes ago, 243deer said:

No - I do not see the need

Neither do I , but sometimes we drift over, follow the speed of the car in front, or are in ignorance of the limit (weak I know) 
Sometimes we are in a hurry/late ? 

Theres very few of us who havnt lost someone or had someone close to us seriously injured in a road accident.
We could blame our love of all things fast and with wheels, we could blame the people involved, its part and parcel of what we do.
Like I said earlier, we could rig cars so they never break the speed limit if we so choose, we now have the tech to rule out some collisions.
But I fear we have a long way to go before cars ,and the people who drive them, no longer kill themselves or others, perhaps never.

[B B]

4 hours ago, Rewulf said:

Like I said earlier, we could rig cars so they never break the speed limit if we so choose, we now have the tech to rule out some collisions.
But I fear we have a long way to go before cars ,and the people who drive them, no longer kill themselves or others, perhaps never.

Volvo have done a lot for safety they  aim to make it near impossible to crash in one of their cars. Its getting to the stage in road cars we do not need to be able to speed, GPS and sensors we could in the next few years have cars that do not respond if you want to speed this would be great good for the environment make roads safer i can not see where the negatives would be to such technology.

Speeding kills people and the limits are there to keep us ALL safe.  My problem with speeding all road users are not tuned in to the driving job on the same wave length on public roads, on race track everyone is in the same mindset.

Want to speed get into motor sport RAC competition licence or perhaps an  ACU licence on bikes, leave the roads for people travelling around doing their business, its a crime to speed just like robbery and murder we need speed limits to try and save lives. having cameras to catch criminal educate them as with those who have been on the speed awareness course is a step in the right direction. Jumping behind the wheel or handlebars is most probably the most dangerous thing we do in our lives and we do it daily we have to sit up and take notice its the responsible thing to do.

Get into motor sport if you like speed.

https://www.motorsportuk.org/Competitors/Apply-Renew-Licences/Apply/-Renew-licences

Starter pack

https://shop.msauk.org/product_details.asp?id=4023

[vampire]

If all vehicles had a black box fitted and licences where reissued every five years subject to the results of speed recorded on the box,how many would pass or be fined banned,would you be one,who is now off the road,what do you do now ?

The speed awareness course has certainly altered me and the way I drive for the rest of my life.

[oowee]

10 hours ago, eddoakley said:

30 as opposed to what ?

Say 34-35? 

Would agree that generally lower speed would do less damage but how much? If that's the case then why are limits not less than 30? Why is it still 30 when cars have developed so much?

As others have said why are mobile cameras placed where they are? In my experience there are more placed in areas where the consequences of speeding wouldn't be too severe yet not so many in areas around schools, shopping centres or other places that would be sensible to "keep people safe".

Why are there so many stretches of motorway with variable limits?

 

Much of Bristol is now set at 20 mph. That's very hard to do. 

 I can see the sense of the variable speed limits on the motorway as they are a great aid for dealing with traffic volume.

It's the constant changing up and down from 60 to 50 to 40 and back for no apparent reason and long stretches of 30 out of town that seem to be a nonsense.

[Westley]

To all of the people that are of the misconception that speed cameras' are 'cash generators',  surely they are only that IF they are activated. Otherwise they sit there doing absolutely nothing     🤔  

[Vince Green]

13 hours ago, figgy said:

Funny how in other parts of Europe they have roads without speed limits 

Very few now, it used to be all the German Autobahns but they have gradually imposed speed limits. The only reason they left a few stretches was "allegedly" at the insistence of the German car industry who argued that they could only sell their high performance cars if the owners had somewhere to drive them. In return the German car makers had to agree to limit their car's to 155mph.

Far removed from any considerations of safety

Edited March 15, 2019 by Vince Green

[eddoakley]

18 minutes ago, oowee said:

 

It's the constant changing up and down from 60 to 50 to 40 and back for no apparent reason and long stretches of 30 out of town that seem to be a nonsense.

That's the bit that seems to be set up to catch people out. I see 70 to 50 several times on the short stretch of the m4 that I use and there doesn't seem a reason to it. Even in the early hours they are there.

Edd

[Pistol p]

Unfortunately for us in Essex the roads are a mess and covered in litter. I keep getting carrier bags stuck on my number plates. Ever wondered why they really want to outlaw carrier bags?

 I watched an old girl in Tesco last week draping a bag for life out of the boot of the car and over her number plate. No parking fine for her. Old folks setting a bad example tut tut. 

[Robertt]

To often I have seen Speed Vans parked, not where there is any danger but where the speed limit is ambiguous and causes confusion, especially to drivers who  are not local to the area.

This has nothing to do with safety.

I flash oncomming vehicles but this practice seems to have sadly died down.

Not sure if this is correct but I was told some of the bizarre reductions on smart motorways are to reduce pollution levels ?

[panoma1]

We all have our opinions, And mine is that much public belief in speed camera enforcement being used purely for road safety has been lost to the view that motorists are being seen and used as a "cash cow".......for around £100 you can attend a speed awareness course, and you buy your way out of prosecution.

Most speed limits were set years ago and use of these cameras takes no account of weather conditions, road conditions, time of day (or night) age and condition of vehicle (improved braking systems on newer vehicles etc!

If it was about stopping motorists speeding, why isn't there one of those illuminated flashing signs placed in advance of the camera showing/warning a motorist they are exceeding the speed limit, with the enforcement camera placed some yards further down the carriageway? If they take no notice of the flashing warning and don't slow down they deserve everything they get!

 

[lancer425]

Can do what they want i crawl around if they catch me they will be lucky, i am nieve regarding speed enforcement i thoughht the speed warning display sign at the start of the villiage was a good idea, then my son came home said a local tearaway and his mates wee seeing who could record the highest speed in it and catch it on mobile phone to brag about.  Thems the lads want catching.

[Westley]

6 hours ago, panoma1 said:

We all have our opinions, And mine is that much public belief in speed camera enforcement being used purely for road safety has been lost to the view that motorists are being seen and used as a "cash cow".......for around £100 you can attend a speed awareness course, and you buy your way out of prosecution.

Most speed limits were set years ago and use of these cameras takes no account of weather conditions, road conditions, time of day (or night) age and condition of vehicle (improved braking systems on newer vehicles etc!

If it was about stopping motorists speeding, why isn't there one of those illuminated flashing signs placed in advance of the camera showing/warning a motorist they are exceeding the speed limit, with the enforcement camera placed some yards further down the carriageway? If they take no notice of the flashing warning and don't slow down they deserve everything they get!

 

Or, they could just position the camera in the centre of the carriageway. That way, MOST people should see it and be able to slow down in time   !    🤔 

[welsh1]

7 hours ago, Robertt said:

To often I have seen Speed Vans parked, not where there is any danger but where the speed limit is ambiguous and causes confusion, especially to drivers who  are not local to the area.

This has nothing to do with safety.

I flash oncomming vehicles but this practice seems to have sadly died down.

Not sure if this is correct but I was told some of the bizarre reductions on smart motorways are to reduce pollution levels ?

If you think a speed camera van is in the wrong location, then you should contact your local police who will put you in touch with the manager of the speed vans,you can voice your concerns and they will check the positioning out.
I chatted about a van positioned on a long bend so it was very deliberately hard to see and pointing at the change in speed into a very small village, i argued that where the van was it was difficult for a car coming out of a side road to see past the van and down the main road, and the van was in fact causing the danger.
The positioning of the van was reviewed by the manager and the police and it was removed from that position, and luckily there was nowhere else for it to be positioned so that was the last we saw of it there.

I believe if they were solely for the purpose of reducing speed then they should be painted dayglow orange and place signs saying they are operating.And if there is an actual speeding problem then put a fixed camera there, that way most should immediately slow down in the area.