Diesel

I think they were simply stopped on the hard shoulder in a T5; I saw them and backed off a bit to about 85. I then noticed they pulled out so kept my head down further, but to no avail. T5 pilot hounded me from lane to lane (I was changing lane a lot as I was now bogged down with the 65/70 brigade and trucks in and out of middle lane) with not once any use of his indicators... They then pulled me after about 5 mins - I saved some petrol at least

Fair cop for the speeding and a nice chap he was too; we parted mutually dissing the revenue cameras But did you know they used laser guns from WITHIN their parked car, parked on a nondescript bit of the hard shoulder & could zap someone in lane 3 through quite a lot of traffic and all from from pretty far away!!! I clearly didnt...? Or was he up the side of the motorway in a bush???

(Ohh and thanks a lot Bel Euro 550 - NOT)

Richard Askew

Where abouts was this mate? (I'm surrey based at the min)

Diesel

On your dooorstep mate!!! A3 shortly after Guildford northbound. Dont tell me you saw it and sniggered

Richard Askew

No mate but I had an incident with a Volvo last night on M23 from Dyney's up towards Croydon..

Saw him sat on bridge from way off, Snooper stayed quiet, adjusted my speed just in case though. A minute or two later two sets of headlights are gaining on me rather rapidly..

Red Mitsubishi 3000GT flies past in lane 3 followed by said Volvo. As the officers came past me the passenger gave me the thumbs down then pulled the 3000 over..

I think had the Mitsi not been there I would have copped it (s'cuse the pun)

Was showing an indicated 90 so a lazer would have probably had me around 81 mph I think 3 points if they were narky enough..

Diesel

Yep - similar tale I must have saved a putrid green MR2 that was behind me egging me on. He was annoyed at me showing him and an M3 how to smartly join the motorway from Guildford. That is one TIGHT 360 degree continuous bend sliproad thingy!

Richard Askew

Leslie

Seems a bit dubious to me that they can get you through lanes of traffic at a distance. Unsafe conviction I'd say!

Les

Diesel

I'll take it like a man Les Just need to know HOW! He wouldnt clamber up the grass verge would he? He was such a short bug*er too

IanW

That is one of the (dis)advantages of using laser over radar that you can pinpoint a vehicle in traffic and from a distance away.

IIRC it takes 0.3 seconds to get a 'lock' and works upto 1km away.

Diesel

Well Ian I think that they should all do the part time job of tracking Tiger Wood's drives using a TV camera! How those camera guys manage to track a golfball so small beats me

boomer

IIRC, the Police cannot use a radar gun from within a car (they must have at least one foot on the ground), but when type approval was obtained for laser guns, they were allowed to use it from inside the vehicle.

However, i don't think they can use it through glass - gotta be an open window.

mb

Beastie

iTrader: (2)

actually sounds like they got you on your average speed with VASCAR.

stiler83

Correct, the police road traffic manual (2001) states that a radar gun must be opperated by an officer on foot not from within a vehicle.
It must only be used when one vehicle is isolated in the field of view of the device.
The spedometer must not be pointing along a road randomly waiting for a vehicle to apear.

Lasers cannot be used in a moving vehicle. Laser cannot be used properly in rain, snow, fog or other conditions of reduced visability.


Some of the details above maybe inaccurate as my copy of the book is 2001. For a new version of the book follow the link below
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199254907/qid=1067300786/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_19_1/202-4063754-4003859

BlackScoobyWRX

Yeah and we all know how accurate VASCAR is and how it can be 'altered' to suit !! It ain't rocket science and probably why lots of police forces have dropped them - at the end of the day if they do you with Vascar it's your word against theirs and invariably you lose - now why is that??

StickyMicky

speed gun detectors are a load of ****en bollocks man, why do u think the police wernt that botherd when they were finaly declared legal

cos there ****e!!!!!!

the gps systems are good imo but they wont help you with the new traffic vans and sly coppers in parked up cars

ive said it sooooo many times to people, but they wont listen, persoanly i dont care, if im caught, then fine that is the way the cookie crumbles

theres no way i will be payed £££££ for a box of **** that gos nuts when i pass by a shop door or even a TV remote control

Diesel

Nah it was a Laser - he showed me the reading on it. It said 94 over 300 yards I think. Had a shoulder butt like a Heckler & Koch lighteweight sniper rifle too!

I really think I would have seen him if he was stood outside the passenger door on the hard shoulder. Guess I'll never know but hope we are all a little wiser from talking about this...

Mungo

He was probably leaning against the side of the car to steady himself, and was most likely on the nearside so you didn't see him.

DaveD

iTrader: (2)

Can a police officer really use a laser/radar gun across 3 lanes of traffic (with another 3 lanes going the opposite direction not far away) and get an accurate speed reading??
If you were in lane 3 and he was on the hard shoulder can he gaurantee that the speed on his gun was from your car and not from something else?

I dare say that someone has asked the question in court before and been shot down, but perhaps worth asking the question here....

However, sounds like a fair cop (pun intended ), and glad you've gracefully taken the knock on your licence.

Diesel

Dave! How dare you question that I was the fastest thing on the road at that time

Just went to produce - was told I couldnt do it in this 'backwater' 'sleepy' Greater London nick!!!! We did however have a lovely chat about getting it up to 170 (on an autobahn) in the desk officer's STi Type RA

Jen

It only takes a split second to take your reading, and they are magnifiying (sp?!) as well, so what appears a long way away with the naked eye actually is quite close when you look through a radar gun....I have one for work (traffic management) and it's increadbily easy to use - I can get readings up to about 1 mile away...

It's more accurate reading if you get them head on, but any angle will actually result in a lower speed reading (therefore to your advantage), at least with my model of radar which is the same on Hampshire Constab. use

newbie_scoobie