Smkxh95

Hi all. Just wondering if any of you guys in the know?
I was plodding through a 30 zone earlier and went passed a policeman (well two policemen) with a speed gun. I can't tell if I was doing over 30 before I got to him but just wondering can they fine me or do they generally pull you over to fine you if your over the limit? As I say it was was two policemen one car and I think they had a recovery truck too!!! Oh and a speed gun lol
Thanks in advance
Kev

Carnut

I don't know about me being in the "know" but I would say you're in the clear.

Pross

iTrader: (3)

Im guessing that you were not doing over 30 because they didn't give you a tug.

rb5 stu

They pull you over if its a handheld gun. Your in the clear.

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Ooh, sounds like a cue for a dirty joke.

Smkxh95

Excellent cheers people. The one without the gun looked at my car as I went by. But I guess just admiring it!! Lol been driving 13yrs and not a single point as yet............ Thanks everyone time for a beer!!

Carnut

But no driving.

Smkxh95

Oh god no. I'm home now so beer open lol never drank and drove and never will. I love me booze and love me car but two separate things.

Athame1

iTrader: (2)

If it was one of the camera hand held speed guns then you find out within 14 days...

TallRider

Not necessarily okay, I got done by one in Worcestershire, looked like a hand held, thought I'd got away with it and then got my NIP through the post 2 weeks later. Sorry bud, but you might still hear from them.

Smkxh95

Ah mate don't say that! Are they new? It looked like a normal handheld gun to me but obviously wasn't close up. Do they have these now then? New guns which take your photo?
Cheers

TallRider

Yep, the one who got me was stood with a police bike, looked like a normal laser gun. I thought the same as you but, no such luck. You never know, you might be alright, but just didn't want you to get too excited.

If your licence is clean, you'll probs get away with the speed awareness course. It's a load of crap, but keeps your licence clean.

Smkxh95

Yeah hope so lol is do the course all day long to keep license clean. Although I do live in a pokey little town so hopefully they haven't heard of the new fangled ones lol ah well no point worrying what done Is done.
Thanks all for your posts

jaygsi

iTrader: (46)

I've had that once in the past, and policeman pulled me over £60 fine 3 points, silly old woman doing 40 on a 60 road, caught me while over taking

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

IIRC from when I got Gatso'd in a 30 in 2011, I think you have to be doing 37 or under in a 30 to be offered the SAC. If not, then say hello to (potentially ) 3pts...

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

AFAIK when they are using handheld devices, they "must" use the second officer to corroborate your speed. Failure to do so means it wont stand up in court as they need proof, and not reasonable doubt.

However in your case I guess they could argue that because the second bobby was present (albeit nowhere near the gun) that they corroborated the speed.

Another point to note is that they do not process all the speeding piccies, as the offices that sort these don't have the resources to fulfil the quantity they receive. This is mainly for Gatso and certainly for the man in the van. Last time I checked with a ex CID colleague (RIP Adrian Shurmer) he said that they take around 500 pictures from the van, but only process 200 of those taken.

This is Adrian's book that I think caused a serious stir for the Government and Ministry of Transport

Rob

Smkxh95

Cheers guys. If I was over it was only a couple of mph or so max 34 I reckon. Typically when I saw him I slammed on the brembos but probably too late lol saying that I really don't know what speed I was going exactly. Cheers for the info and if im done then so be it. Had a Sti for a yr and before that wrx and numerous Rs turbos so guess I've been lucky until now lol worse things happen at sea so they say!

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Rule of thumb is:

Speed limit plus 10%, plus 2mph.

This is an old calculation, and I am not sure if they still use it with modern cars now. But basically it was something like this:

Xmph, plus 10% for a chance of un-calibrated speedo, plus 2 mph for the unsteady hand.

Equates to:
30mph = 35mph
40mph = 46mph
50mph = 57mph
60mph = 68mph
70mph = 79mph
148mph = 164.8mph

Smkxh95

Ok cool. Fingers crossed then lol as I say if I was over it was only by little. I keep you all posted to see if it comes through the post then we will know that pc plod will be using the new fangled photo gun and probably beamed straight to head office before I got home lol
Cheers for the info again

LuckyWelshchap

Spot on.

Once attended an official presentation by the head of Safety Camera Partnership Wales (2011).
Exactly what he said !

Carnut

I got caught at 34 mph.

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Under what circumstances?

You can usually detest the "alleged" offence.

Rob

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

Hand held gun and 2 police means you will find out in 14 days
30 zone normally 33 is ok more and you will be done £65 thinks its gone up to now and maybe the speed awareness course if your local council offer it .

Sometimes its one of the pcso helps the regular

We administer a local speed watch campagne for the council and we caught 540 in one month in our town over 30
Letters were sent out and we only had 2 reoffenders
The police thought it was so good that they now have a yellow camera van there once a fortnight and once they get 30 in a day ,which is normally by mid morning/school run they lack up and go home

Intersting figures show it's normally school run mums and pensioners gossiping as they are driving that get caught over the 30

Athame1

iTrader: (2)

The ones I have come in contact with (I walk past at least once a week) video you with the speed shown on each frame.

Carnut

I pulled out of the end of my lane and when I looked right before I turned left I saw the camera van parked up. I was only going a few hundred yards to the shop so on the way back i was VERY aware that the van was there. I had even done my good deed of the day and had told a few in the shop to be careful of the van but then some how managed to get caught my self.

If I had of been speeding then due to how close I was to the van when I set back home I would have had to floor it towards a camera van that I knew was there.

I was offered a driver awareness course so didn't bother trying to fight it . What is worth mentioning is that I rang the people who organise the course and asked if I could change the date that I had been given to which I was told was o.k. . I then, a little time later realised that the new date that I had agreed was no good so phoned them up to ask if I could change the date of the course one more time which I was told would be fine. Then a few weeks later I got a letter in the post telling me that I had gone over the given time and it would now have to go to court. In short because of some fool that told me I was fine to change the date when I wasn't, it cost me 3 points and about a £500 fine from the courts.

LuckyWelshchap

Says it all doesn't it?
Just a cash cow for financially stretched police forces.

And of course they get the councils on board in order to imply that it's the will of the people.
Councils have absolutely no power over the police (apart from PR, but no bolitician will have a go at plod because their opponents will seize on it).

Ironic really, most of their victims are people in vulnerable groups, the very ones who don't get the benefit of good and effective response when they are in trouble.

THAT being said, imo areas around schools - and possibly heavy residential areas - should have a strict 20mph limit, and I mean strict.
2 mph over and it's a 3-pointer. 30mph and it's 6.

I'm not the best. Tbh I have my own set of rules (which is usually about 10 mph above the speed limit on open roads but is far less than 30 around schools, playgrounds, housing areas etc.

You don't expect a prat to suddenly jam on the brakes because they want to turn right (and haven't indicated) but as I was taught you should always expect a child to run out from behind a parked car, even if there's no ice cream van about.

LuckyWelshchap

One other aspect (didn't want to cram too much in).

Speed cameras are supposed to be a deterrent, right ?

So why use mobile ones, which are probably in the same location less than once a month ?
We have this argument around ours.

Chicanes, sleeping policemen and whatever to 'deter' speeding, coupled with the irregular (once a month perhaps) 'speed wagon'.

All you need is a bl**dy static camera in a bright yellow box - oh, that WORKS.
Unbelievable the difference one makes.
2 identical roads about 3 miles apart in our neck of the woods (long straight single carriageway into the edge of a town, 50mph dropping to 40).
Cars carry on at 50-60 into the one 40mph zone but 40 (or less, since there's planks who can't read and decide it must be 30) in the other.
Which one has the static camera ?

The powers that be DON'T want a deterrent - it would dry up that particular cash stream.

JusNoGood

It is a hope that the police do give some leeway. Doesn't work like that in real life tho unfortunately. I have two friends, both over 55 years old. One was recently caught and fined for doing 78 on a motorway and the other got done doing 35 in a 30. Both are quite calm well behaved people in boring cars.

Aaron1978

iTrader: (12)

The fact that there was a recovery truck there, could it have been that they were checking for uninsured drivers with a hand held ANPR?

LuckyWelshchap

Face them (plod/CPS) down imo.

Got 'done' once for 35 in a 30.
I saw the wagon but thought it was a 40.
After the NIP came through I checked and it was a 30.

Did absolutely nothing.

And heard nothing.

It pays to remember that in this day and age prosecution has to be cost-effective, and the fine (and costs) for a few mph over the limit - ignoring the points if you have a clean licence, so wouldn't be too bothered about 3 - wouldn't cover the cost of time providing evidence and the officer(s) in court.

Your friends should have waited for the court summons (if it ever arrived).
It would still have been more or less the same cost if they had pleaded guilty (by letter).

However, if said summons never arrived .......................