Motorway speeding ticket for 80mph?

[V6GBJ]

Do you really mean a detector? Those worked (mostly) with old RADAR guns but are next to useless with modern Laser ones (by the time it sounds they already have your speed). I'm guessing you have a GPS-based warning device, which is OK for fixed cameras & common mobile check sites so long as you keep it updated.

My device is a Drivesmart Alpha X and does detect live cameras of all sorts as well as GPS mapping of fixed and mobile camera reported locations. You are right about laser cameras being difficult to detect in time, but if the usual locations are mapped then you will be warned in advance. We do a lot of touring around the country and I am simply staggered by the number of mobile camera locations it warns you about.

 

[Greek God]

Cruise set to 75 in lane overtaking white van in lane 2 doing 73 (or thereabouts v slow overtake) Lane 1 full of HGVs. Overrode cruise to 79 to get past and back to Lane 2 just as camera van spotted on the bridge ahead.
Checked my dashcam which showed max speed of 78.
S172 arrived in 4 days
78 on DCW (A1M Wetherby) no defence bummer

 

[Rich764089]

Cruise set to 75 in lane overtaking white van in lane 2 doing 73 (or thereabouts v slow overtake) Lane 1 full of HGVs. Overrode cruise to 79 to get past and back to Lane 2 just as camera van spotted on the bridge ahead.
Checked my dashcam which showed max speed of 78.
S172 arrived in 4 days
78 on DCW (A1M Wetherby) no defence bummer

Automatic points, or can you go on a course?

 

[BTB 500]

Automatic points, or can you go on a course?

Normal cutoff for a SAC is speed limit + 10% + 9mph, so 86 mph in a 70 limit (assuming that's what was in force here). You can only do one every 3 years though.

 

[Z1a]

Thought prosecution started at !0% + 2 MPH, IE 79 0n a 70 limit. 105 + 3MPH in Lancs.

 

[Z1a]

10% + 3, not 105 + 3.

 

[John]

These 10% + 2mph type figures are only ACPO guidelines - not law.

Forces can set what they want.

71mph is speeding in a 70, technically.

More money is obviously required hence the tighter enforcement.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , many years ago a friend of mine was a traffic cop and he told me when he stopped people for speeding attitude counted how he treated the offence.

 

[markjay]

A colleague got two NIPs in the post, two days apart, one for doing 23mph and the other for doing 21mph, both in a 20mph zone.

It's a dual carriageway, and he knew the speed limit was reduced to 20mph last year (together with most roads in London), but he didn't know that was a new camera on the route, and so he wasn't watching his speed very closely, not until the NIPs started arriving in the post, that is.

It's 6 points on his licence.....

 

[Big Janner]

Normal cutoff for a SAC is speed limit + 10% + 9mph, so 86 mph in a 70 limit (assuming that's what was in force here). You can only do one every 3 years though.

Unfortunately, things differ around the country
Here, in sunny Essex, cut off for SAC is 1mph above speed camera setting.
Vis: if the camera is set for +10% +2, in a 70 limit 80mph you get the SAC, but 81mph, you get points and a fine. (Don't ask me how I know)

 

[AMGeed]

Hi , many years ago a friend of mine was a traffic cop and he told me when he stopped people for speeding attitude counted how he treated the offence.

I believe him. I got lucky after getting pulled over last year. It was a fair cop, and so was he. Let me go with a ticking off.

 

[E55BOF]

It certainly worked for My Mate Dave, too, a few years ago. He was looking at a certain ban, and came away with three points and the fine.

 

[SW18]

Cruise set to 75 in lane overtaking white van in lane 2 doing 73 (or thereabouts v slow overtake) Lane 1 full of HGVs. Overrode cruise to 79 to get past and back to Lane 2 just as camera van spotted on the bridge ahead.
Checked my dashcam which showed max speed of 78.
S172 arrived in 4 days
78 on DCW (A1M Wetherby) no defence bummer

Ouch! I'll have to rethink my motorway driving approach...

 

[SW18]

A colleague got two NIPs in the post, two days apart, one for doing 23mph and the other for doing 21mph, both in a 20mph zone.

It's a dual carriageway, and he knew the speed limit was reduced to 20mph last year (together with most roads in London), but he didn't know that was a new camera on the route, and so he wasn't watching his speed very closely, not until the NIPs started arriving in the post, that is.

It's 6 points on his licence.....

Double ouch!! I'll have to rethink my urban driving approach...

That's extremely harsh: it's all 20mph limits around here and I'd say that compliance is more or less 0%. Most people stay under 30mph, a few stay under 25mph, a minority routinely overtake and travel at 35mph+ (guess the most popular brand for that type of driver...). If the cameras round here were set that low they'd catch virtually everyone.

 

[markjay]

One annoyance is that the 20mph limit signs are mostly found on the road itself, as road marking, and rarely on signposts. I am assuming that this is because in most London Boroughs the default speed limit is 20mph, and the signposts are only required where the speed limit changes from 30 to 20 (on some main roads the speed limit is still 30). The issue for me is that the traffic signs recognising assist in my (not-Merc) car displays 30mph on the HUD almost all the time... apparently it is not programmed to read the road markings, and assumes that the default speed limit of 30mph in built-up areas applies where it can't find a signpost to read.

 

[SW18]

This seems to have been the catalyst for less frequent 20mph repeater signs:
Councils get new powers to tear down pointless road signs

It included giving councils the power to decide how to post repeat reminders of speed limits.

One annoyance is that the 20mph limit signs are mostly found on the road itself, as road marking, and rarely on signposts. I am assuming that this is because in most London Boroughs the default speed limit is 20mph, and the signposts are only required where the speed limit changes from 30 to 20 (on some main roads the speed limit is still 30). The issue for me is that the traffic signs recognising assist in my (not-Merc) car displays 30mph on the HUD almost all the time... apparently it is not programmed to read the road markings, and assumes that the default speed limit of 30mph in built-up areas applies where it can't find a signpost to read.

 

[Riva811]

This seems to have been the catalyst for less frequent 20mph repeater signs:
Councils get new powers to tear down pointless road signs

It included giving councils the power to decide how to post repeat reminders of speed limits.

To be fair I was wondering why we get a speed limit sign every few miles in most London roads, very annoying when you have sign recognition on your car

 

[st13phil]

This seems to have been the catalyst for less frequent 20mph repeater signs:
Councils get new powers to tear down pointless road signs

It included giving councils the power to decide how to post repeat reminders of speed limits.

There has been a general relaxation (wrongly, IMO, as it gives them the opportunity to create enforcement honeypots) in the requirements placed on highways authorities to signpost speed limits. The other issue that makes knowing whether or not you're driving on a road subject to a 20mph limit "difficult" from a driver's point of view is that the requirements for signage differ according to whether the road is the subject of a 20mph speed limit or is part of a 20mph zone. The differences are that:

• 20mph limits are roads where the speed limit has been reduced to 20mph but there are no physical measures to reduce vehicle speeds within the area. Drivers are alerted to the speed limit by a combination of terminal signs at the start and end of the limit and with 20mph speed limit repeater signs. The original guidance was that the layout and use of the road must also give the clear impression that a 20mph speed or below is the most appropriate but that seems to have gone out the window;
• 20mph zones use traffic calming measures to slow vehicles to speeds below the limit, and in this way the zone becomes ‘self-enforcing’. Speed humps, chicanes, road narrowing, planting and other measures are used to both physically and visually reinforce the nature of the road. A driver is alerted to the limit only by terminal signs on entry to the area, and there are no repeater signs within it.

Over time, and with the relaxation on the requirements for signage, there has been a blurring of the two different types (20mph limit and 20mph zone) with 20mph limits sometimes not having regular repeater signs and no other indication that 20mph is the maximum permitted speed, and 20mph zones having no (or infrequent/inconsistent) traffic calming measures while those physical features (humps, chicanes, etc.) are often present in 30mph limits. IMO, this is totally unsatisfactory and shows scant regard for the principle of fairness in legal matters.

 

[SW18]

There has been a general relaxation (wrongly, IMO, as it gives them the opportunity to create enforcement honeypots) in the requirements placed on highways authorities to signpost speed limits. The other issue that makes knowing whether or not you're driving on a road subject to a 20mph limit "difficult" from a driver's point of view is that the requirements for signage differ according to whether the road is the subject of a 20mph speed limit or is part of a 20mph zone. The differences are that:

• 20mph limits are roads where the speed limit has been reduced to 20mph but there are no physical measures to reduce vehicle speeds within the area. Drivers are alerted to the speed limit by a combination of terminal signs at the start and end of the limit and with 20mph speed limit repeater signs. The original guidance was that the layout and use of the road must also give the clear impression that a 20mph speed or below is the most appropriate but that seems to have gone out the window;
• 20mph zones use traffic calming measures to slow vehicles to speeds below the limit, and in this way the zone becomes ‘self-enforcing’. Speed humps, chicanes, road narrowing, planting and other measures are used to both physically and visually reinforce the nature of the road. A driver is alerted to the limit only by terminal signs on entry to the area, and there are no repeater signs within it.

Over time, and with the relaxation on the requirements for signage, there has been a blurring of the two different types (20mph limit and 20mph zone) with 20mph limits sometimes not having regular repeater signs and no other indication that 20mph is the maximum permitted speed, and 20mph zones having no (or infrequent/inconsistent) traffic calming measures while those physical features (humps, chicanes, etc.) are often present in 30mph limits. IMO, this is totally unsatisfactory and shows scant regard for the principle of fairness in legal matters.

Yes, very fair points and these are views shared by RoSPA in their summary: https://www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/employers/guide-to-20mph-limits.pdf

The first page of the Executive Summary is a good read and says it all - broadly that 20mph zones work (but are expensive to install properly) and 20mph limits don't work (very well).

 

[markjay]

There has been a general relaxation (wrongly, IMO, as it gives them the opportunity to create enforcement honeypots) in the requirements placed on highways authorities to signpost speed limits. The other issue that makes knowing whether or not you're driving on a road subject to a 20mph limit "difficult" from a driver's point of view is that the requirements for signage differ according to whether the road is the subject of a 20mph speed limit or is part of a 20mph zone. The differences are that:

• 20mph limits are roads where the speed limit has been reduced to 20mph but there are no physical measures to reduce vehicle speeds within the area. Drivers are alerted to the speed limit by a combination of terminal signs at the start and end of the limit and with 20mph speed limit repeater signs. The original guidance was that the layout and use of the road must also give the clear impression that a 20mph speed or below is the most appropriate but that seems to have gone out the window;
• 20mph zones use traffic calming measures to slow vehicles to speeds below the limit, and in this way the zone becomes ‘self-enforcing’. Speed humps, chicanes, road narrowing, planting and other measures are used to both physically and visually reinforce the nature of the road. A driver is alerted to the limit only by terminal signs on entry to the area, and there are no repeater signs within it.

Over time, and with the relaxation on the requirements for signage, there has been a blurring of the two different types (20mph limit and 20mph zone) with 20mph limits sometimes not having regular repeater signs and no other indication that 20mph is the maximum permitted speed, and 20mph zones having no (or infrequent/inconsistent) traffic calming measures while those physical features (humps, chicanes, etc.) are often present in 30mph limits. IMO, this is totally unsatisfactory and shows scant regard for the principle of fairness in legal matters.

I do, however, find Waze to show the correct speed limit at all times (I am assuming the same applies to Apple Maps and Google Maps, but I don't use these regularly).