Hi it my birthday on monday 17th sep and the police thought they give me arly birthday present which was 3 points and £60 fine. Yestoday i was going down this road whitch i never been on and i was following the crap satnav which said it was a 50 mph limit so i was doing 45 then i relised it was actualy a 30 limit so braked hard but to late the police was standing end of the road with speed gun and been given 3 points and a £60 fine. I need to got to the local police station within 7 days with my licence, i going to try to apeal aginst it but i dont it will make any differnce. I did say it my first offence so im willing to do a speed awarness course or similar as long as i dont get the point im happy to pay the fine but the oficer said NO.

Unfortunately you cant use the satnav as a defence. You can blame it to a certain degree but as you probably already know, its up to you to be aware of the speed limits. There are horror stories of satnavs driving people into lakes, wrong way down one way streets and up train lines. They should only be used as a secondry guide to road signs and conditions.

It is so easy to become reliant on these devises (me included), but really you cant be.

Oh, Happy Birthday by the way.

thanks for the happy birthday. I never been on that road where i got pulled and it wasn't a built up area either and i din't see any 30mph sign last sing i saw said 50 i no i should have taken abit more care and ware of the speed limit i learnt my lesson an to be honest have nothing aginst the officer how pulled me as he was frendly and had no hassel. The problem i have is with the boy racer saxo driver that whent pass the oppisit way as all he had to do was flash me and warn me the officer was there, unles he got a ticket befor me and just annoyed lol.

If your eligable for the speed awareness course you will be notified, but you may be over the threshold.

Chin up mate, take it.

iirc even if there are no 30 mph signs,then you go by the lamp posts i:e 100 yards apart??
i seem to remember that from the highway code book,or am i talking out of my ar5e?

Anywhere there are street lights unless there are signs or repeater signs showing a speed limit them it will be a 30 mph road.

[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]Stoney is right, this is the legal definition.[/font][/size][/color]

In August 2006, the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Transport"]Department for Transport[/url] issued new guidance relating to speed limits. It states that:[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built-up_area_%28Highway_Code%29#cite_note-0"][1][/url][/sup]
[indent=1]Section 82(1)(a) [i](of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (RTRA 1984))[/i] defines a restricted road in England and Wales as a road which is provided with “a system of street lighting furnished by means of lamps placed not more than 200 yards apart”. Section 81 specifically makes it an offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle at a speed of more than 30 mph on a restricted road.[/indent]
"Street lighting" is further defined as follows:
[indent=1]As set out in paragraph 45, it is generally recognised that a ‘system’ of street lighting could be three or more lamps spaced not more than 183 metres apart. However, street lighting (for the purposes of determining whether or not a road is a restricted) is not necessarily limited to street lamps, but may extend to lighting provided by authorities or parish councils.[/indent]
To avoid confusion that could arise if some 30 mph zones were 'street-lit' and some were not, DfT guidance goes onto say:
[indent=1]Direction 11 of The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 (TSRGD 2002) defines the requirements for the placing of speed-limit repeater signs. This states that speed-limit repeater signs cannot be placed along a road on which there is carriageway lighting not more than 183 metres apart and which is subject to a 30 mph speed limit. The Department will not make exceptions to this rule.[/indent]
This leads to the conclusion that:
[indent=1]This means it should be assumed that, unless an order has been made and the road is signed to the contrary, a 30 mph speed limit applies where there are three or more lamps throwing light on the carriageway and placed not more than 183 metres apart.[/indent]

[indent=1][color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]Sorry, it's a bit long winded. Most of us have had a ticket at some time including police officers; don't feel victimised and have a great birthday. PS Add the fine to your birthday present wish list.[/font][/size][/color][/indent]

Yep, we're not exempt.
I recently got done for 40 in a 30 zone.
First time in 24 years, but no excuse.

I think I may be looking at one as well, driving at night on the a30 out of plymouth. Think I saw a flash go off in front of me when I was overtaking. Couldn't have been doing more than 80 in a 70 and probably less than that. Just have to hope they'll offer me a speed awareness course. In devon/cornwall I think it's 10% +6 to qualify for speed awareness. Fingers crossed, still within my 2 years of getting my UK license (had a US one for 4 years) so I could do without 3 points or I'll be driving very carefully for a long time.

If it was a flash in front of you then you will be fine.
Gatso units only photograph from behind as the white flash will affect the drivers vision.
Only speed traps that get you from the front are the speed vans as they use lasers and are invisible to the human eye.

Thanks stoney, that definitely puts my mind at ease. I was expecting a few weeks worth of anxious waiting for a letter in the post

[quote name='Stoney871' timestamp='1347841171' post='207022']
If it was a flash in front of you then you will be fine.
Gatso units only photograph from behind as the white flash will affect the drivers vision.
Only speed traps that get you from the front are the speed vans as they use lasers and are invisible to the human eye.
[/quote]

I was flashed frontwards by a Gatso camera a few months back and was worried for weeks as I was the only car on the road at the time and definitely speeding (about 40 in a 30). I always thought Gatsos only photographed from behind but the speed/distance lines on the road were on both sides so I was unsure. Nothing ever came of it though.

The Truvelo cameras can get you from the front can't they?

il wait and and see what letter i recive il let you no what happens my bro said he will pay the fine for me as it is my birthday.Just got home from work as im on early shift so im going to eat now as the other half cooked a meal.

Truvelo can get you from the front but use infra red flashes so you don't see them.
Gatso lines are placed on both sides of the road for the psychological effect.
How many people an you see slowing down as soon as they see lines?
Some gatso are positioned so that they can be rotated to cover each direction as required but they can only be aimed at one lane at a time.
Truvelo can cover multiple lanes, average speed cameras cover one lane but are mounted in multiples to cover all lanes but need two sets of cameras or more to work.
Mobile speed vans cover any lane it can see but only cars coming towards them.

Ah, speed vans... I know Beds ar eowrking on vans that can pretty much get you from any angle...

[url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7750058/Police-van-with-four-cameras-can-capture-speeders-from-any-angle.html"]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7750058/Police-van-with-four-cameras-can-capture-speeders-from-any-angle.html[/url]



Police van with four cameras 'can capture speeders from any angle'




[b] This police van is among the first in Britain to be equipped with four cameras, allowing it to capture speeding drivers travelling in any direction[/b]






8:00AM BST 22 May 2010



Bedfordshire Police are operating the new "Command Vans" with cameras at the front, sides and back, rather than just at the rear as with traditional speed vans.



[img]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01641/speed-camera_1641764f.jpg[/img]

The four cameras are ringed

The four vans, which were converted at a cost of £28,000 each, allow a single operator to monitor traffic from all angles at once.

Traditional vans could capture speeding cars but struggle to identify drivers who contested tickets and motorbikes which do not have front number plates.

But the new vehicles can register a speeding vehicle as it approaches up to a kilometre away and then record front, rear and side images as it passes to ensure identification.

An officer sits in the back manning a laser gun and monitors feeds from the extra cameras high on each side panel, dashboard and rear.

That's sneaky! At least those vans are white with big speed camera symbols on them - Cambs Police use dark blue ones with barely any marking on them at all and generally park up in concealed places.

Guess that raises the argument that one shouldn't be speeding - But then we all know how easy it is to do

[quote name='jimrex' timestamp='1347884155' post='207054']
I was flashed frontwards by a Gatso camera a few months back and was worried for weeks as I was the only car on the road at the time and definitely speeding (about 40 in a 30).[color=#ff0000] I always thought Gatsos only photographed from behind but the speed/distance lines on the road were on both sides[/color] so I was unsure. Nothing ever came of it though.

The Truvelo cameras can get you from the front can't they?
[/quote]

[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]The lines on both sides of the road are so the speed of a car overtaking can be calculated.[/font][/size][/color]

[quote name='moy24' timestamp='1347887295' post='207062']
il wait and and see what letter i recive il let you no what happens [color=#ff0000]my bro said he will pay the fine for me as it is my birthday.[/color]Just got home from work as im on early shift so im going to eat now as the other half cooked a meal.
[/quote]

[color=#0000ff][size=5][font=comic sans ms,cursive]Great result from Bro with the birthday present, he's a gentleman. [/font][/size][/color]

A bit off topic, but I feel it relevant as it gets 1 over on the revenue camera's; my friend got snapped by one of those bus lane car camera things with the usual fat bloke sat in asleep, so she decided to tie a bag over the camera. Took the guy an hour to wake up and realise

For laughs, here's the one I got..

[IMG]http://i1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii487/therealbrigante/Scan1-1.jpg[/IMG]

Ah, that's the one your lovely ex workmate tried sticking you with?
Hope he got a ban for that.

[quote name='Stoney871' timestamp='1347915237' post='207173']
Ah, that's the one your lovely ex workmate tried sticking you with?
Hope he got a ban for that.
[/quote]

Yup

The same one that very nearly cost me gaffer his knee caps for telling me I'd did it

Dug it out me drawer before I left for nottingham thinking it would give you lot a giggle

I must have been going bloody warp speed to be in glasgow let alone 102 considering I was on a building site in long eaton at the time..

Oh aye, always nice to read that when it wasn't you and you can prove it.

Lol yup especially knowing some unsuspecting idiot got a nice surprise coming his way

'you've been caught speeding 102mph in glasgow n your facing a grand fine, 6points n most likely a disqualification'

umm i'm pretty sure i wasn't.. seeing as i was literally in a different country at the time..


just wrote em a letter back basically saying was i #### n gave em the gaffers details n said contact him for the actual drivers particulars

Nice to be able to do that.

lol you know it mate was laughing me head of when i got the letter.

but at the time when the gaffers took you off site n gave you the bad news, when you actually don't speed n don't go above 68 n you actually need your license for work, then realize it's the same gaffers cock up. very dangerous of him indeed