so friday the letter came through I was caught doing 46MPH on the M5 MOTORWAY!!!!!!!!!!

it was in the ruddy varible zone at the Almonsbury interchange where the limit dropped to 40.

After 5 years of driving my clean streak came to an end, Ive already dont the speed awarness last year so this will be the first 3 points :(

Some people have said i should contest it as the limit can change pretty quick, just last friday i was coming up to one of the overheads with a camera whenthe limit dropped from 60 to 50 so i slowed down but just as i was going under it it went to 40 so I slowed as much as i could but not sure if i got it down enough. Time will tell if i get another letter through

Any one had any experiance with these zones?

I would have accepted it if were and normal road but because it was the Motorway it really cheesed me off!

I didn't think they ever worked, they certainly don't on the M25, absolutely no point in contesting it unless your license and life depend on it, you'll just waste more money and lose anyway, it'll come down to a day in court ( 15 mins cost me £400 in a fine and 6 points ) going to court and losing will always be worse than just lubing up and taking it.

You also won't even get to see their proof until you get to court, just accept it, personally I don't agree with it but I've been there and learned the hard way.

They have been on for ages, i used to feel happy seeing the Beemers and audi's get flashed as they speed through.

I think its terrible that they can change so fast and your still in the wrong if you cant slow fast enough.

The interchange is aweful, you come up to Cribbs Causways juction and its 60 then at the Filton juction 50/40 the back to 60 at the M4 which i have to travel down to the M32 at snails pace.

No consistancy at all throughout that section.

I take it that the speed awareness capture is in the same county as this new one ?

please anyone correct me if I am wrong but I was led to believe that if caught in a different county you could get another speed awareness zzzzz coarse IF within the criteria....

I have heard of this but unfortunatly both happend under Avon & somerset's area

gutted for ya matey , isn't it 4 years now that points are on your license now ? :(

Yeah 4 years but some insurance companies will look at the past 5.

oh crikey, erm ROAD ANGEL anyone ?

They are on there for 3 years but suspended for another 1 year for "totting" purposes.

Don't bother with Road Angel, waste of time, just get a Radar Jammer and be done with all speed cameras, good thing with them is they don't need to be visible, can just tuck away in the bonnet of under the dash and let it do it's job. Highly illegal in the EU iirc but it'll save you some points and fines, will cause some lols when the gatso clocks you at about 600MPH

Surely that would look suspicious? The cameras won't just randomly stop working on one car repeatedly though...

Looked at these jammers today quite pricey things.

the Blinder jammer cost £250 and the risk of a worse offence then speeding lol.

Ill just drive slow(er) from now on :P

it'll be very suspect, but in all honesty are they going to pursue it? only ones that would be the handheld ones, copper standing in front of you and he gets supersonic speeds coming back at him lol.

If it's well hidden they won't find it unless they get an order to impound and strip the car down, unlikely over a speeding offence as they seldom do it for drugs etc.

they do work though, can vouch for them from an Old Impreza a mate of mine had, used to zoom through Gatsos flashing off all the time and never got a single letter.

i only thought these jammers work on handheld laser units,they bring up an error code on the handset and unless they pick up the scatter from the handheld by the time the jammer reacts its too late,, most gatso camers work on a different band (K)to the handheld,if they blocked gatso camers as well they would not be able to make them quick enough,and when the police follow up the error code it can be a lot more expensive than a speeding fine.

http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/1k-fine-driver-used-laser-jammer-thwart-speed/story-18222755-detail/story.html

While not expressly illegal (at the moment) use of said jammers do have their penalties-

http://www.motorists-lawyer-kent.co.uk/blog/detail.rhtm/768746/laser_jammers_and_the_law.rhtm

Jammers don't work on static camera as they use 2 photos and work out the speed with the lines on the road. Basically speed, distance, time calculation.

Definitely not worth the risk.

In response to the OP, I would ask them to prove you had time to react to the change to the 40 speed limit. Surely if the sign changes as you pass it your not to blame.

As said above he won't get to see any proof unless he goes to court, the fines and costs then increase more than it's worth / risk factor of losing. you're talking of seconds of the limit changing and isn't worth challenging.

I didn't mean using the laser jammers, I mean a proper radar jammer, nothing can read through these and they are illegal to use in the EU without a license but iirc only Military have them, they are cheapish to buy but no Gatso or handheld unit will pick it up, car goes through the Gatso, Gatso thinks the car is doing some silly speed and flashes either too early or too late and the photo doesn't back it up, the handheld units get a reading of around 11 times the cars actual speed.

Can only be bought from non EU nations and the penalties will be quite severe for using lol

Jammers don't work on static camera as they use 2 photos and work out the speed with the lines on the road. Basically speed, distance, time calculation.

Definitely not worth the risk.

Not exactly accurate.

A Gatso uses radar to detect vehicles passing by.

The radar will know the vehicle is going faster than the programmed limit by the difference in wavelength of the returned signal.

A jammer will confuse this signal but will still most likely result in the speed being above the threshold and it is the photos that tell the truth.

Of course the jammer will have no effect on Truvelo as it's about times between set points and unless the jammer also blocks lssers then handheld units will still work too.

Military vehicles do sometimes use jammers as part of their ecm procedures against roadside IED's and were very effective in Northern Ireland during the troubles.

Wonder if sticking a jammer under a beanie hat would do the trick...

Not exactly accurate.

A Gatso uses radar to detect vehicles passing by.

The radar will know the vehicle is going faster than the programmed limit by the difference in wavelength of the returned signal.

A jammer will confuse this signal but will still most likely result in the speed being above the threshold and it is the photos that tell the truth.

Of course the jammer will have no effect on Truvelo as it's about times between set points and unless the jammer also blocks lssers then handheld units will still work too.

Military vehicles do sometimes use jammers as part of their ecm procedures against roadside IED's and were very effective in Northern Ireland during the troubles.

I stand corrected, truly are the law expert on here Clive lol.

Am I right in thinking though the photos would still lead to prosecution for speeding and most likely highlight the fact that the car is fitted with a jammer?

A new road near me, less than half a mile long. I used it twice in a week and got 2 tickets for using bus lane. Even though there was absolutely now signs or road markings saying it was for buses only. I was going away for a month the next day so just paid as I didn't have time to argue my case. Once I was going for the boat. Had plenty time for 10 PM Saling then got a phone call from p+o saying the 10 PM boat was cancelled and if I wanted to get a boat tonight I had to get 8 PM one. I was I'm Co Mayo in the west of Ireland at 5 of clock in the evening and had to make it to Belfast in 3 hours in a transit van. Got done for speeding outside Enniskillen. Back in the van foot down 105 mph up the motorway just made it to the boat to be told I was too late.... well I went off the f******g head. I told them I was going to sue them as now I was going to get points on my license I was going to lose my job (all lies of course) they got me on the boat and a free VIP year pass for 2 passengers for up to 8 crossings. It was a small reward for 3 years with three points. I sold 3 crossings to one of my mates who goes to Ireland a lot. Booked it under my name. He got vip returns for £80 a go.

I stand corrected, truly are the law expert on here Clive lol.

Am I right in thinking though the photos would still lead to prosecution for speeding and most likely highlight the fact that the car is fitted with a jammer?

The radar detects a speed infringement but it's the photos that provide the evidence.

A jammer will scatter the radar but most likely will still trigger the camera as it usually causes a false positive (if you get my meaning).

A Police vehicle mounted Provida system will not be fooled by a jammer.

It's all a bit 'throwing good money after bad'... I know this isn't an answer to the original posters comment and I'm not saying that I've never crept over the speed limit, but the easiest way to avoid being caught speeding is to not speed... Spending money on laser stuff, radar stuff etc, will firstly cost you a few bob, but unless you're a serial offender you're not likely to get 'caught enough' to save make your money back - then if you are a serial offender chances are you'll get your pants pulled down for having the damn thing in the first place...

It's a lose-lose IMO...

Put it this way, put the money into a club member/halfords card and then go a little mad in there... You'll make your money back and have more to show for it...

Sent via carrier pigeon using Ford OC

just for interest sake, how many points are you given and can you get it back? or is this a for life thing? we don't have that in SA, we do however receive fines, of course if the fines aren't payed you can be arrested, lucky for me I have never payed a fine, wrote them a letter saying I can't afford the fine, works every time, but then again they were small fines, nothing big.

Speeding in the UK is classed as an endorsable offence which is £100 and 3 points and the points stay on your licence for three years.

Its 3 points that last around 4 years and a £100 fine.

Ive not heard of anyone being able to get out of the fine