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Cobra

Cobra

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I get these emails from time to time since I enquired about one of their products, sorry about the "advert" but I thought you might like to see what they are up to these days

The number of mobile speed camera vans in the UK has just hit
an all-time high...

The vans are often dubbed "Talivans" because of the way they
terrorise motorists.

These vans have made a killing for the Safety Camera Partnerships
in recent years by being able to hide in discreet locations and
being painted in dull colours.

The operators are generally very sneaky and do anything they can
to disguise their intentions.

Here's an example of where they hide -

http://speedcameralocator.co.uk/HiddenCameras.html

Edit: I am in no way connected to this company
 
One good way to fool them is to stick to the speed limit.
 
namllihs said:
One good way to fool them is to stick to the speed limit.
Click to expand...

True enough but I think everyone is Guilty of a "momentry lapse" at sometime or other
 
I got done by one a few weeks ago, I was going to appeal, I'm sure my wee car couldn't go at the speed they said it was :(
 
namllihs said:
One good way to fool them is to stick to the speed limit.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. I am passionately against any kind of speeding for any reason, unless you're a driver in an emergency vehicle and on route to or from an emergency.

My husbands young cousin was killed in an accident after being bumped off the road by someone speeding.

Try moaning to her parents about the speeding ticket you just received. Let me hear what your thoughts are after they explain to you how they feel after the loss of their daughter and grandchild... yes she was 5 and a half months pregnant when she and her baby died at the wheel.

I'm sorry if this seems over dramatic to some of you, but you would have to live through it to know how it feels. I am 100% sure that none of you would want to live through it.

**Stepping of soap box now**
 
You should not speed, but most people do lapse and let it creep up.

Now I do not think speed camera work as a safety measure, but I believe the units that check you speed and then flash it up in front of you saying your current speed are much more effective. These however do not issue fines.

Do the government want safety or money.
 
OK..... so why isn't it illegal for a police vehicle to park on the pavement/footpath? Especially as there is no guarding, forcing pedestrians onto the road into the path of vehicles...... :shrug:

I know if I stopped and parked like that they would soon be having a word with me! :rules:
 
There was just a study on the BBC (to lazy to look for link) that said that while England has more speed camera's per capita than any other EU country it also has the largest death toll. They really seem to be working.
 
Surely Renee, if they/we have the largest death toll it AIN'T working :shrug:

Do you mean 'lowest'....?
 
sorry I was being sarcastic. but it doesn't come across well on here.... obviously the camera's are NOT working.
 
I got the sarcasm Renee ;)

It's these Nikon users :p

As far as speeding goes, its bad, don't do it.
 
Roads are not playgrounds and getting from A to B is not supposed to be fun. Drivers do not 'lapse' they routinely ignore limits and some poor soul (usually an innocent bystander) pays the price. It is not big and clever to speed, it is stupid and ill mannered. Don't do it, you will feel better and have less stress for observing the limits, and you won't be contributing to the governments stealth tax coffers.

If you want to drive fast go to a track day.

Steps off soap boxx muttering.....
 
King_Boru, dont rise to the bait mate ;)

I occasionally speed, but only usually by momentary lapses in my speed awareness. Or if I'm concentrating on something else, and my mind is taken away from the speedo.

I don't speed as a rule, (OK, sometimes on the motorway, but only at about 80-85 or so (by my speedo, which is 75-80ish in real terms))

In 30 zones, my speedo reads 32-33, which is about 28-29.

The problem I have with speedos is that they don't offer any discretion. Like I say, I don't speed as a rule, but we're all guilty of nudging over the speed limit, especially after a long motorway trip perhaps, or maybe downhill on a long stretch. The camera, doesn't justify that by "OK, it wasn't much, the road was empty, dont do it again". It doesn't take traffic and environment into consideration.

The other main problem I have, is that, even me, knowing what 30mph feels like (I can get almost just under 30 without even checking my speedo), when you see those infamous road markings or a camera, what do we do? Hit the brakes and check our speedos....more concentration taken away from the road, even when we're comfortable with our speed.
 
I hate speed cameras but for totally different reasons. They've been used as an excuse to virtually eliminate police traffic patrol cars and they only have one brief - speeding! The effect on driving standards is plain to see - jumping red lights seems to have become a national pastime, and we all see vehicles braking down from horrendous speeds for the cameras, and then zooming off again. :shrug:
 
CT said:
I hate speed cameras but for totally different reasons. They've been used as an excuse to virtually eliminate police traffic patrol cars and they only have one brief - speeding! The effect on driving standards is plain to see - jumping red lights seems to have become a national pastime, and we all see vehicles braking down from horrendous speeds for the cameras, and then zooming off again. :shrug:
Click to expand...

I completely agree Cedric. What does seem to work well is the "average speed cameras" that I'm seeing more and more of, especially on motorways where there are roadworks. They've got them between J10 and J11 on the M4 at the moment and every one drives through those roadworks at spot on 50mph. None of the heavy breaking and acceleration as soon as you're passed the camera
 
Exactly CT! Speeding isn't good and it isn't safe but it is far from the only driving crime. I regularly get cut off, sped past and see people driving down bus lanes. But there is noone there to enforce that. And obviously by the death statistics less cops and more machines is NOT working.
 
It really is all about money. These machines pay for themselves in no time and they don't get a wage - or a meal break. Placed at genuine accident blackspots or where there's an obvious need, I'm all for 'em. Used to supplement police traffic patrols they'd be great , but unfortunately the bean counters are calling the tune.

ANPR cameras are great too -they'll pick up on untaxed, uninsured vehicles, disqualified drivers, even the movements of known criminals, but they wont do anything at all about the idiot this morning who was weaving in and out of traffic like a lunatic and who I saw jump three sets of lights - the last set the traffic from his right had actually started moving!

Robo Cop is pretty limited in the real world. :)
 
Funnily enough, one of my drivers got a NIP through the post this morning.

36 in a 30.

On a dual carriage way.
 
They've installed "Average Speed" cameras on a stretch of the A14 betweeen Huntingdon and Cambridge, around six sets of them. This bit of road is notorious and so busy. It is regarded as the busiest length of carriageway in Europe. There are a few signs on it which says "2004 - 296 accidents".

My point is - this road is SO congested it is impossible to break the speed limit! I think now anybody who gets a speeding conviction here ought to treat it as a certificate that you can actually attain 70mph.

What a complete waste of money.... the biggest nuisance on this road are the hundreds of lorries who want to overtake each other when they can 0.5 MPH faster! Grrrr!
 
minky_monkey said:
Funnily enough, one of my drivers got a NIP through the post this morning.

36 in a 30.

On a dual carriage way.
Click to expand...

Unlucky! Most cameras are set up to comply with NACPO guidelines -the prevailing limit + 10% + 2mph. so your guy just made it. Mind you - his speedo would have been indicating a little more.
 
What were the death rates before speed cameras though :shrug: I'm sure it was much higher.
 
One thing to remember though, vehicle safety is being improved year on year, so that would have a bearing on occupant safety, although not neccesarily with pedestrians. This would have an effect on the number of injury accidents recorded.

I attend a number of serious RTC`s a month, you`d be amazed what people get out of.
 
Personally, I`d much rather they have more traffic police.

A drunk driver isn`t detected by a camera if they stay under the limit.
 
CT said:
I hate speed cameras but for totally different reasons. They've been used as an excuse to virtually eliminate police traffic patrol cars and they only have one brief - speeding! The effect on driving standards is plain to see - jumping red lights seems to have become a national pastime, and we all see vehicles braking down from horrendous speeds for the cameras, and then zooming off again. :shrug:
Click to expand...

That was my point excatly but I just wanted to see how far "some people" would go off on a tangent :D
As for preventing accidents what about the one reported last year in the (our local) press where by someone was injured 'cause they actually hit one of the bloody things ( shouldn't really grin but :D )
 
Speeding isn't a problem on UK roads. Poor driving is, congestion is, carelessness is, having too low a minimum driving age and having no maximum driving age (or a proficiency test to prove one's capability or lack thereof)

Political correctness prevails in so much as everything is blamed on speeding. The UK has the worst accident stats in Europe and the most cameras. go figure.
 
BBW said:
Speeding isn't a problem on UK roads. Poor driving is, congestion is, carelessness is, having too low a minimum driving age and having no maximum driving age (or a proficiency test to prove one's capability or lack thereof)

Political correctness prevails in so much as everything is blamed on speeding. The UK has the worst accident stats in Europe and the most cameras. go figure.
Click to expand...

All very valid points
 
minky_monkey said:
Personally, I`d much rather they have more traffic police.

A drunk driver isn`t detected by a camera if they stay under the limit.
Click to expand...


If he stayed under the limit he wouldn't be drunk...:thinking: :suspect:


Oh,:bonk: , you mean SPEED limit...




:lol:
 
Unfortunately it can be all too easy to go over the speed limit by accident.......I did this on a test ride of a bike (speedo was reading 39 in a 30 in 2nd gear) dropped off the revs when I noticed mind.

Speed cameras in appropriate places I really have no problem with. You have to be a real idiot not to notice the massive yellow box at the side of the road and probably shouldn't be driving if you're that unobservant.

The vans with front facing cameras can be right sneaky buggers. Mind on a bike it's not as much of a problem as you don't have a front number plate ;)

I, like many others, would rather see more traffic officers as the cameras can't catch people tailgating (which I really hate), drunk drivers (who I would say pose a far greater risk), and uninsured/no MOT/ no License drivers.
 
There's a new van here in the Highlands, has a camera that comes out of the roof on an extending pole, from a distance it looks like one of those streetlight raising platform fixing thingys.

Anyway, regarding speeding, I've said before on these forums, speed if you must but if you get caught, stfu and pay the fine. You speed either intentionally or because you're not paying attention, either way you're at fault not the camera.
 
I will stick to 30 in 30's, and 40 in 40's but everything else is fair game and I will go as fast as I like dependant on:

a) weather conditions
b) amount of traffic
c) how far I can see ahead (i.e you should never be travelling faster than you are able to stop)
d) speed camera locations
 
Speeding is obviously a major factor in a lot of road deaths in built up areas, particularly in 30 & 40 mph I think the authorities should use the technology to better effect on motorways and dual carriageways to supplement the work of traffic officers, and by that I mean real police officers and not the civilian traffic officers which appear to be very common these days.

We've all seen and probably been victim to the tailgater and these are the type of drivers causing the most accidents on the main routes either through ignorance or stupidity so why can't the technology be adapted to capture them e.g. the camera records the speed and the distance from the preceding car, quick calculation and flash. I'm sure it cannot be too difficult to work out the necessary formulae etc.
 
At the end of the day, unless you remove humans from controlling vehicles there will always be accidents and deaths on the roads.

The human element is always the deciding factor - people make bad decisions or don't pay attention or whatever.

Whilst speeding is a factor in some accidents, most are caused by people not paying attention to what they are doing or making mistakes. The government's answer to this is to penalise people who speed whereas they would be better served in making the driving test harder, forcing people to take advanced driving courses and so on.
 
Problem is, when driving through unfamiliar towns, my eye is 50% on my speedometer, 25% reading road signs, and 25% on the road. It is my greatest fear to get a speeding ticket. Because of speed cameras, I am a less safe driver - but hopefully, the pedestrian or cyclist I'll knock over will be ok because the government says 30mph is ok. :thumbs:

Barry, I'm actually glad they got rid of the Gatso on the A14 and replaced them with the Specs camera. At least I don't see as many people jamming on the brakes all of a sudden (even though they were going at 60 on the 70mph A14, and slowing down to 50). Stomping on the brake pedal is the natural reaction when you're driving and "in the zone" and suddenly, you noticed the speed camera.

Oh, speeding is not dangerous driving. You can drive slowly, and yet be driving dangerously. A granny pulled out in front of me at a junction. Luckily the road was dry and I had big brake discs. :P
 
Hacker said:
We've all seen and probably been victim to the tailgater and these are the type of drivers causing the most accidents on the main routes either through ignorance or stupidity so why can't the technology be adapted to capture them e.g. the camera records the speed and the distance from the preceding car, quick calculation and flash. I'm sure it cannot be too difficult to work out the necessary formulae etc.
Click to expand...

Good point! Tailgating is an absolute menace and it's reached epidemic proportions. It just beggars belief how unaware people are of the danger they're putting themselves and others in by not leaving themselves a margin for safety, and makes you wonder just what sort of driving instruction they had from the outset that they can be so blissfully unaware. :thinking:
 
If someone is tailgating you, just leave extra room in front of you so you have enough braking distance for the both of you
 
Yeah tailgating annoys me too. It really narks me especially on a motorway.

No sooner do I drop back and leave a safe gap between me and the vehicle in front, than some stupid arse decides to fill it.
I'm getting sick of continually dropping back to keep a safe distance between me and these nuggets....

So now if I see someone is going to attempt to nick my two seconds, I'll take the space before him.....
 
Oops that wasnt right was it, I got my wires crossed there.....and they let me out on the road! :D

Im still sick of dropping back to pass my two seconds back.
In 30 zones if someone is tailgating me, the closer they get the slower I go. While you might think it's to make the person realise, its not, its for safety...honest guv :p
 
I had a classic this morning - a guy in a Renault Megane driving about 3 feet off my back bumper on my commute which is nearly all 30mph. Coming away from lights I whizzed up to the legal 30 leaving a huge gap behind me, but it was quite depressing watching the numpty in the mirror getting ever closer till he was back at 3 feet distance again!

It's tempting to think these people are being provocative and sometimes they are, but a glance in the mirror showed this guy was looking around his dash, looking left and right out of the side windows - totally unaware of what he was doing. And all with his elbow hanging out of the window with that driver's air of confidence which only comes when you know you've reached the absolute pinnacle of driving perfection. ;)
 
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