Just heading home along my normal route where there is a 30mph speed limit area going around a corner down hill. I was travelling from the top right hand corner of the picture heading to the bottom left.

There were two police men stood on the pavement near the blue blob in the lower left hand corner, one had a radio and the other appeared to have a speed gun.

Now in all honesty I wasn't going mad and never do but I may have been heading toward between 33-36mph because I was going down hill and not braking, I tend to keep my eyes on the road too as you always get people pulling out last minute along this stretch. I got to where the red car is in the picture and applied my brakes gently slowing me down to around 30-32mph.... the question is do you think I'd been 'got' already!!

There are usually people going 40+ at least so I will no doubt be small fry :( I'm just gutted if I have indeed gotten lucky as I've regularly seen people doing well over 40 :(

How accurate will the laser have been and can it track you going around corners reliably? The only time I've known of people getting done with lasers is when a copper has been parked further down the road and then they've been pulled and given a ticket right away.... with there being two guys there is it possible I've had my reg taken instead?

I understand it's cliché but is there anything I could do in an appeal if I were to have gotten done?

I think that they would have pulled you there and then ,thats the normal script,but hey someone might say different .

On radar, I bet you weren't showing more than 32 mph, so they wouldn't bother. Normally the radio is to contact a police car just down the road a bit to pull you over. They don't work like speed cameras where you get something in the post.

I think that they would have pulled you there and then ,thats the normal script,but hey someone might say different .

The thing that puzzled me was that I couldn't actually see a car nearby and by the time they'd run to one and get in you'd be long gone due to the layout of the road further up there are loads of different routes.

There is however a police station about 100-150 metres further up the road though.

I know how you feel happend to me a few times and all night was thinking was i over or not. I think you will be ok mate

sounds like you'll be alright!

The thing that puzzled me was that I couldn't actually see a car nearby and by the time they'd run to one and get in you'd be long gone due to the layout of the road further up there are loads of different routes.

There is however a police station about 100-150 metres further up the road though.

Sorry bud what i meant was they would have waved you down and got you to pull over straight away(somewhere safe).

mate your fine the limit set was prob about 39 mph and wont pull any over unless above ..

they would have pulled you if doing wrong dont worry about it !!!!!

Like everyone is saying you would have got pulled straight away, the only thing I could think of is you could get a warning in the post.

Some Grannies wearing HiViz Jackets in a local Village near me had got hold of a speed gun and was measuring the Speed of all the cars going through there village. They gave the list of speeding VRMs to the Police and no one got a speeding ticket. All each person got was a warning for speeding in the post. I think it maybe because they need to pull you over there and then with a gun.

The Grannies never got me mind

If it was a hand held laser gun such as an LT2020 then its just the same as being flashed by a Gatso or any other safety camera as they call them. If you were exceeding the limit then they may choose to send out a warning but if they decide to send you a NIP or an offer of a Fixed Penalty then they have 14 days to do so providing you are the registered keeper of the vehicle. HTH

You will be fine.

Its virtually unheard of for a police speed check at the side of the road to not stop you there and then and its also very rare for them to be doing you around a corner too, they will generally get you on a straight line as the reading on the radar/laser gun will be more accurate. Police officers as opposed to GATSO's/Talivan operators have got a sense of whats right and what just isnt playing fair.

Steve

Its virtually unheard of for a police speed check at the side of the road to not stop you there and then

Maybe in Scotland they stop you but here in North West England they dont! They usually just send you the bill in the post

Maybe in Scotland they stop you but here in North West England they dont! They usually just send you the bill in the post

AFAIK they cant if a traffic car, as the device must be able to take a pic which the ones in the cars cant do - they cost a fortune to take a pic.

From a good source of mine:

"There is nothing to worry about, the officer needs to have a clear view of the target vehicle and have no obstacles between himself and the target, this includes telegraph poles, hedges etc as after all the lastec 20/20 is just a glorifed distance measuring device thats been programmed to convert two distances in a third of a second to work out the speed. If the driver had been doing 35+ (and if me 40+) he would have been pulled over as its easier to give a ticket to the driver there than have to go down the line of identifying the driver later or find the vehicle was actually not registered to them.

Even if the driver had been stopped it, i beleive it been more of a ticking off to scare the s--- out of him as this is often more affective. But a hugely over the limit would have been points and double straight to court for the bus pass."

AFAIK they cant if a traffic car, as the device must be able to take a pic which the ones in the cars cant do - they cost a fortune to take a pic.

Might have misunderstood, but traffic cars are pretty much all equipped with VASCAR these days, aren't they?

Chris

Maybe in Scotland they stop you but here in North West England they dont! They usually just send you the bill in the post

Indeed - the more recent detectors have a record mode anyway so they have the option to pull you on the spot or send you a NIP (which might be a better option if they have a lot of "customers" that day ).

Imho, I'm sure they just tracked the OP and then moved on to the next one.....

Chris

My friends mum got zapped by a mobile the other day and got the NIP through the post.

HTH

Might have misunderstood, but traffic cars are pretty much all equipped with VASCAR these days, aren't they?

Chris

True, but doesnt the police car also have to be moving? It also (IIRC) only works from dead forward, or dead rear, so if I understand the OP correctly wouldnt be likely to have been used?

True, but doesnt the police car also have to be moving? It also (IIRC) only works from dead forward, or dead rear, so if I understand the OP correctly wouldnt be likely to have been used?

Indeed - VASCAR is basically a big double stop watch, and the police car has to be travelling the same route as you in order for it to work.

You are car 1, they are car 2...

So car1 passes fixed object. VASCAR button 1 is pressed and time starts.

Car2 passes same spot. VASCAR button 2 is pressed and a sensor linked to wheels measures distance.

Car1 passes second fixed object. Clock stopped.

Car2 passes second fixed object. Distance meter stopped.

Bingo. Police have distance covered (from their car) and time it took you to cover the distance. Computer does speedxtime=distance calculation and you're nicked.

Indeed - VASCAR is basically a big double stop watch, and the police car has to be travelling the same route as you in order for it to work.

You are car 1, they are car 2...

So car1 passes fixed object. VASCAR button 1 is pressed and time starts.

Car2 passes same spot. VASCAR button 2 is pressed and a sensor linked to wheels measures distance.

Car1 passes second fixed object. Clock stopped.

Car2 passes second fixed object. Distance meter stopped.

Bingo. Police have distance covered (from their car) and time it took you to cover the distance. Computer does speedxtime=distance calculation and you're nicked.

Yup, and they're linked to the front and rear cams, which will usually be pointing straight ahead or behind to record it as evidence.

The VASCAR also has to be conducted over at least 0.2 miles. Any less and the readings become unreliable in the eyes of the law.

In relation to the original post. You'll probably be fine. It is rare (but still possible) for the officers not to stop you at the time in these circumstances. If it had been a camera van then you could expect a letter in the next 14 days.

Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder.

This system is a timing computer, it has to be set for the distance first, between a bridge and a marker post for example and then the police officer presses a button at the start of the timed position when the vehicle passes, the bridge. When the vehicle passes the second position, the marker post, he then presses the button again, this will then give an instant average speed between two points.

Common places for the use of VASCAR is on motorways, in which the police car will wait just out of sight on a slip road, and time the vehicle between two points, usually the white painted square or round markings on the road, but any fixed points can be used, that the distance between them is known. They can also use it when they are following you or when you are following them.

The minimum distance the police are allowed to is 0.125 miles - one-eighth of a mile. Under exceptional circumstances, they're allowed to go down to 0.07 miles but only in pre-fed or dial-in distance modes where the start and end points are not shadows. Police helicopters and Motorbikes can take the same measurements

Those white squares and circles that are painted on the road are used for VASCAR systems. They are set distances apart, and quite often are quite visible to the police from a great distance, they could be parked up to half a mile away and still get a speed reading of an offending vehicle. But remember any fixed point can be used, such as a lamppost.

If Vascar is used correctly the margin of error is presumed to be the same at either end of the check.

The Home Office allows a percentage of error for the overall check and this built into the operating procedure.

Each and every police officer undergoes an intensive training course to establish their margin of error. If it falls within the guide lines then it is "acceptable".

Chris

The minimum distance the police are allowed to is 0.125 miles - one-eighth of a mile.

You may well be right on that but I think ACPO guidelines suggest 0.2 miles is used as the minimum

Thanks guys .... a week or so on and I'm feeling a little safer! I've kept my speed at dead on 30 down there now much the annoyance to everyone around me

Another few days anyway and I'm in the clear