Damn Damn Damn..... 18 years with a clean licence.

Overtook a car on an unrestricted road today and sailed past a camera van which was half in the hedge. I frooze when I saw the van but the only trouble is the car was still doing I think about 70-75mph.... :(

I've had a few near misses before with speed traps but I think my luck ran out today. I could see the guy in the front of the camera van doing something and think the only way i'm getting out of this is if he was not set up yet as I always thought they sat in the back filming the oncoming traffic from behind.

God I hate them so much. :thumbdwn:

..a camera van which was half in the hedge..

..I could see the guy in the front of the camera van doing something

It sounds like you'll be fine.

If your description reads right, the copper appears to have crashed into a hedge and was then brushing the donuts of his lap before he got out to survey the damage.

It sounds like you'll be fine.

If your description reads right, the copper appears to have crashed into a hedge and was then brushing the donuts of his lap before he got out to survey the damage.

:rofl:

PS. Dear God if you let me off this one I promise to be a good boy and not drive like a tool in future as I really can't afford any increase in my insurance premium.

I went hammering past a hidden scamera van a while back, he was in the front (sleeping maybe?) and I heard nothing about it. Hopefully you caught him before he had woken up and set his gear up.

Well I just drove 180miles like an old man, well I did overtake a few things....

Strange enough it did not take me that much longer. Perhaps all this rushing around is overrated. Now, where's my slippers and that Octavia brochure.

These camera vans are, or at least should be operated rather than left just switched on. In other words the operator should only use the laser/camera if he thinks that you are speeding. They shouldnt just point and shoot. So, if he was in the front you will be OK.

Also, every chance it could be a ANPR van (and a couple of marked/unmarked plod in the area to pull over any hits) or a DVLA road tax check just setting up as most camera vans are highly marked.

Steve

another thought is , if you got your speed from your speedo, and it read 70 -75 mph, you were probably doing 65-70 mph in real terms (I have calibrated my speedo with GPS and at a speedo readong of 75mph, I'm actually doing 70)

SO...... if he was looking for speeders an a 60mph road, he would probably start booking people at 68-70 mph....

so my guess is , you'll be ok

I can't speak for camera van operators, but I know several traffic bobbies and they said that unless it's excessive or dangerous, they often allow people to exceed the speed limit a bit to overtake safely.

As for the "I hate them so much" comment - as annoying as it is and without having a go, but ultimately it is you in the wrong. The (valid) argument would be "you exceed the speed limit" to which the response would be "I needed to in order to overtake safely" to which the comeback would be "then you should not have overtaken".

I'm not trying to stir, but please don't have a go at them for enforcing the law. Just like the thread about being stopped and searched, I have no issue with speed enforcement as it gets the idiots off the road, but we can't have one rule for one and another rule for others . . .

your speedowill probably be showing your speedf at around 5% higher than it is so at 70 indicated you probably doing 66. acpo guidelines say 10%+2mph before issuing tickets so that be68 and above. im gonna say im confident that you havent got a ticket.

Oh forgot to say the more away from the road they parked and the bigger angle to the left or right of the van the lower the speed limit (something to do with cosine) so im very confident you got away with it. jsut be more careful in future.

I can't speak for camera van operators, but I know several traffic bobbies and they said that unless it's excessive or dangerous, they often allow people to exceed the speed limit a bit to overtake safely.

As for the "I hate them so much" comment - as annoying as it is and without having a go, but ultimately it is you in the wrong. The (valid) argument would be "you exceed the speed limit" to which the response would be "I needed to in order to overtake safely" to which the comeback would be "then you should not have overtaken".

I'm not trying to stir, but please don't have a go at them for enforcing the law. Just like the thread about being stopped and searched, I have no issue with speed enforcement as it gets the idiots off the road, but we can't have one rule for one and another rule for others . . .

Yes I know all that. But I still hate them. My dad got done twice in one year by camera's. One for swapping lane to early for a left turn even though the road was empty and another time for doing a few mph over. He had been driving 60 years without an incident and I don't think those camera's added any safety value to anyone. They just robbed a 79 year old pensioner who also had cancer (which killed him) of his pension. God I hate them (again).

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but i've not had a ticket through yet..

:Kick_Can_

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but i've not had a ticket through yet..

:Kick_Can_

Only breath a sign of relief after 16 days. Or if it's a lease firm, 9 months they still seem to bite - so long as the lease/rental firm was served within 16 days (14 + 2 days allowance)

I am on the "14 day count down" at the moment

Taking SWMBO into hospital yesteray, travelling in a line of vehicles doing about 30-33 mph. As I was on the GATSO markings with a TNT van also on the markings, FLASH!!

I'm hoping that the white van which was behinde me was close enough for its front end to be on the markings and cover my plate :(

Shouldn't be a problem if you were doing 30-33 should it?

True speed would have been 29-30 mph. Maybe there was a faster oncoming vehicle that upset the GATSO Radar, it happens quite often

Good luck to all the peeps on the '14 day special'

Shouldn't be a problem if you were doing 30-33 should it?

True speed would have been 29-30 mph. Maybe there was a faster oncoming vehicle that upset the GATSO Radar, it happens quite often

Good luck to all the peeps on the '14 day special'

Still pishes you off though

Still pishes you off though

I totally sympathise. I have been sitting and waiting for that sodding envelope on several occasions in the past only to have been tormented for nothing :thumbdwn:

I totally sympathise. I have been sitting and waiting for that sodding envelope on several occasions in the past only to have been tormented for nothing :thumbdwn:

Pehaps I should sue as the wait has caused me mental anguish and therfore breached my human rights........................

since when was it 14 days +2 ? its 14 days from the date of offence.

since when was it 14 days +2 ? its 14 days from the date of offence.

2 days for good measure

Yes it's 14 days, but the whole reasonable amount of time to trace owner may come into effect. If it's a lease, they can seem to go after you any time they like up to nine months. PITA, especially as most lease firms payup then pass the fine + admin charges on.

Remember reading posts of people being harrased during the postal strikes last year on the usual Q&A forums.

One of the higher members suggested the 16 days as a cut-off to contact the registered owner.

It is definately 14 days during which the notice of intended prosecution has to be served. Good Luck!

:iagree:, but "serving the notice" means getting it in the post; add 3 days for the Royal Snail to deliver it!

Oh and PadraigPost, I have a sub to a mag that goes in the post in London first class in Tuesday night; as often or not it's Friday or Saturday before I actually get it.

The Notice of Intended Prosecution must be posted to the Registered Keeper no later than 14 days after the alleged offence and then it may take several days to arrive. If the Registered Keeper was not the driver then he/she must reply with name and address of driver. So it could be several weeks or even months before the driver gets a notice, but the Notice of Intended Prosecution delivery rules will still have been satisfied.