Was I flashed?

Soldato
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So here I am again, seeking the advice of the OcUK motor section psychics... It's a Sunday afternoon and the variable limit pops up on the southwestern section of the M25 (ACW) indicating a limit of 50mph. I continue to stick to this limit until I see the NSL sign illuminated on the gantry ahead. To cut a long story short, after seeing this I accelerated to get past a lane hogger before he could make his way back into the third lane. Just as I hit an indicated 80mph I realise Waze is telling me there's a speed camera 20 feet away (i.e. I am going through it right now), meaning I probably went through the camera at an indicated 80mph before decelerating maybe 2 to 3 seconds after going through it.

GPS seems to show that an indicated 80mph is actually 78mph (79mph worst case).

Is it likely that I may have been flashed? Questions that come to mind:
  1. Would I have seen the flash given it was broad daylight and I was in lane 3?
  2. There are rumours that these cameras are only active if a temporary speed limit is active, assuming this is true, does this still hold if the NSL sign is illuminated in the gantry?
  3. The supposed leeway is 10% + 2 mph (i.e. 79mph in this case). Does that mean you can travel at 79mph and not get flashed or does it mean you must travel below 79mph to not get flashed?
  4. I really should just save myself the hassle and set the cruise control to 70mph shouldn't I rather than risk points for an extra few miles per hour? :rolleyes:
 
Soldato
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If it's on the M25, you're highly unlikely to have set it off at 80. They will enforce the NSL, but enforcement seems to start at at least 95MPH - I've never seen a ticket on the M25 for less than that in an NSL zone.

In terms of leeway, technically, 79MPH will get you a ticket, although in your particular set of circumstances it's unlikely. It's impossible to say whether or not you'd see the flash on a bright day, but I'd guess not unless you were specifically looking for it in your rear view mirror.
 
Soldato
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Think you should be a bit more aware of the road restrictions while you are driving, and the speeds you are doing. Twice in 3 months seems a bit careless.
 
Soldato
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Maybe you should pay as much attention to the road as you do asking questions no one can possibly answer and even if they could, change nothing. Just wait and see if you get anything in the post?
 
Soldato
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I've been caught speeding a few times. You spend 2 weeks worrying about if they caught you or not, then when the letter comes its actually a relief its over lol. Unless your doing stupid speed, worse case is 3 points and a pretty small fine. I noticed no difference in my premiums when renewing and adding the speeding offence.

It seams like the end of the world at the time, but its really nothing, so I wont be stressing about it in future unless I'm already on like 6 points or something, which seams very unlikely given I've been driving 11 years and have only picked up 3 points once.

Stupidly, I've been caught speeding 3 times now, twice by mobile camera and once by undercover police (who let me off which was pretty lucky), and all 3 where in exactly the same spot... I stick to the limit there now.
 
Soldato
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worse case is 3 points and a pretty small fine.

I don't think it's quite a "pretty small fine" anymore. Depending on the speed could be 50%, 100% or 150% of your weekly income. I guess if someone only does 5 hours a week on minimum wage then the fine is peanuts.
 
Soldato
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Do they even enforce the VSL on the M1 and M25? The amount of time I'm sticking to the variable limit, i.e 40 mph, and I'm being tailgated or passed by HGVs doing 55 mph without a care in the world.

I can see the new cameras on the side of the gantries, but people just seem to ignore them.

Really annoys me when I'm the one sticking to the legal limit and I'm being tailgated by a 44 tonne vehicle!

I only passed less than a year ago so I'm pretty cautious when it comes to sticking to the limit, only have 6 points to play with :o
 
Associate
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I don't think it's quite a "pretty small fine" anymore. Depending on the speed could be 50%, 100% or 150% of your weekly income. I guess if someone only does 5 hours a week on minimum wage then the fine is peanuts.

Fixed penalty tickets still exist and are the first line of action I believe, the new regulations are for the cases that go to court.
 
Soldato
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Do they even enforce the VSL on the M1

I believe so. I read that even when off (so 70 limit), they still "flash" people, though I don't know what the trigger speed is. I'm sure I read recently that the highest number of fines issued in the country was on the stretch between J28 and J29, which is very close to me. Does get a bit daft though, that stretch has 4 full time lanes, and is generally a high quality road.
 
Soldato
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Do they even enforce the VSL on the M1 and M25? The amount of time I'm sticking to the variable limit, i.e 40 mph, and I'm being tailgated or passed by HGVs doing 55 mph without a care in the world.

I can see the new cameras on the side of the gantries, but people just seem to ignore them.

Really annoys me when I'm the one sticking to the legal limit and I'm being tailgated by a 44 tonne vehicle!

I only passed less than a year ago so I'm pretty cautious when it comes to sticking to the limit, only have 6 points to play with :o

Lots of the HGVs will be foreign registered so won't get the fines. Equally, if the variable limit is 50, even UK HGVs can happily sit at their 56MPH limiter as enforcement starts at 57. Personally I wouldn't be brave enough to do that though, especially if I was driving for a living, but it seems that many are.
 
Soldato
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Lots of the HGVs will be foreign registered so won't get the fines. Equally, if the variable limit is 50, even UK HGVs can happily sit at their 56MPH limiter as enforcement starts at 57. Personally I wouldn't be brave enough to do that though, especially if I was driving for a living, but it seems that many are.

Seems a pretty stupid risk to take when you could easily rack up several offences in a short space of time!
 
Soldato
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Cool, thanks for the insights. Fingers crossed I won't get a ticket but let's see how it goes. Either way, I will be paying more attention from here on to prevent future post-drive scenario analyses presented in this thread.
 
Soldato
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Here we are again:
  • Travelling at around 90mph exactly where pictured last night
  • Single flash appears from across the road (except the flash looked more like it was coming from the mid-right of the gantry, although I am probably going crazy)
  • I had just passed the previous speed camera on my side of the road at around 73mph about 500m before

hEWl26P.png

If I see a head-on flash, it has got to be for the other side of the motorway, surely?

Now that we are here for the third time, I thought I would leave this gem in here:
 
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