Speeding?

manic111

manic111

manic111

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Yes, this is another noob post, but having only recently passed my test I tend to worry about simple things at the moment!

I took my first "long" drive yesterday, about 3 hours back down to work from my parents. I always try to stay at/under the limit, as I'm somewhat scared of losing my license. However, at one section I was going down a hill in a 70 (dual carriageway, A-road), and the car started to gather a bit of pace without me really noticing - I passed a police car in a layby at about 75.

Will I get pulled up for this? While I was over the limit, I was still keeping pace with the cars in front of me in the left lane. There were a number of cars going past me in the right lane a fair bit quicker...
 
Should be fine, you weren't going fast enough to draw any kind of attention.

Also, worth bearing in mind is that in reality it's unlikely you were quite going 75mph as indicated, probably more like 72 or so, speedos tend to read slightly higher that you are really going as the speeds rise.

I'm not saying you should try this, but, you can probably drive through a speedtrap on a 70mph road at 80 indicated and not get flashed, I've done so quite a few times before (not on purpose) and I have never had a speeding ticket since I passed my test, which was a little over 7 years ago now.
 
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Fair point - I have the joy of having a lawyer for a dad (means I don't get to win arguments!) but he got flashed on a road a year or so back, and managed to argue his way out of it that it was +10%+2mph leeway you were meant to have in case of any speedo malfunction etc.

Cheers for the reassurance, hopefully will be OK!
 
rule 1 of speeding enforcement, is that if a police car parked up is going to issue you with a ticket, he will chase after you and issue it in person. Parked up police cars dont issue tickets via the post

If you get a ticket through the post, it will either be from a fixed camera, or from one of the speed enforcement cars / vans. In west yorkshire they do use ford galaxys, but they are parked up facing rearwards, with the boot wide open and a massive camera sticking out of them. You cant mistake it for a normal police car. Unless its this type of scenario, you'll be fine.

rule 2 is that on the motorway, most coppers will be on the lookout for cars doing nearer 90. ACPO guidlines usually allows a speeding motorist 10 % +1mph before a ticket can be issued. So thats actually 79mph you'd have to be doing for him to do anything. Not to mention your speedo will probably overread anyway. Have you got a satnav ? this will give you a better indication of your "true" speed. My speedo over reads by about 2mph. So if it says 75, im actually doing more like 72/73.
 
Got a satnav, but it doesn't display the speed for some reason. That's kind of what I guessed about motorways, but I was a little worried as I was on a dual carriageway rather than a true M road...

EDIT: Is rule 1 true of all parked police cars, even those carrying speed guns?
 
yes

ive been got with a speed gun twice ( :o) and both times they followed me, pulled me over and issued me with a ticket. The guns they carry in the car only record speed, they dont take pictures

They can even just use the video from the onboard camera, and time your trip between two fixed points (called vascar) but even then they'll follow you and issue you a ticket. Unless its one of the speed enforcement vans / MPV things, they'll always come and chase after you.
 
MrLOL said:
If you get a ticket through the post, it will be from one of the speed enforcement cars / vans.
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Would a van parked on a motorway bridge with VOSA written all over it come under this category? If so I 'saw one last week while driving legally' :(
 
qwerty said:
Would a van parked on a motorway bridge with VOSA written all over it come under this category? If so I 'saw one last week while driving legally' :(
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VOSA dont issue speeding tickets.

VOSA pull you over to inspect your car for road worthiness. Their usual pray is the boy racers with 1.0 corsas and massive exhausts and blue lights etc..

either that or the rust bucket A reg fiesta with no floor because its all rotten ...
 
also, unless you're driving like a tool, they generally don't care (if the conditions are safe etc) if it's below 85..
 
bledd. said:
also, unless you're driving like a tool, they generally don't care (if the conditions are safe etc) if it's below 85..
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This varies massively from county to county, from one officer to another, and also on conditions, or other factors...

If they see you tailgating someone at 81mph it's very easy to prove you were speeding with a VASCAR or something they have onboard. So a lot of them will just give you a ticket for speeding and tell you not to drive like a tool.

In Scotland, Cumbria and North Wales where they have naff all crime they will gladly give you a ticket for 79mph on an empty motorway/dual carriageway on a clear sunny day and they'll get you 1km before you reach the van with their long range lasers...

Sam's tip of the day: If you want to speed, do it where they have lots of murders. Then the police tend to be a lot less fussed about motorists!
 
laissez-faire said:
Sam's tip of the day: If you want to speed, do it where they have lots of murders. Then the police tend to be a lot less fussed about motorists!
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I always knew there must be something to like about Birmingham, now I know what it is :D ...They hardly pay any attention until you are doing 90+ in my experience.
 
i've been told by 2 west yorkshire coppers ( incident both times i was pulled) in 2001 and 2008, and both times told the same thing. Unless your pushing you luck by heading to 90s, they'll leave you alone

unless you've got the misfortune to come across a jobsworth , do 83,84 and you'll be left alone.

*edit* and the East Yorkshire traffic car i drove by last summer agreed too, passed him doing 83 GPS and he didnt have a care. (he was parked behind an overpass at the time so didnt see him till i was practically alongside him)
 
Im I wrong in saying its the speed limit +10%? Well thats what ive always thought for some reason ...

so 77mph is the absolute max. Anyway my car is 5mph out (from what my satnav says) so I tend to stick to 80mph on speedo which is about 75mph satnav. Seems to be working for me so far :D
 
80 on sat nave is only 73 actual in a new Transit. But as has been said, if it was a police car you will be fine.
Is good borrowing a sat nav, just to find out your true speed
 
you are allowed 10 % +1

so to be ticketed, you'd have be doing 10% + 2 (according to ACPO guidlines. And they are just that "guidelines" forces dont have to do this, but most do)
 
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