Safe Speed Forums

Lets face it.

It's dangerous and pretty rubbish.

anyone who's honest will admit it.

That's interesting. It could be a part of the 'mix'; but I'm pretty sure it isn't everything because when driving in the 'active mode', I think the mirror comes up about every 3 or 4 seconds. So we still have to account for the consequences of the 'ultimate passive mode' effect.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

SPECS strategy - every second camera, find a LGV or similar and get close behind as you pass the camera. Can someone calculate how close you need to be to a typical LGV for a typical height of SPECS camera?

BTW, does anyone know, where there are (say) three cameras in a SPECS monitored stretch of road, whether the system measure speed: from #1 to #2 and from #2 to #3; or: from #1 to #2, #2 to #3 and #1 to #3?

Cruise control is really inappropriate in congested traffic because the driver loses the ability to use 'acceleration sense'. Speed limiter (as fitted to Mercs etc) is good. Cruise control is excellent in light traffic where little or no variation of speed is needed.

I think my current car has that option I'll give it a go.

I try to miniumise this personally by selecting an edge lane (nearside typically), holding back from the one in front (except if I need to obfuscate) and applying subtle speed variations to avoid being alongside a neighbour for any significant length of time. The quid pro quo is more petrol used and slightly less comfortable passengers thanks to the on-off pedalwork.


I always show them a clean pair of heels too.

I've only driven in an area with specs once in recent history where exceeding the limit was possible, and I was in my GF's MX5. It was a very uncomfortable experience, I don't think I've ever felt so tense while driving.

My newish Clio's got a speed limiter, which I will finally use next time I drive through a specs area.

Time they intoduced "specs control" a gps baised cruise control that displayes your average speed from when you push the specs buton.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

So you know immediately if you need to perform even more dangerous tailgating to obfuscate the plate as you go past subsequent cameras.

Most trip computers will do that if you reset the average speed display as you pass the first camera.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

But it's no help. In fact no average speed readout can help unless you know the exact pair of points used to average - and since we really don't know those, it ain't gong to work.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I think the idea is that you reset your ave. spd readout as you pass the first camera in the set, from which moment you have an exact reading of your average "so far" and can adjust your speed gradually, should the reading vary away from the value desired.

I use cruise control religiously now at SPECS installations, indeed now I've had it once it's very, very high up my list of attributes required in future cars.

As others have said, it does lead to other distinct problems though. Firstly in traffic you tend to end up tailgating people when it inches you closer than you would like to someone who is going almost exactly the same speed as yourself. Obviously there comes a point when you disengage it to avoid getting too close, but I find that with the best will in the world this point is invariably closer than the distance you would maintain without c/c. The second is that you tend to be at higher risk of side-swipes when the cruise control takes you past a vehicle in another lane at a fractionally different speed. Again you can always override this but in practice you do tend to spend longer alongside other vehicles than you would do "normally".

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CSCP Latin for beginners...
Ticketo ergo sum : I scam therefore I am!

An interesting and different case is the A616 Stocksbridge Bypass in South Yorkshire, which is a single-carriageway NSL road with an alternating 2+1 lanes layout, controlled by SPECS.

I am fairly certain that along here the speed is measured between specific pairs of cameras, with "gaps" between them - obviously, for example, there is no point in measuring average speed over a section that contains a roundabout.

A lot of drivers seem to settle down to a speed around 57-58 mph indicated, which obviously tempts you to pass them on the two-lane sections. But you don't really feel comfortable doing more than say around 66-67 mph indicated because otherwise you might be pushing your average for the section. So you end up doing overtakes much more slowly than you would in the absence of the cameras, and if there's a long line of overtaking traffic there's a risk you might run into trouble where the 2+1 sections switch over.





Apparently accidents have reduced since the SPECS cameras were installed, but as there were changes to lining and marking at the same time it is impossible to separate out the effect.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I'm sure the local pratnership will manage it.

Is it me or is the SPECS camera to the right setup up for rear capture?

Nah it's shadows. Well that's what it looks like to me.

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Andrew.

I know the road well, all the cameras are set up for front capture, as you would expect.

presumeably (and given the road markings) at that points its SC.. so one is pointing toward us and the other away.

It's all single carriageway - it's just that some bits have crawler lanes.

And the camera signs facing both directions...

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Andrew.