Safe Speed Forums

Hello All, I found this very informative looking site today after searching the net for info about a flash from a rear-facing Gatso I had today.

I was driving home from the London Motorshow this afternoon through a tunnel. I have a TomTom with the speed camera POI's installed and it alerted me to a camera shortly before I entered the tunnel.

I made sure that I was doing the correct speed (30mph Limit) Admittedly I did have to break slightly to ensure that I was driving at the right speed.

Much to mine and my passengers amazement the rear facing gatso (which was very well hidden) flashed as we passed it.

Both me and my passenger agreed that it is unlikely that I was speeding as I went past the camera.

I also noticed the camera only appeared to flash once - but I could be wrong as I gather the 2 flashes are supposed to be very close together.

Should I be worried about this? I also understand that alot of Gatso's dont have film in them - could this be the reason for only one flash?

If I was to be prosicuted then what kind of fine/points would be expected?
Is this worth arguing over if I do get a notice of intented prosecution?

My main worry is that I have only held a driving licence since September 2004, therefore my licence only has a maximum of 6 points on it until I reach the 2 year period. Having gone all this time with a clean licence, it would be a real shame to get some now!

Any input would be really apprechiated...

Many Thanks,
Mark

Mark. Welcome!

Yes GATSOs flash twice - they record 2 seperate photographs over a fixed time interval so that your speed can be manually calculated from the images (that's what the callibration lines on the road are for). Its been suggested that they sometimes flash once if they are faulty or have no film in them.

The ACPO guidelines state that the prosecution threshold is 10% +2 over the posted limit, so in a 30 zone you should be safe at 35 or below (although I believe there are some areas that practice zero tolerance?).

If you're the registered keeper of the car, you should receive a notice of intended prosecution within 14 days. If you're not the RK then they are allowed a longer timeframe to track you down. If you don't see anything within 14 days you're safe, although I would suggest that you're safe anyway from what you've discribed.

For more information, and if you DO reveice a NIP head over to www.pepipoo.com for advice on what to do next.

_________________
Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Thanks for the reply Sixy, that has made me feel better about the situation.

I am the registered keeper, so Ill see what the next 14 days brings and keep you informed if anything happens.

Cheers,
Mark