Speed Awareness Course

[conaero]

Maybe it was 79, I know it started with a 7 and I was most miffed!

 

[BennyD]

Always thought 10% plus 2, so 79 in a 70 was the limit.

So 30, 35
40, 46
50, 57
60, 68
and 70, 79.

That's only a guideline, not a gospel. A policeman mate of mines wife was done for 33 in a 30. She was done by a camera van parked around a bend (dangerous) on the hatch marks (offence) on a dual carriageway coming out of Preston. One rule for them and one for us.

 

[mjheathcote]

True.
I think they still have to accommodate the 10% for speedo error though?

 

[BennyD]

That's what he thought! It depends on the prosecutions department. I suppose if you plead not guilty you may well be able to argue your way out of it but the calibration must have been sanctioned at a higher level.

 

[dem maser]

Did you take the Maserati?

 

[fcz360]

That's what he thought! It depends on the prosecutions department. I suppose if you plead not guilty you may well be able to argue your way out of it but the calibration must have been sanctioned at a higher level.

An old classmate of mine moved to the "Safety Camera Partnership" for promotion (he was the west mid helicopter pilot) he told me recently that there is no such thing as 10% for speedo error, if you over the limit-your over the limit, But most of the time they should use common sense, generally on the motorway the hours of paperwork is not worth it for less than 85. But they look for other things such as clapped out cars and suspicious vehicles.

C63's seem to be suspicious as ive been pulled 4 times since October, buggers.

 

[dem maser]

Drug dealer cars here, maybe thats why?!

Too much bling for the Pigs here in London

 

[fcz360]

Malvern ia apprantly the weed capital of the UK -so ive now been called a pimp and a dealer.. its going now anyway

 

[TridentTested]

An old classmate of mine moved to the "Safety Camera Partnership" for promotion

Friend of mine got done by his uncle who works for a "Safety Camera Partnership" and happened to be the man in the van on that particular night.

 

[Chrisbassett]

I'd heard that the fixed roadsides have some lee-way built in, but the mobiles and m-way overheads on managed carriageways have no tolerance at all. But I think it's all urban legend.

 

[conaero]

Did you take the Maserati?

No, sod's law I would have been nicked for speeding, being late for a speed awareness course :-(

 

[npaskin]

True.
I think they still have to accommodate the 10% for speedo error though?

“Speed cameras have a 10% tolerance – FALSE.
Speed cameras – and police radar guns – will still flag you and leave you liable if you're doing 66MPH in a 60MPH zone. Of course it's then up to the police's discretion whether to prosecute or not. Interestingly, most vehicles have a tolerance built in, so you could think you're doing 66MPH when you're actually going at 60 – clearly the source of this myth.â€
http://hub.endsleigh.co.uk/2013/april/driving-myths-true-or-false/#sthash.DsuSJ6fm.dpuf

 

[mjheathcote]

“Speed cameras have a 10% tolerance – FALSE.
Speed cameras – and police radar guns – will still flag you and leave you liable if you're doing 66MPH in a 60MPH zone. Of course it's then up to the police's discretion whether to prosecute or not. Interestingly, most vehicles have a tolerance built in, so you could think you're doing 66MPH when you're actually going at 60 – clearly the source of this myth.â€
http://hub.endsleigh.co.uk/2013/april/driving-myths-true-or-false/#sthash.DsuSJ6fm.dpuf

I'm not referring to the 10% tolerance on the speed camera, but the speedo in the car.
Okay most speedo's under read the actual speed, but a cars speedo is not a regularly calibrated instrument so it's unfair to assume that it's reading the correct speed, hence my understanding of a 10% tolerance! an extreme case of the speedo indicating say 40mph, but you are traveling at 44mph.

 

[npaskin]

I'm not referring to the 10% tolerance on the speed camera, but the speedo in the car.
Okay most speedo's under read the actual speed, but a cars speedo is not a regularly calibrated instrument so it's unfair to assume that it's reading the correct speed, hence my understanding of a 10% tolerance! an extreme case of the speedo indicating say 40mph, but you are traveling at 44mph.

Yes, sure; but depends what we mean by "10% tolerance". That would be true if the accuracy is "within 10%" i.e. + or -10% (which is a huge variance for any instrument worth the name) or "a 10% zone" i.e. + or - 5%. But neither is the case: as I understand it from elsewhere, and the quote seems to say, the tolerance is in the drivers favour - speedo always overestimates true speed, so it's not around 10% each way, it's just around 10% on the downside so you will always be doing less than the indicated speed, not more. Not surprisingly that tolerance is I believe deliberate (i.e. not machine inaccuracy, but added in or built in as the quote says) this way for reasons of legal liability: manufacturer not being sued by (probably American!) driver because driver claims "your speedo told me I was doing 70 but I got nicked for doing a measured 77 and lost my licence, hence lost my job, hence you owe me a zillion dollars compensation"...etc

But none of this tolerance is actually specified legally I think so you can't rely on it to take to court; and I guess we can't assume Maserati do it.

Of course if you fit non-standard wheels and/or tyres and change the rolling radius of your wheels you are in a whole new area

With the rise of GPS and built in connectivity, I wonder if this will remain the case or if we will have future speedos that don't measure anything on the car at all, just track satellite signals? Probably not for a while if ever, manufacturing regulations tend not to like things that are outside their control.

 

[mjheathcote]

Don't forget you have to account for old, classic cars as well.
For example the width of the needle on my 74 Stag, and the thickness of the paint lines on the speedo, plus a little bit of needle flutter, you have no chance of any accuracy between 30 and 33 mph!

 

[safrane]

I have checked my old Golf (23 years old) against the sat nav. At 30 on the car, the sat nave reads 27-28, at 60 it reads 53 and at 70 it reads about 62 and at 83 it reads 70.

 

[npaskin]

I have checked my old Golf (23 years old) against the sat nav. At 30 on the car, the sat nave reads 27-28, at 60 it reads 53 and at 70 it reads about 62 and at 83 it reads 70.

That's quite interesting then:
30 versus 27 = -10% on speedo reading
60 v 53 = -12%
70 v 62 = -11%
83 v 70 = -15%

V. true re old car speedos, you often can't tell easily what it is pointing at

 

[urbanmaser]

I am the world's leading expert on how to avoid points on your license..........just ask Matt

 

[mjheathcote]

I am the world's leading expert on how to avoid points on your license..........just ask Matt

Captain Slows brother?

 

[urbanmaser]

Errrrrrr........got done for doing 57mph in a 50mph zone.........went on line and downloaded a pre written letter for £15 guaranteed to get me off using the calibration of the camera argument. To cut a long story short I still got 3 points and it ended up costing me £1000. Lesson to be learned if its too good to be true - it normally is