Speed camera vans

[Andi_Archer]

These speed safety courses, is it like a test?, can you fail if you blatently mock the people holding it and show no intention of taking the course on board, or is it simply a paperwork excercise?

Its more akin to an Alcohol Anonymous meeting....... :blink:

The "naughty" group is give a booklet to fill in during the course which basically consists of watching several short videos or images with a quiz on road types and their speeds.Overall it a friendly "group discussion" during which the two instructors relate a few road regulations to back up their viewpoints.

It was surprising to me just how many of the group I attended lacked any road craft skills or any significant knowledge of signage and road markings.Most completly failed to pickup many hazards during a one minuite video shown driving up a built up road with parked traffic and pedestrians either side ending at a mini roundabout.My count over the 50 mark the lows in the group around 10 [or less].

One wo.....er driver stated motorbikes should have flashing headlight [a modulator which contravenes UK road Traffic laws] as they are hard to see even with headlights on and dayglo colours...

[-Ralph-]

Anyone know what happens after been zapped if you stop under the bridge for a couple of minutes? Or on a road if you simply stop and turn around? Anyone done this?

A piece of clothing also could accidentally fall over the number plate tempererally. Oops.

I know it's not really fair rules of engagement but if these vans are just looking for results and maybe not parked in high incedance areas.

People have been traced by police looking into the make model colour of motorbike, then turning up at the door asking to see the make model colour of your gear, but that's only going to work if you have quite a rare bike IMO. If they check and there is 30 of them in the county, they aren't going to knock on 30 doors, when the bike might have been from out of area anyway.

Stopping under the bridge and obscuring the plate is what I would do, but you'd have to think quick and get hard on the brakes almost immediately to make it, if you've got that close to the bridge that you've been caught before you saw the van, you won't have much time left before you are past the bridge already.

I had a similar situation because I was stuck behind a truck on a dual carriageway who was taking 3 miles to do an overtake and obscuring my view of the road ahead, when he finally pulled over I said my prayers of thanks and in frustration to get going again cracked open the throttle of a 1000cc bike and looked up at the truck driver as if to say "twat". When I looked back to the road again, there was the bridge and the camera van, I looked down at my speedo and swore inside my helmet. I was through the bridge before I had time to think about anything else, though I did think about stopping under the bridge afterwards. Whether my emergence from behind the truck came as much of a surprise to the camera operator, as his van did to me, and therefore he didn't get time to zap me, or whether he couldn't get my rear facing number plate, I'm not sure, but I never got the ticket.

[-Ralph-]

Most completly failed to pickup many hazards during a one minuite video shown driving up a built up road with parked traffic and pedestrians either side ending at a mini roundabout.My count over the 50 mark the lows in the group around 10 [or less]

Same experience, 30 second video, I stopped counting at 19, there must have been about 25-30 hazards, most anyone else in the room got was 11. This is just the normal difference between a biker and a car driver I'm afraid.

[-Ralph-]

These speed safety courses, is it like a test?, can you fail if you blatently mock the people holding it and show no intention of taking the course on board, or is it simply a paperwork excercise?

If you stay to the end, and don't go as far as being insulting or severely disrupting the class, you have passed.

But to mock the people holding it, you'd need to be a knob, they are only doing their job.

[Crossrutted]

I know it's not really fair rules of engagement but if these vans are just loooking for results and maybe not parked in high incedance areas.

In the Police State of North Yorkshire, there is NO "if".

The scamera vans are always parked in places to trap motorists - the "safety" justification is absolute bollox.

The need to concentrate on spotting vans and constantly checking the speedo to ensure you are bang on the posted limit, detracts from focussing on the wider hazards the road presents.

IMO these camera vans in random positions are making the roads LESS SAFE.

[Andi_Archer]

Same experience, 30 second video, I stopped counting at 19, there must have been about 25-30 hazards, most anyone else in the room got was 11. This is just the normal difference between a biker and a car driver I'm afraid.

I think that more to do with bikers looking for the car pulling out who doesnt look [or looking and not seeing] and the Pedestrian Sheep who cross the road any old where except on a designated crossing which may only be yards away.

[Mike54]

I have adaptive and semi-autonomous on my Merc.

Ralph, you have a Merc? You've not mentioned it before :laugh:

[boboneleg]

I have adaptive and semi-autonomous on my Merc.

Ralph, you have a Merc? You've not mentioned it before :laugh:

That made I laugh :laugh:

[Andi_Archer]

Ive got an adaptive Horn,it adapted the hell out of a pedestrian the other day that chose to walk out into the road without looking.

[-Ralph-]

Since I have two cars and two bikes, how do you want me to refer to them? Pinkie & Perkie for the cars and Mork & Mindy for the bikes?
No, for now they will be referred to as Merc, Toyota, Tiger and Daytona. If that's a source of either amusement or annoyance for you, it's your issue. I'm soon to change the Toyota for another Merc so I'll have to refer to the model like I do with the two Triumphs.
I don't bat an eyelid every time you mention you're an off road rallying god.