My 1st Speeding Ticket

[Rich]

36 in a 30 on the outskirts of Cambridge.

Lame, I know.  I just found out from the rental company.  I got flashed by a camera

Fuckers

[AutobahnSHO]

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME   


Mine was 42mph in a 20mph zone. Hometown, heading to McD's to get food before the homecoming football game. Whole stupid town is 20mph.

[SJ_GTI]

36 in a 30 on the outskirts of Cambridge.

Lame, I know.  I just found out from the rental company.  I got flashed by a camera

Fuckers

Damn, I was going to congratulate you but only 6 miles over? I am amazed they actually give out a ticket for such a small infraction.

[MX793]

Damn, I was going to congratulate you but only 6 miles over? I am amazed they actually give out a ticket for such a small infraction.

Speed cameras use no discretion.  It's black or white.  A human cop probably would have let it slide unless it was a slow day.

[dazzleman]

Damn, I was going to congratulate you but only 6 miles over? I am amazed they actually give out a ticket for such a small infraction.

You waited all this time for a speeder and this is the best you can do? 

Camera tickets don't cut it anyway.  If I'm going to get a ticket,  I expect it to be personally delivered,  on the spot.  This is shifty service.

I sure hope you can do better than this next time...

[Catman]

Pitiful.  But, I give you credit for mustering the courage to tell the story.

[dazzleman]

Pitiful.  But, I give you credit for mustering the courage to tell the story.

I wonder how much the fine will be.

[Catman]

I wonder how much the fine will be.

Should be severe!

[dazzleman]

Should be severe!

I'll be really upset if it's not.  The guy is a menace to society and needs to be severely punished.  I think a weekend lockup is in order, plus a heavy fine.  Fucking guy thinks he can break the law with impunity.

[Rupert]

6 MPH? Jesus, are British miles longer or something?

[dazzleman]

6 MPH? Jesus, are British miles longer or something?

That's 20% over the speed limit.  A severe infraction, in my opinion, and the state needs to really drop the hammer on him. 

[Colin]

Speed cameras use no discretion.  It's black or white.  A human cop probably would have let it slide unless it was a slow day.

We automated the process in the UK a long time ago! far more cameras than there are real policemen.

10% +2 is the general rule, and as 30 mph limits are generally in built up areas, housing around schools etc, then there is less tolerance than say a 40 or 50 limit, and you would be unlucky to get done for less than 85 on a 70 limit motorway.

It will be a fixed penalty, and 3 points to those with a UK licence (12 points in a 3 year period and you are off the road for 12 months). 

[dazzleman]

We automated the process in the UK a long time ago! far more cameras than there are real policemen.

10% +2 is the general rule, and as 30 mph limits are generally in built up areas, housing around schools etc, then there is less tolerance than say a 40 or 50 limit, and you would be unlucky to get done for less than 85 on a 70 limit motorway.

It will be a fixed penalty, and 3 points to those with a UK licence (12 points in a 3 year period and you are off the road for 12 months).

How do they actually identify the driver in order to assess points?

[Colin]

The fine is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, and they have a legal obligation to declare who was driving the car.

There were cases where people getting close to the 12 points were trying to get someone else to claim they were driving instead, but after a very high profile case where the MP Chris Hulme got his (now ex) wife to say she was driving when she was not, they both ended up in gaol for offences including obstructing the course of justice and perjury. It is clear that they were made an example of, to make the point. But I am sure it still goes on, as most cameras in the UK get the back of the car so you cannot see the driver.

More pernicious are the average speed cameras set up over in some cases long distances. They are an almost automatic feature now of any road works on motorways.

[AutobahnSHO]

They are an almost automatic feature now of any road works on motorways.

I got tagged by one like this in Germany, and I would have had to have been hard on the brakes from the time seeing the 80km/h sign to where the camera was... (48mph? down from 120km/h (75mph?))

[dazzleman]

I got tagged by one like this in Germany, and I would have had to have been hard on the brakes from the time seeing the 80km/h sign to where the camera was... (48mph? down from 120km/h (75mph?))

You really need to stop making excuses and thinking you are above the law...

[dazzleman]

The fine is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, and they have a legal obligation to declare who was driving the car.

There were cases where people getting close to the 12 points were trying to get someone else to claim they were driving instead, but after a very high profile case where the MP Chris Hulme got his (now ex) wife to say she was driving when she was not, they both ended up in gaol for offences including obstructing the course of justice and perjury. It is clear that they were made an example of, to make the point. But I am sure it still goes on, as most cameras in the UK get the back of the car so you cannot see the driver.

More pernicious are the average speed cameras set up over in some cases long distances. They are an almost automatic feature now of any road works on motorways.

How do the average speed cameras work?  I've never heard of them.

[Laconian]

How do the average speed cameras work?  I've never heard of them.

They record your license plate at multiple points and then compute your average speed by dividing the known distance by the observed elapsed time.

They write tickets if your average speed was higher than the posted limit.

The future is now and it sucks!

[dazzleman]

They record your license plate at multiple points and then compute your average speed by dividing the known distance by the observed elapsed time.

They write tickets if your average speed was higher than the posted limit.

The future is now and it sucks!

Are they used anywhere in the US?  I'd be in big trouble if they were used around here..

I don't like the idea of camera tickets.  They seem to violate our basic norms of justice that call for being able to face your accuser.

[J86]

yup.

[Rupert]

Camera tickets are bullshit in all forms. Fuck that shit, yo.

[dazzleman]

Camera tickets are bullshit in all forms. Fuck that shit, yo.

They're probably going to spread, unfortunately.

[Rupert]

Seems like they haven't so far. No reason why they'd start being popular in the States.

[dazzleman]

Seems like they haven't so far. No reason why they'd start being popular in the States.

We'd all be in big trouble if there were a lot of those speed cameras around.

[Rupert]

We might get the limits raised to 80, though!

[hotrodalex]

We might get the limits raised to 80, though!

I no longer care about such foolishness until I get an overdrive.

[Northlands]

Cameras are all over the place where I live. Mostly at intersections, but there's a growing about of stealth implementations of the kind. A lot of parked vehicles with a camera on the bumper. So far they're easy to spot since they are almost always late model domestic cars and small SUV's.

Generally any spirited driving that occurs on my part is outside of town.

[dazzleman]

Cameras are all over the place where I live. Mostly at intersections, but there's a growing about of stealth implementations of the kind. A lot of parked vehicles with a camera on the bumper. So far they're easy to spot since they are almost always late model domestic cars and small SUV's.

Generally any spirited driving that occurs on my part is outside of town.

Are the intersection cameras there to nail you for speeding or blowing the red light?

[Soup DeVille]

Ehh, I don't really think this counts as a "real" ticket. Somehow without the roadside chat with Buford T. Justice it just wouldn't be as satisfying, you know?

[Rich]

Not bad for 235,000 miles driven over 14 years.