Dont warn of a speed check ahead !!

[Bigmuz7]

Drivers fined for flashing headlights to warn oncoming cars of police speed trap | Mail Online

[Hightower]

That means that the Police car that flashed me out of a junction the other week should have booked himself

[thomas]

That's just wrong, we've seen a huge rise in speed traps round here since all the cuts came in.

[Maximus]

If it were about getting people to slow down, Surely there would'nt be a problem problem?(Presumeing of course on the VERY RARE occasions you may be a Tad ''Heavey footed'') You see a Speed trap... You slow down...you see someone flash thier lights...You slow down ....Anyone could be forgiven for thinking it was about NICKING Punters and REVENUE!....BUT we all Know that would be Ridiculous!!

[Ribtecer]

For the record, and I hope I am phrasing this correctly on an open forum, sometimes I don't listen to what I read on ribnet and carry on doing what I've always done, in the hope that some pleasant bugger out there might do the same for me some day.

Obviously I am only talking about marine activities.

[A1an]

Originally Posted by thomas

That's just wrong, we've seen a huge rise in speed TRAPS

A good choice of words, a TRAP is exactly what it is.

I wouldnt mind if they were usually checking speeds outside a school/hospital/old folks home but they dont seem to, (not around these parts anyway) there is only 3 passing straights between here and Inverness (75 miles) and you can bet your last pound they are on them every weekend, this causes road users to take daft chances where they shouldnt, to try and get by slow traffic.

They are a danger in the wrong place.

[Hightower]

Headlight flashing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Makes some interesting reading.

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by Hightower

Headlight flashing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Makes some interesting reading.

Come on .. code violation 15, subsection 3 , article twelve , section B, Paragraph 12,Sub paragraph 3, Line 36

What is the country coming to .... cops booking you for walking on cracks in the pavement ?

[HughN]

I don't do this - partly because I always thought it was an offence to do so and partly because all the speed limit signs, camera signs are quite obvious and sticking to the speed limit isn't difficult when you are paying attention and concentrating - its not a trick, a deception or other dastardly scheme - the rules are well advertised (unlike some countries where the cops hide behind advertising hoardings, etc.,). The limits are not posted as 40 and drivers fined for driving at 35.

A 100% foolproof way to avoid getting caught speeding is to drive at or below the speed limit. If everyone did this, 'Their' income in fines would be zero. There is, after all, quite a bit of semi-official 'tolerance' by 'Them' on motorways (where risks are lower), though from a pure money-making 'trap' perspective, fining everyone doing more than 77 mph would do the trick.

The down-side about living in a democracy is that you have to abide by the rules set by society - even if you don't agree with them. There is no right to a driving license - it is a privilege - so if you don't agree with the terms either use the bus or try to convince everyone to change the rules. There is scope for your discretion to reduce speed to suit the conditions but not to go above the limit. The signed limit is not the speed that must be driven at.

There is a class of people who drive at 43 mph irrespective of the speed limit, weather, road conditions, pedestrians, etc., and who are blinkin' dangerous; equally, I have taken to reporting the arrogant so-and-sos who overtake me driving at 30 in a 30 limit.

If everyone could be trusted to drive at 'the greater of the maximum safe speed for the conditions or the speed limit', perhaps some speed limits would be raised? After all, 'Their' revenue from fuel duty would then increase.

Its not a 'sport' like a couple of rabbits poached by moonlight from a rich landowner for a starving family where there is some moral/romantic justification in breaking the law - if someone driving at 33 couldn't stop and knocked over your child but would have been able to stop at 29 or 30, how would you feel? Equally, how could you justify (to yourself or in court) being that driver?

Give another two days and the Daily Mail will be ranting about the Police not fining speeding drivers and the outrageous carnage of pedestrian deaths on the UK's roads.

/Off soapbox.

[mick]

I am presuming they would av to use two veichles on this job instead of doing some proper police work.

[actions]

Originally Posted by HughN

if someone driving at 33 couldn't stop and knocked over your child but would have been able to stop at 29 or 30, how would you feel? Equally, how could you justify (to yourself or in court) being that driver?

Give another two days and the Daily Mail will be ranting about the Police not fining speeding drivers and the outrageous carnage of pedestrian deaths on the UK's roads.

/Off soapbox.

You make a valid point. Friends moan about speed cameras but in the same breath moan about speeding drivers in their road!!

Catch 22.

I agree though, dont speed, no issues.

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by actions

You make a valid point. Friends moan about speed cameras but in the same breath moan about speeding drivers in their road!!

Catch 22.

I agree though, dont speed, no issues.

Get an old oil burner that weighs 2 tonnes and has the aerodynamics of a brick, you won't get caught speeding in that!

[SPR]

Originally Posted by Hightower

Get an old oil burner that weighs 2 tonnes and has the aerodynamics of a brick, you won't get caught speeding in that!

aka Series Landrover - I got 56 mph out of my series 3 - I had to get engine rebuilt afterwards

S.

[Festinghouse]

Originally Posted by SPR

aka Series Landrover - I got 56 mph out of my series 3 - I had to get engine rebuilt afterwards

S.

yes and you actually managed to get a fine at the same time because you were in a 30!

[Festinghouse]

Originally Posted by HughN

I don't do this - partly because I always thought it was an offence to do so and partly because all the speed limit signs, camera signs are quite obvious and sticking to the speed limit isn't difficult when you are paying attention and concentrating - its not a trick, a deception or other dastardly scheme - the rules are well advertised (unlike some countries where the cops hide behind advertising hoardings, etc.,). The limits are not posted as 40 and drivers fined for driving at 35.

A 100% foolproof way to avoid getting caught speeding is to drive at or below the speed limit. If everyone did this, 'Their' income in fines would be zero. There is, after all, quite a bit of semi-official 'tolerance' by 'Them' on motorways (where risks are lower), though from a pure money-making 'trap' perspective, fining everyone doing more than 77 mph would do the trick.



The down-side about living in a democracy is that you have to abide by the rules set by society - even if you don't agree with them. There is no right to a driving license - it is a privilege - so if you don't agree with the terms either use the bus or try to convince everyone to change the rules. There is scope for your discretion to reduce speed to suit the conditions but not to go above the limit. The signed limit is not the speed that must be driven at.

There is a class of people who drive at 43 mph irrespective of the speed limit, weather, road conditions, pedestrians, etc., and who are blinkin' dangerous; equally, I have taken to reporting the arrogant so-and-sos who overtake me driving at 30 in a 30 limit.

If everyone could be trusted to drive at 'the greater of the maximum safe speed for the conditions or the speed limit', perhaps some speed limits would be raised? After all, 'Their' revenue from fuel duty would then increase.

Its not a 'sport' like a couple of rabbits poached by moonlight from a rich landowner for a starving family where there is some moral/romantic justification in breaking the law - if someone driving at 33 couldn't stop and knocked over your child but would have been able to stop at 29 or 30, how would you feel? Equally, how could you justify (to yourself or in court) being that driver?

Give another two days and the Daily Mail will be ranting about the Police not fining speeding drivers and the outrageous carnage of pedestrian deaths on the UK's roads.

/Off soapbox.

i find a lot of lonely / men old enough to go through the change, share this narrow opinion
my view is that if it wasnt about the money, then offenders would be made to spend a saturday morning out sweeping streets etc instead.

[tonto]

When asked about speed traps, camera's etc etc the police and the home office are very quick to point out that it is not a money making ecxercise, and that the intention is to make motorists slow down.

Fine, I agree with that.

Why then, if you flash your lights at someone to warn them to slow down, are people being fined? Surely you are actually helping the police in reducing speeding, and therefore helping someone avoid commiting an offence? people should be appluaded for this action!

If I were to talk to someone, and advise them against littering or one of a hundred other offences a person can commit, will i be prosecuted for it?

Of course if the real reason behind cameras and the story in the OP is to catch and prosecute as many people as possible, to generate as much money as possible then I can see why the police will be miffed, as you are taking the money out of their pockets!

I cannot see any other reason for the police actions. I hope the people who were issued with tickets are able to fight it in the courts, to set a precedence against such ridiculous waste of police and courts time.

Rant over!

[jezza2011]

I drive to the M40 via several vilages and minor roads.
Yesterday someone flashed me as I was slowing down to go thorough a 30 section. this made me MORE aware of my speed and made me hit the speed limiter.
SO the person/persons flashing me actually was positive as i was more aware of my speeed as were the rest of the drivers who saw the vehicle flash.

I would and do the ssame for others. not to let them know there is a speed van thereyou understand, but to make them aware of their speed. :-)


Next time people go through the villages they will remember and keep to the limit throught the villages. Where there are 0 accidents. hmm Saftery cameras.. I think not.
on the sections where the accidents happen they NEVER put a speed cam van sorry safety camera van. ;-)

Just in the 30 section of 1 village.
On a blind bend.
behind some hedges.
sticking over the hedges.
so which ever way its pointing you cant see it untill your on top of it.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by tonto

Why then, if you flash your lights at someone to warn them to slow down, are people being fined? Surely you are actually helping the police in reducing speeding, and therefore helping someone avoid commiting an offence? people should be appluaded for this action!

The problem is, some people need to be taken to task and fined to learn the lesson about speeding. Many who get the 'warning' flash will just speed up again after the speed gun.

I used to be a bit blasé about my speed (the invincibility of youth ), that was until I was involved in a low speed crash at a junction where the car I nudged from the side veered off the road and hit a building. My car needed a new bumper - his was a write off and he was injured. The gravitas of this still haunts me, as the outcome could have been very serious. Thank God he had airbags.

The previous comment about it being a privilege to drive is very true. Cars are lethal, even when you don't intend them to be! It now annoys me when I see careless or dangerous drivers, especially ones who are speeding through ignorance and not respecting the rules which really aren't that draconian.

[Boats&Outboards]

The problem with flashing your lights from what I see is it gives the speeder a chance to "get away" with his offence. He (or she) will slow down for 500 yards then speed back up. Potentially to kill your child further down the road, as has been mentioned earlier. Had he not been flashed there was a good chance he'd have got a fine and 3 points. Like it or not this may have served as a bigger deterrent to him doing it again in the future, so it served its purpose!

Like has been said already its just one of those laws people choose to break. The police could get on with "proper jobs" if less people willingly broke the law. Just like we would need less doctors if people choose to drive at the right speed.

I think the police should not be issuing the fines. It should be sourced out to the local authority or private sector, like parking tickets have been. That way it really would be about profit, so more "traps" meaning everybody would slow down. The police would then be able put resources elsewhere

My question would be why allow a car/bike to be able to go 150MPH in the first place ? Why not just restrict them to 80 MPH, giving a discount on the road tax for doing so ?

And for the record yes I've have and no doubt will again go faster than the limit.

Peter @ Boatsandoutboards4sale ~ askboatsandoutboards4sale@sky.com ~ 07930 421007

[kitten]

I agree with not speeding, though I can't hand on heart say I never do. We have 20 MPH sections around here because the 30MPH limits were not enforced and communities were complaining about cars going too fast so the limit was dropped (even the police never do 20).
A bit OT I saw a sticker on the back of a comercial van from a national company with a "THIS VEHICLE IS LIMITED TO 70MPH" sticker the other day, what is that about.