Speeding Tickets & Towing

[paddlers]

Has anyone noticed an increase in speeding tickets whilst towing their boat about. My next door neighbour has had five tickets in the last year for exceeding the 50 mph on a 60 stretch of road .
I must confess to towing at 65 on motorways , 60 on the single carriageways and strictly observing the 20 , 30 & 50 posted limits in towns . Have I just been lucky in avoiding tickets or do the camera vans not recognise boat trailers ?
My neighbour's a farmer and usually towing a cattle trailer which is more visible .
Heading up to Kintyre and Sky in the next few weeks and wondered if I ought to be dropping to 50 on the 60 stretches which would be a first ?

[willk]

Originally Posted by paddlers

Have I just been lucky in avoiding tickets or do the camera vans not recognise boat trailers ?

Hmmm. Your neighbour sounds like a slightly slow learner

Interesting point tho. I wonder could the combo be "wrapped" in some kinda camo - like making it look like one vehicle such as a mini-bus. Or just paint on a boat...

More seriously, your neighbour is probably going even faster than he admits, you may be going a little slower - car speedos can be waaay off. If the cameras give you a 10% margin, I suppose you get the same with a trailer - taking you north a bit. Add in a "slow" speedo and you might be just fine!

[paddlers]

Originally Posted by willk

Hmmm. Your neighbour sounds like a slightly slow learner

Interesting point tho. I wonder could the combo be "wrapped" in some kinda camo - like making it look like one vehicle such as a mini-bus. Or just paint on a boat...

More seriously, your neighbour is probably going even faster than he admits, you may be going a little slower - car speedos can be waaay off. If the cameras give you a 10% margin, I suppose you get the same with a trailer - taking you north a bit. Add in a "slow" speedo and you might be just fine!

The car speedo is definitely optimistic by around 5 mph so I tend to set the cruise control by the speed shown on the satnav screen which I assumed is more accurate . We've gone from no speed vans to about a dozen now in North Yorkshire so it's getting more difficult to avoid them . I was just curious as I tend to sit in the traffic doing 60 rather than dropping off to 50.
They always seem keener north of the border.

[Steve509926]

I was just north of Oban a few weeks ago, towing a caravan. I did notice 2 unmarked police cars on the A82 between Dumbarton and Tarbet on the way there and on the way back.

[69cmw]

Take the number plate off of what you are towing but make sure the lights still work.
Can’t get your number, can’t give you a ticket 🤷

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

Take the number plate off of what you are towing but make sure the lights still work.
Can’t get your number, can’t give you a ticket [emoji1745]

Can give you 3 points for no no plate though

[Orwell boy]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Can give you 3 points for no no plate though

Yes but does the number plate need a light !
reason i say this is i live near Felixstowe and 1000,s of container movements a day but i often see number plates unlit hung on trailers with no lighting
When you use submersible leds they dont really allow for a number plate light easily

[Steve509926]

Yes it's a legal requirement for number plates to be illuminated.

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Can give you 3 points for no no plate though

Put an old number plate on in that case, but I haven’t had a number plate on any boat I’ve towed over the years 🤷

[lakelandterrier]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

Put an old number plate on in that case, but I haven’t had a number plate on any boat I’ve towed over the years 🤷

I don't understand where you are coming from. Why not?

It's a legal requirement to display a number-plate on a trailer to make the driver accountable. If it's OK not to have a number plate, is it OK not to have lights, not have the boat secure, overload the trailer / towing vehicle capacity, remove the brakes from a braked trailer? In fact why bother with vehicle insurance or an MOT?

I think 60mph is perfectly fine max towing speed - the number of idiots I've seen who've passed my towing at 70mph+ - boats trailer and caravans weaving all over the road are a danger to all other road users.