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Speeding?

So today I was driving in a 40 towards a gatso speed camera. I wasn't really paying attention and was just going the same speed as the guy in front of me. About 10-20 seconds after the camera I looked and my speedo said 45. I didn't see a flash but could I have missed it?

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Original post by student234324
So today I was driving in a 40 towards a gatso speed camera. I wasn't really paying attention and was just going the same speed as the guy in front of me. About 10-20 seconds after the camera I looked and my speedo said 45. I didn't see a flash but could I have missed it?


Your speedo tends to over-read by about 10%, and the cameras are sometimes set to give some leniency; so if you didn't see a flash, you should be fine :smile:
Original post by RoyalSheepy
Your speedo tends to over-read by about 10%, and the cameras are sometimes set to give some leniency; so if you didn't see a flash, you should be fine :smile:


ok :smile: is it possible that I missed the flash? or is it too obvious to miss?
Reply 3
Well you'll find out soon enough with a letter from the Police. If its your first time speeding don't worry, you'll pay £60 and attend a speeding awareness course where you sit and basically watch speeding prevention videos with other convicted speeders. If it's your second time speeding... £100 and 3 points on your license, which if your a young driver could increase your insurance highly. But I hope you was lucky - normally you can spot the flash so if you didn't you probably didn't get ticketed.
Original post by student234324
ok :smile: is it possible that I missed the flash? or is it too obvious to miss?


They're quite obvious in the dark, I don't know about in the daylight though...
Original post by student234324
So today I was driving in a 40 towards a gatso speed camera. I wasn't really paying attention and was just going the same speed as the guy in front of me. About 10-20 seconds after the camera I looked and my speedo said 45. I didn't see a flash but could I have missed it?


You would see the flash. They are bright
I also read that the type of speed camera it is only catches people on the same side of the road as the camera but there are white lines on both sides of the road
Original post by squeakysquirrel
You would see the flash. They are bright


ok thanks
Original post by student234324
So today I was driving in a 40 towards a gatso speed camera. I wasn't really paying attention and was just going the same speed as the guy in front of me. About 10-20 seconds after the camera I looked and my speedo said 45. I didn't see a flash but could I have missed it?


A car speedometer is set at 2 Miles per hour higher than the actual speed. So your speed was 43.
In a 40 Miles zone the police camera is likely to catch any over 44 Miles.

It is therefore highly likely that you will be OK.

But you will learn to obey the limits better from now.
Reply 9
Original post by AB710344
A car speedometer is set at 2 Miles per hour higher than the actual speed. So your speed was 43.


How can you be so precise? Oh wait.. of course.. YOU CAN'T! Yes, there are inaccuracies, but it's not some magical fixed number - everything down to the tread on the tyres affects the speedo reading.

Original post by RoyalSheepy
They're quite obvious in the dark, I don't know about in the daylight though...


Oh boy they're just as obvious in the daylight - thank your lucky stars you've never been staring at one when it's flashed... I still have flashbacks now... (no pun intended).

Spoiler

Original post by IWMTom
How can you be so precise? Oh wait.. of course.. YOU CAN'T! Yes, there are inaccuracies, but it's not some magical fixed number - everything down to the tread on the tyres affects the speedo reading.



Oh boy they're just as obvious in the daylight - thank your lucky stars you've never been staring at one when it's flashed... I still have flashbacks now... (no pun intended).

Spoiler




so I should be ok?
Reply 11
Original post by student234324
so I should be ok?


I'd imagine so, yes. GATSO flashes are REALLY noticeable, and it doesn't look like your speed was too overboard.

Which Police force was this camera within?
Original post by IWMTom
I'd imagine so, yes. GATSO flashes are REALLY noticeable, and it doesn't look like your speed was too overboard.

Which Police force was this camera within?


Cheshire
Reply 13
Original post by student234324
Cheshire


Only around 17% of fixed cameras in your force are switched on, so even if you were over the limit, there's a good chance the camera wasn't even working!
Original post by IWMTom
Only around 17% of fixed cameras in your force are switched on, so even if you were over the limit, there's a good chance the camera wasn't even working!


oh wow thanks
Reply 15
It will be totally fine, its set at 10% +2 over the speed limit so you wont get a speeding ticket
You probably were more likely going 43mph which is just under the speed that would set it off - and you’d notice a flash especially at night. Fingers crossed for you! Pay more attention next time you might not be so lucky !!
Reply 17
Original post by Pedaw1
It will be totally fine, its set at 10% +2 over the speed limit so you wont get a speeding ticket


Some are, some aren't. This isn't a hard and fast rule.
Original post by IWMTom
Some are, some aren't. This isn't a hard and fast rule.


do you think the over estimate of the speedo and inaccuracy of camera could allow for 45 in a 40?
Reply 19
Original post by student234324
do you think the over estimate of the speedo and inaccuracy of camera could allow for 45 in a 40?


After everything you've said, I really wouldn't lose any sleep over it - it's incredibly unlikely you've been caught.

For reference, at an indicated 50mph, my car is generally travelling at ~46mph (drove through some roadworks with GPS speedo), and at an indicated 40mph, my car is doing around 37mph. Mathematically speaking, this would mean at 45mph, I'm doing approximately 42mph in reality.

Whilst our car's aren't the same, the inaccuracy will be similar. At an indicated 45mph, I sincerely doubt you were going anywhere over an actual 42mph.

The speed camera will be set around the 44mph mark, based on an actual speed reading.


Long story short, it's incredibly unlikely you've been caught by this camera - especially since you didn't see a flash, which WOULD be immediately obvious.
(edited 6 years ago)

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