Radar/speed traps

[daneuse27]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

Well Im sorry if you've received a negative view of who I am based on this post. In all the radar and speed traps that exist where I am, I've never once been caught speeding so I think thats a pretty good indication that I dont speed. Draw whatever conclusions you want.

 

[Pearls18]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

Well Im sorry if you've received a negative view of who I am based on this post. In all the radar and speed traps that exist where I am, I've never once been caught speeding so I think thats a pretty good indication that I dont speed. Draw whatever conclusions you want.

So why does it matter that they are there? There's hell of a lot of CCTV in my city but I'm not complaining because I am a good citizen so have no reason to be worried, same goes for any kind of police presence/speed traps I don't notice them. If a speed trap is a nuisance to you then the only conclusion that can be drawn is that you want to speed, even if that's not what you intend or mean at all that's how the thread will come across.

 

[teal]

As my last post I do think there is a need for them and what I said wasn't aimed at you, just that if people do speed there should be consequences.

If what you mean is you're just worried about them then sometimes when I go by a speed camera I worry that it will flash when I'm not speeding.

I do drive up motorways and you see police sitting on the above lanes, in towns they also sit hidden up streets. There is one road I drive a lot where it drops from 40mph to 30mph and the police sit in a side lane less than 20 metres from the speed change.

 

[daneuse27]

Thank you teal, I have no problem with anyone pointing out that if you don't speed, there isnt necessarily a reason to be worried or annoyed by them being there. Its true. I guess I just keep a very watchful eye over the traps where I know the police usually are; they tend to pick areas that are right after a hill (as its easy to go over the limit when you're descending a hill) or they choose a certain spot where the speed jumps from 80km/h to 60 abruptly so its easier to catch people. I'm not condoning speeding, or saying it should be allowed. Its just easy to get caught unless you're keeping one eye on your spedometre in those common speed traps zones.

 

[Tegans Mama]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

Well Im sorry if you've received a negative view of who I am based on this post. In all the radar and speed traps that exist where I am, I've never once been caught speeding so I think thats a pretty good indication that I dont speed. Draw whatever conclusions you want.

So why does it matter that they are there? There's hell of a lot of CCTV in my city but I'm not complaining because I am a good citizen so have no reason to be worried, same goes for any kind of police presence/speed traps I don't notice them. If a speed trap is a nuisance to you then the only conclusion that can be drawn is that you want to speed, even if that's not what you intend or mean at all that's how the thread will come across.

Exactly this. Where I live you can;t drive more than a couple of miles without a speed camera.

 

[Lina]

Not radars, but definitely far too many speed cameras. Many people just slow right down for them only to increase their speed afterwards. I drive a lot and have at times gone over the limit as I suppose many have, usually in nonresidential areas where the chances of people walking across carriage/motor way are extremely slim.

 

[Belle25]

Don't really have a problem with them.
They started doing them when my friends brother died after a drunk driver was speeding above speed limit. Hopefully its deterred others speeding to stop it. This idiot left kids without a dad, a wife without her husband

It's one of the major causes of accidents. I drive, and support it xx
Ps I'm not perfect (you should see my parking)and I drive in the cities without peeing myself

 

[suzib76]

Everyone trying to judge: I have never once even been pulled over for speeding. And that's in 11 years of lots of driving. I do make a concerted effort not to even do 5km over because yes - the thought of having my insurance go up does freak me out. I only wondered if the radar elsewhere in the world was as constant as it is here.

I'm with you. All of the speed traps are annoying. Necessary but annoying. It seems like a lot of people who have replied to this thread must be a) perfect or b) don't drive in typical city traffic on a regular basis. I wish you all could ride along with me on my daily commute, but then again, you would probably have a heart attack or wet yourself. I'm sorry that this topic has been hijacked and the topic has strayed from the intent of the original post.

I replied:

a) I am not perfect, in any way, but I neither do I worry about being caught by speed cameras because I find my speed an easy thing to manage

b) I DO drive in typical city traffic, and non typical city traffic. I drive for a living, so in any day I could be doing 10 or 12 hours driving in various roads. Again I never find speed difficult to manage and I have never been worried by a speed camera

 

[Toms Mummy]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

That's not strictly true.... one of the safest motorways in the world has no speed limit!.... It's more dangerous to drive at 50-60mph than at 70-80mph on our british motorways.

Also, are you saying that you have NEVER broken the speed limit? Not even by a few mph?..... Yes it's different if you do 34mph in a 30 zone compared to doing 74mph in a 70 zone, as the speed increase in the 1st one would be more dramatic. This is why there is a 10% speed inclrease limit before you get ticketed.

 

[_mummy_]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

That's not strictly true.... one of the safest motorways in the world has no speed limit!.... It's more dangerous to drive at 50-60mph than at 70-80mph on our british motorways.

Also, are you saying that you have NEVER broken the speed limit? Not even by a few mph?..... Yes it's different if you do 34mph in a 30 zone compared to doing 74mph in a 70 zone, as the speed increase in the 1st one would be more dramatic. This is why there is a 10% speed inclrease limit before you get ticketed.

How is it safer going 80mpr on a motorway than 50-60? fair enough going dangerously slow, but say 60mpr, what's more dangerous about that than hurtling up a fast lane at 80mpr?
Reaction time and stopping distance take longer.

The gov were going to increase the speed limit to 80 but decided against it because it would cause a 10% increase in accidents apparently.

 

[_mummy_]

Ps my hubby is a road traffic officer and has dealt with nasty scenes as a result of speeding.

 

[dgirllamius]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

That's not strictly true.... one of the safest motorways in the world has no speed limit!.... It's more dangerous to drive at 50-60mph than at 70-80mph on our british motorways.

Also, are you saying that you have NEVER broken the speed limit? Not even by a few mph?..... Yes it's different if you do 34mph in a 30 zone compared to doing 74mph in a 70 zone, as the speed increase in the 1st one would be more dramatic. This is why there is a 10% speed inclrease limit before you get ticketed.

How is it safer going 80mpr on a motorway than 50-60? fair enough going dangerously slow, but say 60mpr, what's more dangerous about that than hurtling up a fast lane at 80mpr?
Reaction time and stopping distance take longer.

The gov were going to increase the speed limit to 80 but decided against it because it would cause a 10% increase in accidents apparently.

Germany have no speed limit motorways and have significantly lesser accidents than the UK.

Germans tend to keep their distance and not tailgate. Also you will find the majority of motorists here will plod along at 80/90 rather than bomb it at 200.

I have noticed that German drivers appear more safer than British drivers simply because they don't ride up your ass all the time.

 

[Pearls18]

I believe the OP said she was in a rural area (sorry if I am wrong) there are more severe accidents on country roads than motorways. It depends on the road as to how much speed affects accidents. Motorways are obviously a different breed and not what was in the opening post I believe so don't think the fact speed may or may not have a lesser negative impact matters for this thread in the context of motorways. 10kph would have a big impact on non motorways.

 

[daneuse27]

I believe the OP said she was in a rural area (sorry if I am wrong) there are more severe accidents on country roads than motorways. It depends on the road as to how much speed affects accidents. Motorways are obviously a different breed and not what was in the opening post I believe so don't think the fact speed may or may not have a lesser negative impact matters for this thread in the context of motorways. 10kph would have a big impact on non motorways.

Actually, I live in a small town, but the radar and speed traps I was referring to are mostly on the highways that have a limit between 80 and 100km/h. You need to get on one of the motorways to get anywhere, so I'm on them all the time and have never seen as many police doing radar as I have this summer. If you pictured me doing 5 or 10 over in a school, residential zone, or country road then that was the wrong assumption to make.

I think almost everyone has sped on a motorway at some point in their lives, and I'd be lying if I said I was perfect and never did. Its an unwritten rule here, but generally police won't ticket you for anything less than 10km over in this area- they're paying more attention to those going 20km over or more. However I believe they need to generate revenue so if a quota is needed and they're short, they may even go after you for 5km over (and yes, I'm still referring to highways.)

 

[Toms Mummy]

Sorry but in what context is 10km over the limit acceptable??? you said earlier "i worry I'm going to be doing 90km in an 80km zone and get a ticket for it". I think really all I'm trying to say is if you're doing 10km over the limit you should get a ticket. Slightly speeing is 2-3km over the limit. 10km over the limit is just plain speeding.

You're painting yourself in a really negative light here. Highways/motorways are dangerous enough without people who are speeding

That's not strictly true.... one of the safest motorways in the world has no speed limit!.... It's more dangerous to drive at 50-60mph than at 70-80mph on our british motorways.

Also, are you saying that you have NEVER broken the speed limit? Not even by a few mph?..... Yes it's different if you do 34mph in a 30 zone compared to doing 74mph in a 70 zone, as the speed increase in the 1st one would be more dramatic. This is why there is a 10% speed inclrease limit before you get ticketed.

How is it safer going 80mpr on a motorway than 50-60? fair enough going dangerously slow, but say 60mpr, what's more dangerous about that than hurtling up a fast lane at 80mpr?
Reaction time and stopping distance take longer.

The gov were going to increase the speed limit to 80 but decided against it because it would cause a 10% increase in accidents apparently.

It is much safer to do 70-80mph in the fast lane than to do 50-60mph in the fast lane, can you imagine doing 70-80 and then all of a sudden ending up behind someone going too slowly in that lane? Scary!.... The slow lane is there for slower vehicles.

Also, the reason that they didn't increase the limit to 80 is because people would then start doing 90, as 88mph would be within the 10% limit. Not because people would be doing 80mph.

As PP said, I was talking about German highway, which does have a very high safety record despite having no speed limit.

I live in a very rural area where there are lots of windy 60mph country roads and tbh I don't understand why they have a speed limit at all as you would probably die if you went over 40mph anyway .... I do, however completely agree with speed cameras in 30 zones in small rural villages within those country roads, and you should NEVER speed through them!

 

[Ceejay123]

I believe the OP said she was in a rural area (sorry if I am wrong) there are more severe accidents on country roads than motorways. It depends on the road as to how much speed affects accidents. Motorways are obviously a different breed and not what was in the opening post I believe so don't think the fact speed may or may not have a lesser negative impact matters for this thread in the context of motorways. 10kph would have a big impact on non motorways.

Actually, I live in a small town, but the radar and speed traps I was referring to are mostly on the highways that have a limit between 80 and 100km/h. You need to get on one of the motorways to get anywhere, so I'm on them all the time and have never seen as many police doing radar as I have this summer. If you pictured me doing 5 or 10 over in a school, residential zone, or country road then that was the wrong assumption to make.

I think almost everyone has sped on a motorway at some point in their lives, and I'd be lying if I said I was perfect and never did. Its an unwritten rule here, but generally police won't ticket you for anything less than 10km over in this area- they're paying more attention to those going 20km over or more. However I believe they need to generate revenue so if a quota is needed and they're short, they may even go after you for 5km over (and yes, I'm still referring to highways.)

We don't have a lot of police cameras here. However there was one every day on the road attached to mine, it's a steep downward hill so it's easy to let your speed creep up. I hate it, I don't speed.. I'm a good driver. However, it did make me paranoid for a while on the downward hill, made me stare at the speedo more than i should. In my eyes that was more dangerous than crawling to 35. I had to snap myself out of it and try to ignore the van.

Sorry your innocent post got hijacked, I'm so shocked by some of the answers and judgement on such a simple thread. X

 

[Pearls18]

I'm here to vent about the driving and police where I live. I go out with my LO pretty often, and since we live in a small village, getting anywhere usually requires driving.

I have seen a police car doing radar EVERY SINGLE time I've gone out with LO in the past two weeks. They're always on the side of the road pointing that gun as you go by. It's gotten to the point where I'm always paranoid while driving and constantly watching my speed as I can't afford a ticket - my eyes scan every intersection ahead to see if there are cops there looking for speeders. if this paranoia is what they're aiming for, it has definitely worked

The police presence just seems so prevalent here even though we're surrounded by farmland and small communities. They keep pulling people over. So far I havent been caught, but a few days ago, it was the vehicle next to me - scary! I hope my turn never comes.

Is it like this in other parts of the world? Do you find you see radar a lot where you live?

This was why I assumed you were talking about a rural area sorry if I got that wrong, you've only mentioned motorways since one PP mentioned motorways with a faster speed limit are actually safer than our own, conveniently, which I still find completely irrelevant to this thread, going 10kph faster is unsafe if everyone else on the roads is doing the legal speed limit, you're not on an autobahn so whether Germany is safer or not has no relevance here. Carry on driving as you do, and you'll be fine, I don't see the issue here at all.

 

[arlene]

It's been proven in the UK certainly that there are more deaths on country roads than on motorways. However, just posting to add that my OH is a police officer and there is no written rule re the 10%, i.e. if you're in a 40 zone they'll only ticket you if you're over 44, it's just a stance that most officers take. If one gives you a ticket for doing 44 in a 40 then they're perfectly within their rights xx

 

[daneuse27]

Thank you Ceejay

Maybe I didn't word my OP well, but I do think a lot of people jumped to the conclusion that I'm against police trying to save lives and thats not the case at all..

One of our cats was killed by a car obnoxiously zooming down our quiet residential street (speeding) a few years ago and it was the saddest thing. Speeding through school and residential streets where there children and pets is much worse than on a highway, IMO.
Its been a very long time since I've seen police here trying to catch people speeding through towns or on country roads. They are however on the highway every single day and I guess thats what I was venting about I do think one reason they're there is to make money, and someone I know did recently get a ticket for going 85 instead of 85km. It may be different in other regions, but here almost everyone goes a little faster on the highway and you're actually considered to be impeding the flow of traffic if you go too slow (ie: the speed limit) it is tough because you need to make sure you're not going to fast either. On a highway, the fasted I'll go is 10km over (90km max) and I never speed through towns or country roads. I am a good driver, and I think thats why I've never gotten a speeding ticket.

I am sorry if my OP offended anyone; but I really wasnt complaining about cops trying to keep small neighbourhoods safe. I appreciated all the non-judgmental responses