Why warning fellow drivers about speed cameras could potentially land you with a hefty fine

No one likes getting caught by a speed camera which means usually if you spot a new camera its just instinct to tell others about it if youre having a conversation, perhaps approaching the road that it is located on as a passenger in a car.

However extending a well meant warning other drivers using the same road as you by flashing your headlights could land you in hot water!

The Highway Code states you should only flash to let other drivers know you are there and doing otherwise could potentially prevent police officers from doing their job

Rule 110 states: “Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there.
“Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.”

This means that drivers do choose to flash to warn others about a speed trap implemented by the police, they could be in breach of section 89 of the Police Act 1997 .

Under this law it states that it is an offence to “wilfully obstruct a constable in the execution of his/her duty.”

If the police deem you are obstructing their ability to perform their speed checks on other motorists you could be slapped with a maximum penalty of £1000.

Source msn.com

Man jailed after giving speed cameras the finger

North Yorkshire Police have today been promoting their recent conviction of Timothy Hill with a laser jammer to all the major news outlets. Reading between the lines we wonder if he was prosecuted for hiding his Range Rover and denying he was the driver as much as he was for having the jammer. The news story confirms the jammer ‘did its job’ and they could not get a speed reading on which to prosecute. It would also seem from this news story that the jammer unit was in some sort of continuous jamming mode.

However this guy was clearly an idiot for attracting attention to himself and having no regard to law or the police and we do not condone his actions. Jammers should be used to alert you to speed traps and give you a chance to check and adjust your speed if necessary, not to carry on driving with impunity with no regard to the laws of the road.

You can read the North Yorkshire Police statement here.

https://northyorkshire.police.uk/news/laser-jammer-prison/

Mum makes fake road camera to tackle speeding cars

A mum has erected a fake speed camera because she was worried about the threat to her children's safety from speeding cars.

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "The speed limit here is 30mph but we have cars and lorries speeding through here all the time."

She added: "We looked at what people had done in other villages with the same problem and realised that if it's on private land it's not illegal."

Speed camera camouflaged as a bin could be coming to Britain

An innovative 'super speed camera' dubbed a car driver's worst nightmare could be making its way to Britain's roads after successful initial tests.

The speed camera created by Belgian company SecuRoad utilises infrared lights and can be hidden in different locations such as rubbish bins or vehicles.

The speed camera, named 'NK7', can be used without anyone operating it and will cost about €50,000 (£42,000).

The use infrared lights by the camera means that drivers do not notice if they are caught on camera. Whats more just one of the devices can simultaneously monitor three driving lanes in each direction.

Belgian authorities have already put the camera into active use and currently have 30 of them at their disposal. They hide them inside rubbish bins and put on the pavement next to a street where they want to enforce a speed limit.

Germany is said to have also started to use similar speed cameras, and Deerlijk-based SecuRoad has plans to use the devices in other countries in Western Europe.

Earlier this week it was revealed that British motorists face being stung with fines of up to £640 for speeding in Europe under a controversial change to EU law.

But European drivers caught breaking the limit in the UK will not be hit with the same penalties because of a difference in motoring laws in Britain.

Meanwhile drivers caught well over the speed limit from next week face a fine amounting to 150 per cent of their weekly earnings.

The higher fines came in to force yesterday and mean any motorists found guilty of the most serious speeding offences may have to cough-up one-and-a-half times their weekly pay to cover the cost of their excessive speeding.

 

For more images of the camera in use please visit the article Source BBC

Drunk electrician tried to cut down speed camera

An Electrician attempted to cut down a speed camera in Poole with a saw, a court has heard.

Stuart Langley was spotted sawing at the camera in Bournemouth Road by a police officer who was passing in a marked car shortly before 11pm on Wednesday, March 8.

The camera enforces a 30mph speed limit on the hill down into Ashley Cross.

Langley, of Harvest Close in Tilehurst, Reading, appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court on Friday to admit a single charge of causing criminal damage to the camera.

Prosecuting, Lee Turner said the police officer saw a red Mercedes van parked on the hill next to the camera.

"As he drives past, he sees a male standing by the speed camera holding a large object against the raised arm of the camera," Mr Turner said.

"It looks like he's sawing."

The man was seen putting something into the van as he was approached by the officer.

"He identifies himself as Mr Langley. The officer believes the defendant is drunk," Mr Turner said.

"The officer inspects the camera and can see saw marks on the metal strut of the camera in the same place he saw the sawing motion taking place.

"[The defendant] was clearly trying to cut down the arm of the camera."

Mitigating, Holly Huxtable said: "The saw used, on Mr Langley's own admission, would not have managed to bring something like this camera down.

"This is a rather silly incident."

She said Langley, 30, had downed whiskey before trying to damage the camera.

"At the time of this offence, he told me he had found out his granddad had passed away," Ms Huxtable said.

"He bought a bottle of whiskey and consumed the whole lot.

"There was no real intention to do significant damage.

"He was drunk and it was a stupid act.

"He doesn't quite know what he was hoping to achieve."

No significant damage was caused to the camera, it was heard.
Sentencing Langley to a 12-month conditional discharge, as well as £105 in costs and fines, presiding magistrate Mike Davis said: "What a stupid thing to be doing under the influence of drink."

Source

Helpful motorist parks up behind police van and opens boot to BLOCK its speed camera

Mobile speed cameras have long infuriated drivers, popping up sneakily and catching out drivers going a few miles too fast.    

One man was so fed up of living in fear of a huge fine that he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Upon seeing one such mobile camera Kristian Portugal, from Hemel Hempstead, rolled his sports car right up behind a police van and opened his boot to block the radar inside so it couldn't scan the speed of passing cars.

He then got out of the car and went for a pint in The Crabtree - his local across the road in Hemel Hempstead.

A worker at the pub said the mobile van is always outside. 

The incident was spotted by one keen-eyed observer, who posted a picture on Imgur with the caption: 'Someone just parked in front of a speed camera, lifted his boot so nobody could get caught speeding. Then went to the pub across the road.'

According to traffic police, obstructing a speed camera may amount to obstructing the police and may also amount to perverting the course of justice, depending on circumstances. 

This image has spread widely across the internet gathering lots of comments. Peoples views on this mans actions have varied hugely, comments such as 'Someone buy that man a beer' at one end of the scale right the way down tto comments from some who were less impressed with his actions, claiming that speed cameras play an important safety role. 

Read more: dailymail

Irony of the lib dem candidate caught speeding by camera he secured funding

A Lib Dem parliamentary candidate was caught speeding by a camera he admits he "secured the funding for".

Stephen Gilbert's solicitor pleaded guilty on his behalf to speeding in his Kia car at 40mph in a 30mph zone on the A390 at St Blazey, last August.

Mr Gilbert, 38, of Beach Road, Newquay, was fined £430, ordered to pay costs of £85 and given three penalty points.

A charge of failing to give information relating to the driver's identity was withdrawn at Bodmin Magistrates' Court.

Mr Gilbert is defending the St Austell and Newquay seat in Cornwall.

The politician tweeted that the speeding conviction was "ironic" as he had "secured the funding for the camera 15 years ago".

.@tamsinmelville ... and isn't it ironic since I secured the funding for the camera 15 years ago! @BBCCornwall

— Stephen Gilbert (@stephen_gilbert) April 22, 2015

'Stealth' cameras lead to 25 per cent rise in people caught speeding in just one year

25 percent more drivers have been fined on motorways in the last 12 months through the use of unmarked ‘stealth cameras’.

New figures reveal that the number of drivers caught out by the ‘grey cameras’ (Hadecs) have soared, with 112,000 divers given penalty notices or sent to court for offences on the motorway in the last year alone.

The increased use of these ‘smart motorways’ that have variable speed limits, open the hard-shoulder to ease congestion and employ digital speed cameras are considered to be the driving force behind the rise, the Times reported.

Often drivers were caught out for breaking variable limits well below 70mph. Stretches of the M1, M25, M4 and M5 have become the most notorious for catching speeders.

As the use of smart motorways is extended from current levels of around 200 miles to 800 miles over the next ten years, the number of fines is set to rise even more.

Critics have lashed out at the system over the use of the less noticeable cameras in the place of more visible yellow cameras. Highways England, which manages highways and A roads, is reviewing grey cameras and may decide to paint them yellow, the Conservatives have said.

Information obtained by the Times in a recent Freedom of Information request showed that last year, in 24 out of 45 police forces 112,654 motorists were given speeding penalties with a minimum fine of £100 and three points on their licence.

In 2013 88,857 were handed the same penalty, compared with 71,922 in 2012, 78,696 in 2011 and 54,720 in 2010.

Highways England has said automated, smart motorways smooth traffic flow and speed up journeys. It added that the majority of drivers stick to speed limits and all cameras are sign posted.

Police forces themselves have the power to decide if they will use the cameras to enforce penalties.

Police in Somerset caught 23,086 motorists speeding in 2014 – a dramatic increase on the 756 that were caught one year earlier.

The rise was attributed to tougher measures taken on one portion of a smart motorway

Images: dailymail.co.uk

One camera dishes out 1,600 fines in just ONE MORNING

Shortly 1,600 people will get Fines in the post for being caught speeding through roadworks on the M6 on Tuesday 10th March.  The fines will generate upwards of £160k for the government.

The camera in question is located  on the M6 at junction 17, the speed limit has been lowered to 50mph on that stretch while roadworks are carried out.

NW Motorway Police tweeted: “The speed cameras on the M6 J17 in the road works are working, the limit is 50mph. In one morning 1600 offences have been recorded. #noticket”

Speed Camera Earns £800,000 in Just 6 Months

Britain's most lucrative speed camera is in Cardiff, sited on Newport Road which has a 30mph limit. It has raked in £800,000 in just six months. To achieve this figure it is trapping an average of 71 drivers every day (it has already caught an astonishing 13,624 drivers this year)

This has overtaken the earnings from a
camera at Junction 25 on the M60 in Greater Manchester which averaged catching 26 speeding drivers per day. (figures from research conducted by LV insurance)

Motorists are obviously feeling angered by the speed camera after road chiefs hailed it a massive success. The camera was installed in 2012 but it has only just became 'fully commissioned'

Mother-of-three Karen Leyshon, who was caught going at 34mph through the speed trap, said: 'It's is ridiculous - I've been driving on that road every days for years without any problem whatsoever until this camera was put up. It is nothing but a cash cow. It's outrageous, the camera does nothing to improve safety of this road. It may be a busy stretch but it's perfectly safe. I didn't notice the camera going up, I got caught doing 34mph and I had to pay £85 for a speed awareness course. It was a complete waste of my time and money - I'm sure that most of the other 13,000 people would tell you exactly the same thing.'

In the first half of the year 5,906 people who got caught by the camera completed speed awareness courses after being caught speeding at the junction. A further 3,064 people paid speeding fines in the same six months. Assuming the minimum fine of £100 and a typical cost of £85 per place on speed awareness courses, the camera could have netted an astonishing £808,410.

The GoSafe partnership say that the area has a high flow of traffic and motorists should always comply with the speed limit. Road safety groups have said the camera is not doing it's job properly and should be there to reduce speeds rather than bring in money.

Tim Shallcross, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: 'The whole purpose of speed cameras is to slow people down, because it's felt that excessive speed in that area causes casualties. 'If a camera is issuing a small number of fines, or none at all, it's doing its job. If it's ticketing that many people, it's not having that effect.

'The local authority, which is responsible for road safety, should be looking at those figures and saying, 'We seem to have an issue here - the camera is catching a lot of people. 'Let's make sure that it looks like a 30mph highway, and that the cameras are clearly visible and the signs aren't obscured by vegetation'.

The Speed Cameras That Make Over £100,000 a Year

4,815 drivers have been caught by just one speed trap along the A52 Clifton Boulevard in the past year. It raked in more than £100,000 to make it the seventh most lucrative in Britain.
The camera itself is carried in a police van and is used to enforce both directions of the 40mph dual carriageway between the QMC roundabout and Dunkirk flyover.

One taxi driver, Mark Limb who works for Cloud Cars, in Arboretum Street, Nottingham, said the speed trap was well known to drivers who use the route regularly. "The camera is normally there as you go over the flyover near the slip road for the QMC. Considering how busy the road is I am surprised people get the chance to speed. There are normally traffic jams in that area. I think it is just money-making because the speed limit changes on top of the flyover from 50mph to 40mph. The camera itself has been there for six or seven years and it is well known but I don't think it is needed because it is a dual carriageway and they are usually 60mph anyway."

These figueres were taken from insurance company LV who a few days ago released a list showing the top 10 highest earning speed cameras in the UK. LV had asked Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham City Council how much money the speed camera generated but they both said they could not say how much cash the Clifton Boulevard camera made. The estimate of over £100,00 is made because the camera below it in the list (eighth place) operated by Surrey Police, caught 4,530 drivers and made £126,260. The most lucrative camera is on the M60 and operated by Greater Manchester police, that camera made £189,140.

The research showed that police forces across the country handed out almost 400,000 fixed penalty notices for speeding and 73,944 court summons last year, meaning motorists paid £22 million in fines. This figure doesnt even include those who got the chance to take a speed awareness course to avoid paying a fine or receiving points.

General secretary Keith Peat, of East Midlands-based Drivers' Union, said: "When you get a high-offender site like this something is wrong with the road – such as the speed limit being incorrect or the layout is wrong. The police believe that we are all actually naughty boys and girls but that is not true, you have to look in more detail. Not many people go out to purposely break the law but what causes speeding is when the limit is incorrectly set for that road." The Institute of Advanced Motorists agrees that there is an issue with the road but has a slightly different view on why. Head of driving standards Peter Rodger said: "Speed cameras well used are a good thing but with so many people being caught like this it tells us there is a problem here. Because so many are being caught the camera is not working and something else needs to be done to slow down the traffic. Something else should be done whether it is changing the road or something else."

Dave Nichols, spokesman for Brake, the road safety charity, said: "It is shocking to see so many Nottingham drivers taking needless, dangerous risks by speeding on the A52. Evidence shows that speed cameras are a highly effective way to reduce speeding traffic, which is crucial in making our roads safer and preventing needless tragedies. We urge all drivers to stay within the limits, and if you don't speed, you won't get caught or fined."

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "There are fixed speed cameras along that stretch of road and because drivers know to expect them, they are effective in keeping speed down. This mobile camera is stationed outside of that zone and there are drivers who have gone past the fixed cameras, speed up again in anticipation that they will get away with it, which is why this particular camera has caught so many. Speed limits are the legal limit, not a guideline. By breaking the limit, you break the law. We don't want people slowing down to pass the cameras before racing off."

Source NottinghamPost