hand held speed guns

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Quick question : if you get zapped by one of these HAND-HELD muthas (by a bobby standing at the side of the road) do they have to stop you to issue the penalty? In other words, if they DON'T stop you, does that mean you're OK? I'm not sure if the radar guns have a built-in camera or not. Normally another copper jumps out to stop you, or am I wrong?

I'm sorry that this is a boring q.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I believe they have to stop you, yes.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Depends on the country.

Can't they just issue the fine later? What if radar guy turned up to work on his tricycle?

― Pack Yr Romantic Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Woo hey! That might be good news - I really don't need another 3 points. (x-post in response to Mark)

**Depends on the country**

UK. Or did you mean 'county'? The point is they can't issue the fine later without photo evidence, and I don't think the radars have a camera. Well I hope not anyway.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I meant country. You know, the world being made up of countries and such.

― Pack Yr Romantic Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Er, and good point about the photo thing. I hadn't considered that.

In Australia you can buy a print of your conviction photo. My mate got a lovely glossy 8x10 of his car and put it in a frame.

― Pack Yr Romantic Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Dr C, my logic is that speed cameras are workable because they are fixed, calibrated etc. - there's no room left for doubt. Not only do the radar guns not flash (and you'll have noticed that speed cameras flash even on sunny days), but they are hand held and therefore inherently unreliable. They presumably only "work" as crime detectors because the policeman who give the ticket are acting as de facto witnesses, backing up the camera's evidence.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, I agree. They're saying 'here's the reading we got' and 'we both saw that it was YOU'. Otherwise there is no link to your vehicle other than plod writing down yr number. I am hoping this is the case.

BTW they do calibrate radar guns. They're supposed to be calibrated immediately before they're taken out and used (I don't know how this is done).

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Well yes, of course they must do, but they also have to bear in mind that the movement of the copper's arm is going to make a difference. I am sure you'll be fine, Doc.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I am sure you'll be fine, in general.

I don't know about the speed guns.

― the pinefox, Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah. If they didn't stop you, you probably *cough* slipped beneath the radar *cough*, so to speak. Heh.

I've lost count of the number of times I thought I was done for speeding. Only ever received one fine.

― Pack Yr Romantic Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I am stressing a bit because another 3 points takes me to 9 and then there's no room for manouvre.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 09:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't break the law when driving and you won't get any more points.

Easy solution

― Davel (Davel), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 10:08 (twenty-two years ago)

And one that is often overlooked.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 10:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you drive Davel?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes

― Davel (Davel), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 10:58 (twenty-two years ago)

So you never go above 70 on the m/way and have never nudged 35 in town?

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:00 (twenty-two years ago)

In town I never go over the speed limit. I tend to think that the limit is there for a reason and I don't think I could handle it if I hit someone and killed/seriously injured them and I was speeding.

On a motorway, the only time I will go over 70 is I am overtaking someone slower than me and I will drop back to seventy as soon as I am a safe distance past them.

― Davel (Davel), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I can vouch for Davel, damn the by is slow! ;-)

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:11 (twenty-two years ago)

And if you must speed, just don't get caught!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Look - I don't want a lecture about the bleeding obvious. I was asking about speed guns.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I wasn't lecturing, I was just messing about. :-(

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Not you pink, sorry. Davel.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

S'ok Dr C. With regards to the thread topic, I'm sure you'll be fine.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 26 May 2004 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

If you get zapped by a hand-held speed gun and fail to stop, the police will trace the registered owner of the vehicle from the number plate, and will send them a form called a Notice of Intended Prosecution which states the speed the car was travelling when it was clocked. You will also probably get an additional prosecution notice for failing to stop, and not just the speeding.

The speed guns are lasers, and are factory-calibrated and checked every day for accuracy berfore they are used. They send out more than 60 pulses of laser light per second and these bounce back off your moving vehicle giving a reading of your speed for each pulse of light, so even if the policeman holding it has a wobbly arm, it doesn't affect the result significantly.

If you were only a little over the speed limit, they may not bother to chase it up but if you were racing then they probably will. Sorry.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

But they didn't ask me to stop.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Also how do they link the speed readings to the car?

BTW I was going close to 40 in a 30 limit, but I may have braked down close enough to 30 just in time.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I've gotten a few traffic tickets in the mail courtesy of a camera/sensor installed near a traffic light near my place. It takes pictures of your license plate as you run the red light, notating how many seconds you've been breaking the law. Can't really argue with them, and the fines double every week.

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:36 (twenty-two years ago)

People who insist on doing the speed limit when every single other car on the road are over annoy me. At that point they're more dangerous than anyone on the road (note: speeding and aggressive driving are the norm in my area, so maybe in more civilized parts of the world, driving slower than everyone else doesn't inspire road rage)

Don't get me started on people who insist on driving below the limit. Wankers - if you're scared to drive, get off the road.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

If they didn't ask you to stop then you probably got away with it.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 27 May 2004 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.