Speed cameras - is there a margin for error?
I foolishly got carried away driving home this evening and went just above the 40 mph limit down a carriageway, doing 43-44 mph. As soon as I noticed, I checked to see if there was a car behind (luckily not) and started braking. I must have only been over the limit for a mere few seconds but there were yellow cameras right there in front. As it was sunny at the time, I couldn't tell whether the camera had flashed or not.
I'd just like to know if speed cameras do allow room for errors like this? Sadly I still have 11 months to go until my probation period ends.
I'd just like to know if speed cameras do allow room for errors like this? Sadly I still have 11 months to go until my probation period ends.
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Also if your car speedo read 43-44 chances are you were really doing 38-40 as many speedos read over what you're actually doing. They to can be within 10-15% or so above what your actual speed is but they're never allowed to read under.
You will be fine.
A camera on a 40mph road where there's a school will be set lower than a camera on a 40mph rural road, for example.
*EDIT*
The above is also correct though. An indicated 44mph is likely to be a true road-speed of around 40mph.
Add that to a camera with any amount of "wiggle room" and it'd it's unlikely you'll get a ticket... unless there was a school or summat or your LA is really vindictive.
You're not going to get a nip though, I'd be v surprised if you do.
Personally I wouldn't worry about it at all, if it was a Gatso you would have seen the flashes even in bright sunlight.
I got a ticket through the door a couple of weeks ago for doing 35 in a 30 limit and I didn't see the camera flash either.
Well the ticket said 35 so I reckon they don't give us any leeway round my way.
The European standard is 10% over and 0% under. A speedo showing 44mph could actually be a true speed of 40mph.
They do, they probably give you 10% + 2 like most places in the UK.
There is already some margin on error built in, based on your car speedometer Hoping that a camera which will trigger based on your actual speed might be a a fools hope.
You are always given at least 10%, because the speedometer in your car is not a regularly calibrated instrument. Often cameras are set higher than that.
Silly question but how do we know how often the cameras are calibrated?
no.
ACPO guidelines I think grin wheni lat readthem are based largely on a traffic officer in their car and the margins of error they might have in their equipment and what could be a proportional actions and significantly justifiable event for intervention for the limited and reduced traffic officers. In other words effective use of their time And the courns for that matter.
A camera on the other hand doesn't care what your indicated speed might be. If you're over the speed limit, your indicated speed should always be more than your actual speed. if your speedo under reads speeds then that's your fault and your should be sorted out toot sweet regardless of the speeding fines.
A speed camera partnership might allow whatever tolerance they like to account for their own margin of error, bit ACPO guidelines are guidelines. If a camera wants to flash you at 70 on a downhill stretch, it can Flash you at 70. It doesnt have to allow you an extra 7 or 9 mph because you might be going a few mph over 70 on your speedo plus a couple more for good luck.
Some camera partnerships are very cagey on their enforcement cretoria and I'm sure more than a few of us have got speeding NIPs for 32 mph in 30 or 53 mph in a 50.
You could ask for the calibration records which should be kept by any organisation. Though for fixed installations I imagine their calibration regimes will be much less than for a radar gun bring dropped every day. plus they have secondary verification in the lines painted on the road In most cases
You can ask for calibration record. Looks like cameras need to be done once a year.
someone I know was ticketed for doing 34 in a 30 zone in this area a few years ago.
He's the safest driver I know with never having a speeding ticket before or an accident in over 60 years driving.
The irony is the speed was recently reduced from 40mph ( for years ) to 30mph on a road he rarely uses and he thought it was still 40mph.
The small (30) sign and the "revised speed" sign were near a bend in the road about 500 yrds from the straight run where the camera is.
If he'd approached from the other direction the roadside has revised speed signs all over the place right up to the camera making it quite clear !
There were 4 other people on his "Speed Awareness Course" who'd been caught out with the same camera travelling in the same direction.
At £85 a pop it's a nice little earner.
I see more speeders than ever, too.
£85 is better than £100 and 3 points.
Also, i don't understand what you man about the signs? Were they Gatso cameras? They only work when cars are moving toward it. The other type work when moving toward it so signs facing the other way make no sense.
sorry, meant Gatso only works for cars moving away from it.
Sorry, just noticed that you have also said 10% + 2 didn't help your dad when he was caught doing 37 in a 30? 10% + 2 is 35 so your dad was doing 2mph over 10 + 2.
How could 10% + 2 mph help him? In a 30 zone that makes 35, so 37 is clearly over it and even allowing for speedo errors (probably less than 2 mph at 30), it's likely to attract a ticket.
The O/P should be fine though, at 44 in a 40 zone - even finer if the 44 was a speedo reading.
Where do you get the evidence that people's driving standards are lower than ever from?