Oh No! Speed Trap

Hi All.

Travelling to work this morning eastbound along the A27 from Portchester to North Harbour I failed to see a Police speed trap, as I was distracted by a group of BT vans that were parked on the other side of the road. I should have spotted them as they stood out like a sore thumb.

As one of the two officers was pointing the laser gun at me I jabbed the brakes on and closed the throttle. On glancing down at the speedo I was doing 44 so I must have been doing up to about 50. The second officer may have clocked my reg as I passed.

A co-worked saw a biker get pulled over by them earlier so I am hoping I got away with it. They did not have a camera just a laser gun.

It turned out they also has a speed trap eastbound on the A27 approach to Portchester, 2 within 1.5 miles! Luckily I only join the A27 at Portchester so I only went through the 1.

Does the fact that they did not stop me mean I got away with it?

Tim

Tim, because you weren't stopped doesn't mean that you won't receive a NIP (Notice of Intended Prosecution) through the post. However, if they were stopping other motorists but didn't stop you then there's a good chance that you'll be ok. The good thing about a bike is that they have to read your registration from the rear, so if you can see them in your mirrors or over your shoulder turning to look then they may have recorded your vrm. If they don't turn to look then you're of no interest to them. I drove past a laser check in Birmingham a couple of days ago at 45 in a 40mph limit, they didn't bat an eyelid as I was small fry considering the road that I was travelling on.

The handheld prolaser guns take a couple of seconds to record a speed so they may have clocked you at somewhere between 44 and 50mph. If this is a speedy section of road (I don't know the road) then they have to decide what threshold to prosecute at. If it's a 40mph limit, speedy section of road, they might set a threshold of 50mph, say, otherwise they'd be doing paperwork for months to catch up!

Watch out for the mobile camera partnership vans as you are not stopped for those, the evidence is recorded on video and you should receive the NIP within 14 days. Some partnerships operate at a threshold as low as 'speed limit + 10% + 2mph' (ACPO guidelines) i.e. 35 in a 30mph; 46 in a 40mph. etc. Parts of Wales were operating a zero policy for a while but I think that stopped due to the controversy.

On a positive note, bear in mind that your speedo almost certainly over-reads slightly, and sometimes up to 10%, so that adds to your safety margin.
Sorry that this doesn't help much.

[Bluepete]

That sounds like the voice of knowlege there SV Muppet! Welcome to the .org.

Thanks Blue Pete; glad to be here.

Is it also harder for the laser to lock onto a bike, I have read they usually aim at car reg plates because they get a better reading from the reflective surface?

[Bluepete]

Very hard to do! It needs to reflect the "light" from the laser back to the device, so the number plate is the best target as it is naturally reflective. Bikes don't tend to have vertical, reflective surfaces!

I've taken a couple of libities with the foward facing cameas around the Southampton lately.
Is there anyway they can at you with these?
Mike

The forward facing cameras are generally 'Truvello' cameras. You don't know if one of these has snapped you as they use an invisible flash to avoid blinding motorists.

They obviously do not read the VRM of motorcycles since they only photograph the front but do be aware that these cameras can usually be rotated 180 degrees to face the rear so always take a look at the camera housing.

Also be aware that if you continually abuse one of these enforcement sites it will get noticed and steps will be taken to identify the bike and rider. The make and model of bike is usually fairly easy to identify as are any unique markings or distinctive clothing worn. If there are any ANPR (getting more and more common and an excellent crime-fighting tool), or CCTV, cameras along the same route then these can be used to obtain a VRM. Or if you commit the same offence at the same location and the same time every day you might one day find someone parked discretely in an unmarked vehicle to note your VRM as you pass by. It is then just a case of basic detective work and a visit to the riders address.

How much effort the police would put into this obviously depends on the seriousness of the offence. Anyone who behaves irresponsibly / dangerously deserves to feel the full weight of the law but they won't chase up every motorcyclist who is slightly over the threshold occassionally.

Originally Posted by SV Muppet

The forward facing cameras are generally 'Truvello' cameras. You don't know if one of these has snapped you as they use an invisible flash to avoid blinding motorists.


How much effort the police would put into this obviously depends on the seriousness of the offence. Anyone who behaves irresponsibly / dangerously deserves to feel the full weight of the law but they won't chase up every motorcyclist who is slightly over the threshold occassionally.

Only about 10 mph over the top, a couple of times,no pattern to when, should be ok then.
Mike

just out of interest, what's the speed limit on that particular A road?
is it restricted to 40?