Motoring Discussion > Hidden camera - worried may have been caught Miscellaneous
Thread Author: RattleandSmoke Replies: 42
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:29 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
There is a long stretch of road near me, 30 limit but very wide and most cars do 35-40 down there. I always try and stick to 30 but sometimes the needle does wonder above because all the other traffic is going so much faster.

I was driving down there today and all of the sudden I saw this camera pointing at me next to a small PSA Belengo type van in white. I tapped on the brake and was doing about 27-28 but it would have been too late. I don't know how fast I was doing, but at the most it would have been 31/32 but this van was not playing by the rules and if I was doing 31/32 then I would probably have been caught.

How is this supposed to help safety? Surely a sign warning of its precence and a nice big impossible to stop yellow van would have been much better.

Next tiem I go down that road I shall make a point and do 10mph all the way down :).

Also does anybody know how accurate modern FIAT speedos are? I know on the Fiesta if the speedo said 30 I was actually doing 27 or 28.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:35 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - IJWS14
Probably OK, ACPO guide is 35mph true speed for a ticket, this means nearly 40 on the speedo in most cars.

As for playing by the rules - what rules are those? They are after the people who are not "playing by the rules" so why should they advertise thier presence?
Last edited by: IJWS14 on Thu 3 Jun 10 at 13:35
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:37 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Mapmaker
No sympathy. Your attention should not be wandering.

You probably won't have been caught, perhaps you will pay more attention to your driving in future. That's what hidden cameras are for...
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:43 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
As I said the camera was behind a slight bend so you all you can see before you get there is a white van, there are lots of white vans around. I was looking at the road ahead, mirrors or other hazzards etc. If it the camera was on a straight bit and it wasn't masked by all the parked cars then I would have seen it well in advance.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:13 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - R.P.
Wasn't the van a hazard ? More likely to be DVLA enforcement team.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:42 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Old Navy
There "should" be a speed camera sign a maximum of km before a speed trap, (I think). It may have been an ANPR camera looking for the untaxed, uninsured, etc. Was there a bunch of heavies down the road to stop anyone the camera picked up?
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:45 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
Possibly all I saw on the van was a black sticker with the words Video on it. It was several hours ago so it is probably all gone now or I would walk down and have a look. The road isn't exactly that busy so it isn't the most logical place for an APNR cameras.

There is no 30 signs any where BUT there is street lamps etc so there is no legal requirement to have a 30 sign as it should be obvious.

I just hate having people pointing cameras at me, it makes me feel like a crinimal.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 13:47 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
Edit if it is 35mph true speed and they do stick to that then I have nothing to worry about it but there isn't any legal reason why they can't do you for doing 31mph.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:37 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - L'escargot
>> I just hate having people pointing cameras at me, ............

You'll never reach celebrity status!
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:02 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - CGNorwich

How is this supposed to help safety? Surely a sign warning of its precence ......

Perhaps when a child runs out in front of you they should have a sign warning of their presence too?

If you can't keep to 30 and don't notice a camera van then perhaps you need to brush up on your driving skills
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:11 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Bagpuss
Count yourself lucky the camera was visible at all. I got caught on a country road near Stuttgart - the camera was hidden in the bushes and all I saw was the flash. No parking space or anything nearby - God knows how they got the camera in there.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:16 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
I always keep to 30 but sometimes the needle does go to 31/32 and I slow down as soon as I notice that is happening. I could just drive at 20-25mph in all 30 zones but then I would cause crashes. The road is very wide and you can clearly see pedistrians etc, its not a typical 30 zone where doing 30 can be dangerious.

All my other cars have all 3-4mph overead, so I always keep the target at 30 if it is safe to do so knowing I am doing under that speed. Just tested my new speedo and its actually just 1.5mph out so I will be doing 28 max in future.

Just tested my speedo with the satnav and its

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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:18 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - R.P.
Rattle,

Just been thinking - Have you thought of doing an IAM Skills for Life course - £140 and it would help you no end with your driving and save some money on your insurance as well...I did a test in 86 (and passed) but am planning to re-visit it now on the bike...... (I was your age then and I learnt a lot)
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 14:59 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Ted

Rats, Was it on Kings Road ? I went down there this morning and passed one on the nearside before the Edge lane lights........I was doing about 28 to 30 but it's hard to say as the speedo in the Note doesn't have 30 marked on it.

Good place to put one, a lot of speed complaints from that area.

Ted
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 15:18 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Armel Coussine
They put those unexpected in-yer-face temporary speed cameras just round the bend on bits of obvious 50mph road with a 30 limit to make people like Sheikh Rattolo emulate the Double-Take Brothers by leaping sky-high, swerving wildly and coming down like a ton of bricks on the brake pedal.

Once a few accidents - preferably fatal - have been caused in this way, a permanent camera can be installed and no one will complain.

Machiavelli would have looked an amateur beside some of today's self-appointed PsITA.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 15:27 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Skoda
Hidden cameras have no place in a safety campaign. They're a missed opportunity to promote safety at best. At worst they're nothing to do with safety.

If the campaign isn't about safety, i don't support it.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 15:46 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
I do agree speeding is a problem down there and I wrote to Trafford Council a year ago suggesting they put some traffic calming measures down there. They replied saying they couldn't because of emergency vehicles.

When I tested the speedo it is possible I have done 31 down there but not anything above. My speedo under reads by about 1.5mph.

Ted I thought the camera was more towards the middle just after the shops but my mind is now playing tricks on me.

As for IAM it is something I should think about :).

Its put me off driving for now the rest of the day, borrowed my sisters bus ticket and I shall be getting the bus to my next job!
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 3 Jun 10 at 15:47
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 16:01 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - sherlock47
>>>borrowed my sisters bus ticket and I shall be getting the bus to my next job! <<<


Worried about speeding, but you will commit a criminal act! If convicted good chance that you will not get a 'proper' job, insurance premiums for car and house will probably rise,..........need I go on.........
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 16:33 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - John H
>> Worried about speeding, but you will commit a criminal act! If convicted good chance that
>> you will not get a 'proper' job, insurance premiums for car and house will probably
>> rise,..........need I go on.........
>>

Don't worry, pmh. If RattleandSmoke is the same Rattle from HJ, he likes to drop in the odd passing comment or post guaranteed to get you rattled. ;-)
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 16:34 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Mapmaker
>> >>>borrowed my sisters bus ticket and I shall be getting the bus to my next
>> job! <<<
>>
>>
>> Worried about speeding, but you will commit a criminal act! If convicted good chance that
>> you will not get a 'proper' job, insurance premiums for car and house will probably
>> rise,..........need I go on.........
>>

You beat me to it, Peter. One of the most ridiculous things you could do, Rattle.


On another matter, anbody claiming to be incapable of driving at the speed limit without being distracted shouldn't be driving at all IMO. I remember when the average speed cameras first came in the HJ site was full of people whinging thus; IME roads with average speed cameras are now complete bliss to drive on, everybody doing the exact speed limit.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 16:43 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - BobbyG
Rattle, you are too scared to drive at 30 mph, you bought a bike and its developed problems, I would steer clear of the bus if I was you........
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 16:46 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Armel Coussine
>> bliss to drive on, everybody doing the exact speed limit.

Are you sure you don't mean 5 to 15 mph below it Mm? Doesn't sound too blissful to me.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 07:59 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Badwolf
>> You beat me to it, Peter. One of the most ridiculous things you could do,
>> Rattle.

Not really. I suspect that Rattle is referring to his sister's Stagecoach Megarider, a weekly ticket that you buy on the bus. There's no photo on it, and whilst it states on the back that it is non-transferrable in practice people do lend their Megariders to family and friends. Not a criminal offence, and not really somethng to get worked up about.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 08:47 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Pat
But can I suggest he wears a skirt while doing so.

Pat
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 16:45 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - nyx2k
what would we do without rattles daily dose of paranoia.
now you have a new safe car you can concentrate on worrying about the driving of it now.
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 17:03 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - crocks
But if you only drive at 30mph don't the TLAs fail? ;-)
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 17:24 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Redviper
phhhft You will be fine, chill

• Im sure there is more leeway than driving at 31 mph to get flashed
• Your Speedo probably over reads anyway so you would have only being doing about 26-28mph ish
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 17:34 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - SteelSpark
Don't worry Rattle, it wasn't a speed camera it was a surveillance camera.

What I heard was that, a few months ago, a policeman got his shoes slightly splashed by a hooligan driving through a puddle.

That hooligan probably thinks he is safe now, but he doesn't realise just how many resources the police are putting into tracking him down.

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 Thu 3 Jun 10 17:54 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Stuu
Oh dear. It was only a matter of time before he was on the run from the law. Just keep a watch out for the helicopter with the spotlight and they wont get you ;-)
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 Thu 3 Jun 10 18:44 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Old Navy
>> Oh dear. It was only a matter of time before he was on the run
>> from the law. Just keep a watch out for the helicopter with the spotlight and
>> they wont get you ;-)
>>
If you line your hat and coat with tinfoil the police helicopters ultra violet heat seeking missiles will not see you.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 04:51 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Pat
There's a rumour among lorry drivers that says tin foil works for trackers too:)

I was also told that if you put your digi tacho card in a cash machine it wipes all the data off it:)

I learn a lot teaching the DCPC!

Pat
Last edited by: pda on Fri 4 Jun 10 at 04:51
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:02 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Dave_
Rattle - you say the camera was NEXT TO the white van, do you mean it was mounted on a tripod? If so, it will have been a tax disc enforcement camera, NOT a speed camera.

It will have been ANPR'ing everything that passes and checking the tax disc database - the video can be used as evidence that an untaxed vehicle is being used on the road, which leads to a fine in the post. Rest assured you have not been done for speeding my friend.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:15 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Ted

If it's the same one as I went through, and I think it was, It was on a tripod between the open rear doors of the van with a BIB looking at it.

Ted
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:16 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Iffy
Didn't realise he could ride his bike that quick.

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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:19 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
I got over taken by a Morris Minor 1000 today! In my Panda!. It then made the usual A series back firing noise too :(.

I then saw Ted's Note driving past the minor on the other side, not sure who was driving it though!
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Fri 4 Jun 10 at 21:19
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:22 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Iffy
...I got over taken by a Morris Minor 1000 today!...

No shame in that, a good Minor can bowl along quite well.

Just comfort yourself with the facts you are using half as much fuel and would be about 10 times likelier to survive in the event of a crash.

Oh, and your car has brakes that work.

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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:18 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
It was a small white PSA van (not sure what make) and saw a man with a tripod with a rather expensive looking camera. There wasn't any police/DVLA people thetre though which is what made me think it was a speed van.

I must say all the other places I know which use 'hidden' vans all have speed camera warnings on the lamposts. I did have a look on the drivesafe website (Manchester's scamera partnership) and it said all their vehicles have liverly on them, this one didn't. I did wonder if they are simply writing to people who have been speeding as a pre warning or something.

It is a not a busy trunk road so it dosn't seem like a likely place to have an APNR camera. It is a busy road but its all local traffic.

I am not taking any chances now though, I have been driving in 3rd in all 30 zones, so the engine changes its tone every time it increases by 1mph.

I have also spotted a lot of yellow police video cars parked behind traffic lights lately too.

I am just so paranoid because I need to keep my licence clean until October. I hope to keep clean for ever.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:22 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Ted

It's not a busy trunk road , Rats, but it is a way of avoiding the A56 and Talbot Road with their speed cameras and the divisional police HQ...with police cars coming and going all the time.
The operator may have been in the cab when you passed.

Thats why they put them on roads like that.

Ted
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:23 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - The Nut
>> It is a not a busy trunk road so it dosn't seem like a likely
>> place to have an APNR camera. It is a busy road but its all local
>> traffic.

Liverpool police have been known to set up ANPR on local roads, although it was mainly to catch people who were avoiding the ANPR on a nearby trunk road.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:31 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - RattleandSmoke
It does make sense actually. I know I tend to avoid roads with a lot of cameras on if I have a choice. Its not than I am a crinimal it is just cameras make me paranoid.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:49 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - Armel Coussine
>> Its not than I am a crinimal it is just cameras make me paranoid.

Pull the other one Sheikh Rattololo. All motorists are criminals, and cyclists too. Just accept it my dear fellow. You'll be much happier.
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 Fri 4 Jun 10 21:44 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - bathtub tom
>>It was a small white PSA van (not sure what make) and saw a man with a tripod with a rather expensive looking camera.

So that's how I slow down the traffic on my road. ;>)
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 Sat 5 Jun 10 07:29 
 Hidden camera - worried may have been caught - L'escargot
RattleandSmoke, if you're not careful you'll worry yourself into an early grave. You'll find out sooner or later whether you were caught, and it won't cost that much if you were.
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