Speed Cameras

[Guest neil gale]

If the first flash gets you and you are not in the second flash then they know you are going over 155mph so cant they do you anyway???

 

Just proves how fast you were to miss the second flash, if the first one gets your number plate.

 

I thought it was cos the speed detectors didnt pick you up quick enough so you missed both flashes and they dont know anything about it??

 

Neil.

[Guest johnboymac]

they did a spot on this on top gear last season. If you are going fast enough it should not register at all, and therefore not flash. If it flashes at all, you have tripped the camera (i.e. too slow....)

They tested this theory with a whole host of cars (I think all were production - either way, heres the link:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/prog1/speedcam.shtml

[Guest Julian B]

Well it would seem that you have no option but to comply with big brother.

 

If you have James Bond style plates and you get stopped with the thing half cocked then you are in deep poo.

If you use some one else’s plates and get caught then the poo i guess would be even deeper.

Hair lacquer and dodgy plates don't work

 

But what about a system that lets a legal number plate be visible to the eye but not to the camera? Would that be legal? Because if so i might have a cunning plan.

[Guest Peejay]

OOOHHHHHHH Baldrick (julien) do tell........

[Guest 2BBoulton]

Julian,

 

 

Eerrr no, that would not be legal but then neither is speeding. You might find that the coppers using mobile cameras paying a lot of interest in your number plates as they would be more confused than normal.

 

Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The best thing would be to give it a go and let us know the results.

 

Good luck.

[Guest Angel Boy]

Not sure if Mat/Moderators are going to approve of this post but for all your speed camera questions I would go here. (Mat/Moderators if this is frowned upon then please take the post off. It isn't rude or encourages speeding etc just provides real info on the current crop of "accident black spot early warning devices" that are currently available).

 

Click Here

 

Andy

[Guest Julian B]

Of what i have seen on tv the number plate recognition systems are pretty crap when they come across say a screw head in the number plate or some such similar abnormality.

 

Oh and by the way dont for get that the plate recognition cameras on the m4 are just connected to a billing machine ,no policemen any where in sight. They are probably out catching burglars....not

 

Anyway to my cunning plan.

I would think that everyone has seen this optical effect on tv. When a video camera points at a television you will more often than not see a great big black bar running down the tv screen image (as shown by the video camera). This is because the two systems are out of frame sync.

The TV shows 25 pictures every second, more accurately it shows some of the picture every 1/2 second, but all that aside ,to the human eye the image looks solid without any flicker.

 

Now you could either have a number plate made up that was really a number plate shaped tv tube but i think the cost of doing this could be prohibitive.

 

Alternatively you could try "shuttering" a standard number plate. This could be done mechanically as in a cine projector or electronically.

 

Going with the electronic idea all you would need is a film of liquid crystal sheet that you place across the front of the number plate. Then if this lcd screen was switched on and of at a high enough frequency say 45 times a second, to the eye every thing should look fine.

 

Any way all of that said its still probably against the law, it probably wouldn’t work for some reason i have missed and having cameras checking you number plates lets the police get on with the real police work ... like catching burglars

[Guest graham dockerill]

Julian it is a cunning plan. Now hands up who is going to try this out?

[Guest 2BBoulton]

I can confirm that the M4 speed cameras are working fine and dandy. My Bosses wife got caught the other day.

 

For those that do get caught but want get away with it legaly check out the following website here

 

now to sart work on a shutter system!

[Guest daveg]

All

 

I don't think the above idea will work. It certainly won't work with film type camera's...

 

Basically if you can see the number with your eyes then so can the camera! You could speed to your sva and not get caught

 

or ride a bike 'cause the new camera's photo the front number plate...and a bike don't have a front plate

 

Q

PS Still working on the flip plate... Mr Bond

[Guest cjbailey]

You would need to work out the shutter speed of whatever camera it is, you will never be able to have it so the plate is completely 'invisible' to the camera, although if you did use the TV type idea you could theoretically have it so that only half the plate is displayed at any one time (although this would be invisible to the eye). The LCD is the only possibility (due to bumps in the road, cost, etc.). Assuming the shutter speed on the camera is fast enough it is theoretically possible, but if the camera shutter speed is >1/50 seconds then the plate would have to have a refresh rate which will flicker to the naked eye.

Basically, it is not likely to be possible!

If anyone knows the shutter speed of the camera's (how long the shutter is open for) then I could tell you if it is viable or not!

 

Basically it would be very difficult, and there would always be a very good chance that you would get caught!

[Guest daveg]

And none of this would work with VASCAR or Laser or unmarked traffic car behind/as you go wizzing past

 

Although I once went past a un-marked car answering a call "like he was standing still" (on a bike with mad pinnion), took him 15 miles to catch up with me and after a lecture about "scraping bikers up from the road etc" they wanted to know how fast I was going....he said "we were doing 110 when you went past"

 

These 2 officers were dressed like the 2 guys from CHiPs....so I told him we were doing about 125mph...and all they wanted to do was talk about bikes they did check the bike wasn't stolen but that was all...

 

Dave

[Guest mickmellors]

Do you really want to be admitting this in print on the public domain ?

 

You might find you have just written your own personal 12 month ban.

 

Remember the japanese guy who had an on board video camera to record himself driving a Ferarri at about 150 mph - he sold copies of the Vid on the net, the boys in blue bought a copy and used the visible speedometer as evidence to do him !

 

Feel free to ask a moderator to remove your posting !!!! ( Hint Hint )

 

Mick M (MODERATOR - HINT HINT ! )

[Guest daveg]

I don't think they would bother changing their minds after 20 years!

 

Its not speed that is dangerous, it where you do it and how you use it, I was on the M25 (this was before it was a complete ring and long before any sort of speed camera) and there was little traffic about...the moral of the story is, it proves some police have good judgement

 

And its a true story. He's another true one

 

I was travelling alone on a country lane, again on the same bike (GSX1100EZ), at around 2am. I was doing around 30-40mph in a 40 limit...then I get high beam headlights dazelling me via my mirrors so I decide to speed up a little so that the bends in the road remove the light that was bothering me. So I get to 50-60, lights still there...70-80, lights still there, so I think this guy is in a hurry so what I'll do is slow right down and let him pass....as he gets nearer, full beams still on...I notice something else...you guessed it yet yep he has nice blue lights to go with the high beams As we stop I wonder to my self `what speed is he going to do me for`

He parks in front of me...I tell him the above which is absolutely true...his reply was "you either want to use your mirrors more often or give it a bigger hand full", gets back in his car and drives off

 

Dave

[Guest Mr Pid]

I must admit most policeman i meet are incerdibly anal retentive and out to do you for the slightest thing, BUT there is a minority.

 

I was once going down the A3 (bout 3:30 am) in my old GTO and i was had the old cruise control doing a ton, then these headlights came out of nowhere and before i knew it there was mr plod next to me, doing a ton.

 

He kept speeding up and slowing down, so i decided to follow, (keeping behind all the time). The road was absolutely dead and we reached speeds well into three figures. This went on for about 20-30 miles and he eventually slowed down and signalled to get off at the next junction.

 

As i pulled up along side him when he was on the slip road he actually stuck his hand out the window and gave me the thumbs up!!!- sort of in shock i fashed my hazards and continued on my way.

 

Me and my two passengers were gobsmacked to say the least, but still it woke you up nicely for the rest of the journey home.

 

So it goes to prove that not all police are bad, my grandad was one and he is sound as a pound, i turned down a position as i didnt want to lose my mates, and decided to be a lawyer instead?!?-at least im on their side most of the time now!

 

Cheers

 

Stu