Was I doing more than 70 officer?

[Guest]

Hi All

Just got nicked for speeding[] didn't even see them[&:] so 3 points & £60.00 so I am on the look for a decent detector as my Road Angel failed to detect the laser or radar gun used. I need something with a good detection range as the copper said he picked me up at about 600 meters[]

Any help or recommendations would be great

Thanks

P
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White 944S

 

[millisland]

Not sure which model you have, but did you set the Alert Distance on your Road Angel? On the one we have got which is called the "New Road Angel", you can adjust the warning range from 250 metres to 500 or 1000 metres, and this seems to work very well on ours.
Harriet

 

[Big Dave]

If you got caught with a laser gun, then buy the time any laser detector has bleeped its TOO late to react to the speed, as the laser will have already recorded you speed......So basically they aint worth having.....[ in my experience]...
Road angels are great at warning of fixed locations + mobiles "IF" the mobile site is logged into your detector...
You can get laser jammers but i seem to recal that they aint legal + if caught with one you can get a "slap"...

Try looking on ,,,
http://www.radar-detector-shop.co.uk/
Very good site for detectors etc....

 

[Fen]

Got to agree with Dave - you get 0.3 seconds after the laser lights up before it has a speed reading. In my opinion you may as well wait to see if you're getting a NIP as without having heard a beep. My RA2 has never gone off for laser anyway despite my supposedly having been snapped at 80 in a 70. If it's a copper with a gun then I guess you're bang to rights but if it was a scamera van then I'd suggest fighting it. I'm certainly not going to take my 3 points lying down when there is a huge likelihood the "gun" was being misused or the van was illegally staffed.

 

[Guest]

Hi All,

I have adjusted the distance to a 1000 meters but what is the distance for a pull? it can't be at 1000 meters surely??

Pete

 

[Fen]

It doesn't matter what you do with your Road Angel it won't help. If you're too far away they won't gun you until you are closer and when the laser is off nothing picks it up. Legally someone suitably qualified (i.e. a Police officer) has to form the opinion you are exceeding the speed limit before the device is used. Once opinion is formed anyone (i.e. civilian) can target the car through the sights of the device. 0.3 seconds after pulling the trigger they have a speed reading. You will be totally unaware this is happening until the trigger is pulled at best, unless you see the camera operator from your own observation. If you think you can react to the RA beeping within 0.3 seconds then fill your boots... Remember though that the RA is on your dashboard, quite probably obscured by wipers / dead flies etc. and the camera operator will be aiming at your number plate. To all intents and purposes laser detectors alone are worthless. Jammers on the other hand are effective (as I understand it) and combined with a detector can give you sufficient time to slow down. Jammers are a grey area legally with no direct legislation applying to them. If the laser device is operated by a Police officer then using a jammer could exasily be argued to be obstructing a Police officer going about their duties but if the laser device is operated by a civilian then I believe it is possible the use of a jammer is not illegal. That is not to say you would not be in serious trouble if caught using one. As I suggested earlier it is well worth fighting a scamera van NIP - how many vans do you think have a Police officer with them to act as a qualified person to form the opinion you are speeding? The device videos all the time it is in use and you are legally entitled to the whole video if you feel it can help in your defence. Usually it shows that the civilian operator was targeting every car coming into view (in the overtaking lane of dual carriageways) which is illegal use of the equipment. It can also show that the device was moving at the time the reading was taken which can cause erronious readings, though the MD of the UK importer will try to say that is impossible; apparently the device is too stupid to detect when an object is stationary and can be made to read a speed from walls or parked cars but once the target vehicle is moving the device can somehow trap any error using some undisclosed circuitry. Yeah, right.

 

[millisland]

As I understand it, lasers tend to aim at the number plate, whilst the Road Angel is on the dash. The only "remedy" is to buy an extra gadget that is fixed to the number plate and transmits back to the one on the dash. All extra expense and also as I understand it laser detectors will be banned at some time in the future. So you can't win!!!!!
Harriet

 

[944Turbo]

There have been a couple of recent TV programs that showed how laser can over read through operator 'error'. Where they well hidden that you didn't see them. In Hampshire recently I saw a mobile (bike unit) set up behind a coach, wish I had more time to get a photo. Unless it has chnaged very recently they should be visible.
IIRC the latest laser units are type approved for up to a mile down the road (this would increase the risk of getting an error).
There was a Scottish case were a Subaru was nicked doing 138 but was proven to be limited to (I think) 112mph.

The "war on speed" is an unfair and unjust one.

Tony

 

[danmason]

If it's a copper with a gun then I guess you're bang to rights

Not necessarily. I was 'gunned' on the M6 doing 63 in a temporary 50 (copper on bridge) a couple of years back and managed to come up with several reasons why there could be doubt about the reading. I believe, but have no way of knowing, that the most compelling point was that the officer was clearly targeting vehicles indiscriminately rather than using the gun to confirm a prior judgement about my speed. Whatever, the case was dropped.

In Hampshire recently I saw a mobile (bike unit) set up behind a coach, wish I had more time to get a photo. Unless it has chnaged very recently they should be visible.

Saw a mobile (van) unit set up right over the brow of a hill in Herts the other day - talk about entrapment. It was a dead straight country road, so I think I was lucky to be momentarily stuck behind someone at the time!

 

[Fen]

I think Pete was gunned, pulled and dealt with at the roadside, hence my saying he's bang to rights. If it's a Police officer with a camera and a NIP sent out afterwards then it's the same as a scamera save that you don't have the possibility to argue there was nobody qualified to form the opinion you were speeding.

 

[cuffn]

Fen

Remind me of the website you are using to help with your argument would you.

Cheers

 

[Fen]

http://pepipoo.com