Comment by Closi | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Closi | Hacker News Reader

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I’ll assume you aren’t in the U.K. (which this article is about), because the U.K. system is almost exactly as you describe!

> Norway's system of timed speed cameras are particularly wonderful -- they simply photograph a car and then photograph it again many kilometers later. If you get there too soon, then at some point, you must have been speeding.

Uk has a combination of:

* Average speed cameras (as per the Norway example)

* Variable speed cameras (where the speed limit varies depending on the conditions of the road and congestion)

* Fixed speed cameras (traditional speed cameras dug in next to a road)

* Mobile speed cameras (as per the bbc article, with a purpose to make sure the position changes each day so locals don’t know where the cameras are).

> These systems are safer for police and drivers as there are no traffic stops for speeding.

Traffic stops in the U.K. are very rare, and even mobile cameras just send the documentation to your registered address with no stop. A stop would only be done in the U.K. if there was a belief that the driving was putting others at immediate risk (eg appears drunk).

As opposed to the U.S., where parked highway patrol cars conceal themselves in blinds where you can't see them until they've already clocked your speed. Most Americans believe they have a quota of speeding tickets that must be met.

The U.K. has that too! They just won’t usually do a traffic stop, you just get a letter though the post.

Interestingly, in California it seems that “speed traps” are regulated and illegal. I get the impression, that is not the case in most other states. http://archive.redding.com/news/cop-talk-speed-traps-are-ill...

There are some incredibly forward thinking laws here. Non-compete being illegal, lane splitting for motorcycles is explicitly legal, etc. Of course, tons of stupidity too.

Average speed cameras are very rare outside roadworks though.

They're really not, there's 2000 of them in the UK: https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleet-industry-news/2020/09...

That is approximately one for every 200km of road. Hardly seems like a lot.

They're focussed on the heavily used sections though, ie where they are more likely to be encountered. By that measure (kms driven), they're much more common.

I imagine that they would be on the motorways?

Congested bits of motorway and multi carriageway roads often.

Not true in Nottinghamshire near where I live. There are several largish permanent average speed camera systems unrelated to roadworks eg A6097.

Such that, when I was looking for a new car, cruise control or a speed limiter was a must.

They're pretty common around London.

Woodhead Pass and A14 come to mind. Tower bridge too. And the A9. Cat and fiddle.

Only time I got caught speeding in 20+ years was an avcam at the bottom corner of the m60 near Stockport.

Perhaps not as common as gatsos but not very rare.

In 10+ years of driving in the UK, the only time I got caught speeding was in France! Oh, and once in New Zealand. I see signs for the the UK average speed cameras all over the place, but I guess they're tuned to only trigger for vehicles that are significantly exceeding the limit?

They are usually tuned for the speed limit + 10% + 2mph, as that’s the national guideline for fines/prosecution.

Technically you can get caught for any speed over though.

"A friend" drove a (non-UK reg) car from Glasgow to Southampton last year, significantly exceeding the speed limit most of the way and maintaining >90mph for multiple hours, and wondered if speeding tickets would later arrive in the post. Nothing ever happened. I can only guess that speed camera tickets are only sent to UK registered vehicles? That's a pretty big loophole.

I don't drive like this in France, they will stop you and my understanding is you must pay the fine on the spot or they arrest you and tow your car.

I've got another bit of anecdata like that - know a guy who never changed the plates on his French registered van.

Had the misfortune of going somewhere with him once and he was doing 80mph in a 50mph average speed camera bit of motorway - said the police never bother to chase up foreign plates so he just sped everywhere and never got a fine.

That's surprising, drivers on the M60 near Stockport drive like they're at Oulton Park.

It’s on the anti-clockwise part when the limit drops from 70 to 50 round the bend. I got caught at 60, showing how little attention I was paying to the speed limit (I was preoccupied with the tailgater)

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