Speed Cameras - Accurate?

[euan]

Just read this, if it's proven then it opens a whole different debate...

http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk...entPK=11843604

[fred3]

police. Good news for the lead feet.

[Root Ginger]

Very interesting. This could have massive implications for speeding offences.

I've never believed that they can be that accurate. There are too many variables when using a hand held device to believe it could be. Plus the devices are supposed to be calibrated at regular intervals. I bet they only get calibrated once in their life.

This now proves that their accuracy cannot be guaranteed in every case and if it can't, then how can anyone be convicted using them? What if that one time in didn't work. Just coz it works correctly next time wouldn't mean that at the time it was working either.

Fixed cameras do take a lot of the variables out by being on a fixed base and taking speeds from a set distance but a lot of the guidelines for using them are broken. They're suppsed to be mounted on a straight piece of road. I know plenty that are on curved roads and there should be no other movement within the cameras field of vision. So any side turnings, other road crossings or bridges with other traffic going over them would render the camera inaccurate too.

[Root Ginger]

Just been speaking to my mate who had a scooby. Apparently a piggy back ECU can be put on to remove the limiter or it can be done from a pocket PC with the right software in a matter of seconds.

Looks like this guy could have got away scott free for a genuine speeding offence

[Malin Dixon]

It is a real problem when there is nothing but a single reading that someone is prosecuted on. I would tend to suspect that a grey import Subaru Impreza could have had a tampered speed limiter.

Later on in the article it mentions a 1.2 litre Fiat Punto that was clocked at 115 mph while its top speed was 104 mph. Fiat Puntos aren't limited, so a mod that could add 11 mph would be a load of work and that case looks more like a speed gun error.

The problem is that individual conviction thrown out doesn't prove inherent inaccuracy of speed guns. The police and speed camera makers can say what they like, because it will cost far more to fight a conviction than to pay up. I know, I've been there, and I will never, ever, get out of the way of an ambulance again. I simply can't afford to pay £900 pounds in legal fees again for trying to help for a few seconds.

All the times I moved out of the way for emergency vehicles, left rubber on the road stopping when one pulled out, and they wouldn't even admit where the ambulance had been to help may case.

I realise that the police see far to many accidents and loads of drivers pull all sorts of tricks to speed, but there are a lot of doubtful convictions.