Be Careful out there

Useful hints, tips that you think will help other drivers and owners. (No questions)
chriswilloughby
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Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

Kind of a ' Hint and Tip':

Monday morning, wasted 4 hours of my life on a speed awareness course. Where shall I begin, well, in my opinion, there are over-careful drivers, careful drivers and nutters! I fall into careful driving, considerate to others, taking advantage of the open road as and when appropriate, but safely. I was on the A585 on Angelesy in summer at 2.30ish on a sunny Monday afternoon enjoying the 8. It's a wide, nice twisty country road with long straights. Granted, and apparently, there have been some nasty accidents along there, mainly at night and generally involving local teens in Fiesta's/Corsa's/Golf's etc, so i'm told. Now, you may ask, "what speed were you going".....36mph in a 30, which, use to be a national speed limit road. Yes, i was merely cruising in 5th gear at 34/36 enjoying the sun. Apparently, on Angelesy, they won't put speed cameras up, as the locals/farmers will damage them, i was told this by another local. So, was i driving reckless, No, was i taking into account the road conditions, other users, pedestrians....Yes, there was only me on this road for miles. The speed awareness course is good for people that don't care much for driving, that don't really have a clue about the general code of driving, the room was full of these people. I had to sit next to 3 people that appeared to not have a clue regarding the basics of driving, asking stupid questions and continually saying "oh, i didn't know that". Those people you speak to that say, " I found it very interesting", yes, i'm sure you did, because you didn't know the basics in the first place. Thank you Mr Welsh Policeman for making me waste my time and take £80's from me that i could've spent on my 8. The one and only other thing i heard that was slightly interesting and the reason i wanted to put my story on 'hints and tips' is, that eventually, we won't have a clue where camera's are, because, if funds allow, they now have the technology to place cameras in 'Cats eyes', they basically have the technology to place camera's wherever they want and we' d never know, until the letter came through the door .....Be careful out there kids
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by i-CONICA »

That's crappy bud, it's not like you were hooning down a narrow country lane is it. At least you avoided points!

How did they catch you if there were no cameras? A cop with a radar gun?
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by WildMan10 »

:oops: Oops. Post below somehow appeared twice.

So I've added this: At least you weren't on a motorbike. North Wales Police frequently stop bikers doing nothing wrong to give them a pep talk on riding safely and often include dangerous driving for what would be pure speeding offences anywhere else.
Last edited by WildMan10 on Wed Nov 20, 2013 11:23 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by WildMan10 »

It's not only Anglesey, it's the whole of North Wales. I visit my parents in North Wales frequently and I never speed there as I feel that I'm being watched by Big Brother.

My father got done for 34 in a 30 limit, his first driving summons in over 60 years of driving, and his experience mirrored yours. The driving conditions were fantastic and there were no other people or vehicles in sight. He did one of those courses; it was a complete and utter waste of his time and the knowledge of a large number of his fellow participants was as pathetic as you make out. The funny thing is that he knew that the camera van frequently sat there and was so busy pointing it out to his passengers that he forgot to slow down. . . . .
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

i-CONICA wrote:That's crappy bud, it's not like you were hooning down a narrow country lane is it. At least you avoided points!

How did they catch you if there were no cameras? A cop with a radar gun?
Yeah, must've been, he was hiding good and proper because i didn't see a thing :( I tried to blag it when i got the letter, saying i was overtaking 2 cyclists but they were having none of it
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

imagine it though, camera's in cats eyes!!!
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by stewartm »

As far as I know, that technology has existed for quite some time. I am not sure why it has not been officially pressed into service as yet, but given the current climate, it is hard to imagine they are not out there.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by MARKTHOMASBRAND »

Being trialled in Scotland (Motherwell) apparently :shock:

[urlw=http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/cateye.htm]Clicky here[/urlw]

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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

MARKTHOMASBRAND wrote:Being trialled in Scotland (Motherwell) apparently :shock:

[urlw=http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/cateye.htm]Clicky here[/urlw]

Regards,Mark.
really??? :evil:
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by i-CONICA »

I think one of the problems with it is that maintenance for them means the road will have to be closed. Whereas a roadside camera doesn't need to close the road.

Also, they're being "trialled" now as they'll be getting scratched to bits. I don't know of a material other than diamond (obviously not going to happen) that could withstand the abrasion to remain clear enough for use long term.

Even if the lens/cover was made from sapphire crystal (which would make each unit incredibly expensive), there are things in road dust which are harder than sapphire, like some elements in some concrete mixtures, like corundum (a sapphire isotope). Ultimately, they'll get scratched up... Softer elements can scratch it too, as their absolute hardness values are generally only in a particular direction. In situations, a softer mineral can scratch a harder material.

So it might be a while before they're widespread.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

and...... last week, i decided to have slight beep session, came off the M62 going towards Bury, 11.30pm no one about, apart from a group of cars in the distance, approx 1.5 miles away. It was partly my sons fault as well as mine :) , the car needed a beep and my son felt the same. I dropped to 3rd, waited for the beep, then to 4th, again, waited for the beep, and i think it beeped around 115mph. At this point i was getting closer to the cars so i dropped off the accelerator and came down to the pace they were doing. As i did this, an un-marked police car pulled over onto the hard shoulder with his red lights flashing (NO!!!!!) As i went past him doing 66mph, he then pulled out behind me. I thought, this is it, instant ban etc. He stayed behind me for about 1/2 a mile and then went off the motorway, the exit before mine. Phewwwwww.... or is it???, will i be recieving another nice letter soon???, slightly concerned :(
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by i-CONICA »

I wouldn't worry, he's not a traffic cop, and the unmarked cars aren't calibrated speedos, so they can't pace check you anyway.

I had a similar situation, but I did get pulled.

A BMW came up along side wanting a bit of fun, so I had a look around, gave him the nod, dropped a cog and went for it. There were no cars in front, it was totally safe, dry, warm, good conditions, smooth surface, see miles ahead etc.

Anyway, upon losing the race, a black A3 flashed it's blue lights at me, I had the same sinking feeling, pulled over, bottom lip out, clarkson style, but he was nice as pie, explained he's not a traffic cop, so can't do me anyway, but he saw I was having "a little thing back there", "with that other car", he highlighted some potential dangers and told me to be on my way.

So I wouldn't worry about it that much. He'd have gone after you anyway if he was interested...
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

minds now at rest, thanks i-CONICA :)
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by fakedollar »

I got £60 fine and 3 points from an unmarked police car, they match pace with you and the camera in the car records the speed. Just because he was unmarked, didn't stop me from getting punished..
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

i think he must have seen me hurtling towards him, but by the time i was close, i was down to 68/70mph anyway.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by Will66 »

Simple solution, don't exceed the speed limit and you won't be punished for breaking the law.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

Will66 wrote:Simple solution, don't exceed the speed limit and you won't be punished for breaking the law.
I know what your saying and the vast majority of the time i don't. Even through the mountain pass in Wales, i very rarely get past the national speed limit, it's just every now and then, and, in some circumstances, 30mph limit is too low.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by DannyJames »

Will do you stick strictly to the speed limit 100% of the time?
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by Will66 »

Yes I do, for the simple reason that I've only just got rid of a hefty haul of points on my license that I picked up when I had just got the RX8 and there's no reason to get any more. I get my fix of speed on track where it's both legal and far safer than on the public highway.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by tractorboy »

Unfortunately it seems it wasn't just your time that was wasted but that of the instructor too. You were caught speeding in a situation where you paying so little attention that you didn't even spot the camera/police. You think that it would be ok if you were overtaking cyclists! You admit to doing 115mph in the dark hurtling towards an unmarked police car. Yet you think you don't need any education? Sorry if this seems a bit harsh but it needs to be said.

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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by chriswilloughby »

Bob, again, I take on board what you say, however, your not completely accurate. With regards to the Welsh camera, he was hiding very well. Are you familiar with the A585? Overtaking cyclist's is easily possible on this road safely. I consider myself to be an exceptional courteous focused driver and I consistently concentrate at all times whilst behind the wheel of my 8, it was entrapment with no warnings and I don't think my GB on my number plate helped either. With regards to me wasting the instructors time, I imagine they receive a good salary for the work they do, so there was no wasting time apart from mine. I felt the course was very much a 'sit and listen' and the way the instructors came across, was as If they were reading a script.
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by ralferoo »

chriswilloughby wrote:Yes, i was merely cruising in 5th gear at 34/36 enjoying the sun.
Bluff. :lol:

Nobody drives at 35mph in 5th in an RX8... Surely? :shock: IMHO the RX8 feels unpleasantly sluggish at under 3000 rpm and by my reckoning you'd only be at about 2000.

Although maybe this is why I always have rubbish mpg figures! :oops:
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by DannyJames »

Once you're up to speed, cruising at 2k/3k rpm doesn't feel bad. It's just when you want to accelerate that you put your foot down and nothing happens hehe
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by i-CONICA »

Until two days ago I'd cruise at 30 in 6th!

Trying to keep the gears down is making me feel like everyone is looking at me thinking "that plonker can't find another gear"...
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Re: Be Careful out there

Post by DannyJames »

The worst is when you've got a passenger/friend in the car with you who laughs at you thinking you're over revving the car and have the cheek to say "change gear then?". I feel like telling them to get the [edited] out and walk! I don't give anyone lifts anymore.
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