Range on camera vans

[HantsRat]

agtlaw said:

Shoot first, ask questions later. Are you also a firearms officer?

No AGT luckily! Not a role I would go for.

[Trax]

HantsRat said:

agtlaw said:

Shoot first, ask questions later. Are you also a firearms officer?

No AGT luckily! Not a role I would go for.

Think you should, hitting a moving target at that long distance, without any slippage which cause massive errors, means you're a better shot than most Olympic shooters laid down with tripods.

[Monty Python]

Trax said:

Think you should, hitting a moving target at that long distance, without any slippage which cause massive errors, means you're a better shot than most Olympic shooters laid down with tripods.

Hardly a valid comparison - a car is a slightly larger target and a laser gun takes multiple measurements and does so until it has a stable reading and the beam is unaffected by the wind and gravity and so on...

[surveyor_101]

agtlaw said:

Police cars are fitted with a special button.

HO HO the reason I ask is and have seen avon and somerset and wiltshire police use handheld laser through a windscreen or window.

Wilt police stopped me on chiclade hill/dual track as they park at the bottom junction just hidden by greenery and shoot away.

[HantsRat]

surveyor_101 said:

HO HO the reason I ask is and have seen avon and somerset and wiltshire police use handheld laser through a windscreen or window.

Wilt police stopped me on chiclade hill/dual track as they park at the bottom junction just hidden by greenery and shoot away.

Are you sure the windscreen was up? It really does affect the laser and reduces their range quite dramatically. They probably had it down.

[thescamper]

Monty Python said:

Hardly a valid comparison - a car is a slightly larger target and a laser gun takes multiple measurements and does so until it has a stable reading and the beam is unaffected by the wind and gravity and so on...

Not sure that gravity or wind will affect a laser.

[FurtiveFreddy]

Trax said:

Think you should, hitting a moving target at that long distance, without any slippage which cause massive errors, means you're a better shot than most Olympic shooters laid down with tripods.

Not sure which Olympic shooters have tripods, but that's another discussion...

At 700m, the diameter of the laser beam is going to be about 1.5-2m, so it's not quite as remarkable a feat as you may think. There's quite a bit of 'wiggle room' there.

[surveyor_101]

HantsRat said:

Are you sure the windscreen was up? It really does affect the laser and reduces their range quite dramatically. They probably had it down.

Veteran officer wilts road policing was ok, speed was lower than I was going. Grey hair and beard looked like captain birds eye. mentioned the window he said his statement would say it was down. Left it at that didn't want a argument he was probably just off retirement and was a nice chap. Mentioned I was highways and didn't give me the standard police drivel about if why when this could of happened etc.

Yes didn't dispute as what's the point my word against his, hence I always run cameras now argument , he said she said etc

Edited by surveyor_101 on Tuesday 7th February 13:57

[KevinCamaroSS]

surveyor_101 said:

The establishment have warn me down, no more of my hard earn earned cash is going on speeding tickets and speed awareness courses. I used to have flexibility to national and non red ring limits and even those I can't be bothered. I drove over 500 miles at the weekend in a new 3tn van to visit friends with their furniture from storage. I did 60 on dual track and 50 in nsl. I had teltrac built in sat nav and cyclops app on my phone so I had every limit matched and every camera detected.

It takes a lot to concentrate that much but I keep a clean licence and don't waste on fuel or tickets.

Really? I drive 18-20K miles a year, at or around the speed limit (where safe to do so). No more difficult than driving at any other speed.

[Boosted LS1]

KevinCamaroSS said:

surveyor_101 said:

The establishment have warn me down, no more of my hard earn earned cash is going on speeding tickets and speed awareness courses. I used to have flexibility to national and non red ring limits and even those I can't be bothered. I drove over 500 miles at the weekend in a new 3tn van to visit friends with their furniture from storage. I did 60 on dual track and 50 in nsl. I had teltrac built in sat nav and cyclops app on my phone so I had every limit matched and every camera detected.

It takes a lot to concentrate that much but I keep a clean licence and don't waste on fuel or tickets.

Really? I drive 18-20K miles a year, at or around the speed limit (where safe to do so). No more difficult than driving at any other speed.

I slow down where it's safe to do so as well.

[caelite]

Marvtec said:

I'd like to know where there's a 4 mile straight...

There are a couple of really long stretches around Stirling on the A811. They must be close to 4 miles, there is almost always a camera van skulking about on them too. Had some close calls sighting vans after multi-car overtakes when I used to commute through that way. Straight, flat road as far as the eye can see and there are still folks doing 45

[Monty Python]

thescamper said:

Not sure that gravity or wind will affect a laser.

You may want to read what I put again.

[Mill Wheel]

thescamper said:

Not sure that gravity or wind will affect a laser.

Gravity does, but it would only be noticeable around a black hole... anywhere else the affect would be insignificant.

[Silverage]

caelite said:

Marvtec said:

I'd like to know where there's a 4 mile straight...

There are a couple of really long stretches around Stirling on the A811. They must be close to 4 miles, there is almost always a camera van skulking about on them too. Had some close calls sighting vans after multi-car overtakes when I used to commute through that way. Straight, flat road as far as the eye can see and there are still folks doing 45

The one I was on and referred to in the OP was between Woodhall Spa and Martin in darkest Lincolnshire. It's a good 4 miles and totally flat too, as things tend to be round here.

[sonnenschein3000]

thescamper said:

Not sure that gravity or wind will affect a laser.

Look up "refraction" - gravity or wind won't, but anything that optically affects the lazer beam will (e.g. glass). I presume this will also mean rain coming to think of it...

[Steve H]

av185 said:

Normally by the time you spot them they will have got you. Otherwise it would be rather a pointless exercise.

.

I've seen plenty of camera vans and braked (just in case obviously ) and not received any unwelcome mail. I think most of them are far enough away for an observant driver to react before arriving in the "kill zone".

[surveyor_101]

KevinCamaroSS said:

Really? I drive 18-20K miles a year, at or around the speed limit (where safe to do so). No more difficult than driving at any other speed.

Really why did half the people on my speed awareness course not know what the speed limit was or how fast they were going.

I would say following the traffic and not reading sign on auto pilot is easier than being aware all the time and matching your speed or the limit.

[R0G]

Why do some drivers say its hard to keep to limits when they demonstrated they can do it for the test ?

Do standards drop post test ? - if yes then why?

[Guybrush]

R0G said:

Why do some drivers say its hard to keep to limits when they demonstrated they can do it for the test ?

Do standards drop post test ? - if yes then why?

New drivers are the most accident prone. The greater the driver's experience, i.e. the further they are away from the day they passed their test, the lower their accident risk. Those most caught exceeding speed limits, are the mainly lower accident risk drivers.

[Silverage]

DELETED: Comment made by a member who's account has been deleted.

As they are actually generating revenue for the police (if those caught go for the awareness course), then they will probably be the very last thing to be cut.