Hypothetical speed camera question
Discussion
I think I'll be OK, as I think I just squeaked under the speed limit+tolerance in time. However it got me thinking if anyone else has had the following situation and what happened.
I was driving on the western side of the M25, it was in the morning rush hour (about 7-7:30am) so a case of variable speed limits being in place on some stretches, limits changing as you approach them and so on. Busy, no real chance of making progress as the lanes are all moving at the same speed. Joy.
The gantry ahead dropped the speed limit by 20mph, so I lifted off with the aim of braking just before the gantry and passing under at the new speed limit. Just as I was about to brake a courier van swerved across lanes behind me and stuck himself so close behind that I couldn't even see his bonnet. Given his proximity my reaction was to keep my foot off the brake and coast down as I was genuinely fearful of a rear-ending. He was still as close on the other side of the gantry so I think my fears were well-founded.
As I said at the start, I think I would have been OK for speed, but has anyone had a situation where they've been caught like this? Did the photo show enough that you could point out the nutter drafting you as a mitigation? It's possible that the camera wouldn't actually have been able to see my rear numberplate anyway!
(I should emphasise just how insanely close this was - I don't think I've ever had to cancel my plans to brake to avoid a rear-ending before. The weird thing was, once I was able to move over he sauntered past at only a few mph more than me. Odd.)
I was driving on the western side of the M25, it was in the morning rush hour (about 7-7:30am) so a case of variable speed limits being in place on some stretches, limits changing as you approach them and so on. Busy, no real chance of making progress as the lanes are all moving at the same speed. Joy.
The gantry ahead dropped the speed limit by 20mph, so I lifted off with the aim of braking just before the gantry and passing under at the new speed limit. Just as I was about to brake a courier van swerved across lanes behind me and stuck himself so close behind that I couldn't even see his bonnet. Given his proximity my reaction was to keep my foot off the brake and coast down as I was genuinely fearful of a rear-ending. He was still as close on the other side of the gantry so I think my fears were well-founded.
As I said at the start, I think I would have been OK for speed, but has anyone had a situation where they've been caught like this? Did the photo show enough that you could point out the nutter drafting you as a mitigation? It's possible that the camera wouldn't actually have been able to see my rear numberplate anyway!
(I should emphasise just how insanely close this was - I don't think I've ever had to cancel my plans to brake to avoid a rear-ending before. The weird thing was, once I was able to move over he sauntered past at only a few mph more than me. Odd.)
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