It had to happen eventually...
Discussion
The irony was that it was two days after exchanging my relatively swift two-seater sports car for an estate car (my wife is in the family way).
No points/fines/pulls in the sports car, but now very likely points/fine in the estate. Dammit.
THE LONG STORY
Central London (Chelsea) 11pm last night.
Tasty Range Rover Sport (obviously, I was in Chelsea) right up my behind. I can't see his lights just a fat lot of grill in the rear view mirror.
Guy in front decides he is lost and pulls over (no signals) my slowing to pass him allows the Chelsea Tractor to close the gap a little further.
I can now quite clearly see that he has not had the car valeted since his last blast on the motorway from the exact number and genus/species of insects on his grill.
So, I accelerated relatively hard to open up a little gap.
At this point I see the camera.
I immediately start to slow, applying some brakes just to let the chap behind me know I am slowing rather than relying on engine braking which would have probably flummoxed him as he crushed my insignificant car.
Then I start thinking (bad idea): that is a very small camera, definitely not a gatso, maybe it's for red lights?
Are those traffic lights? No, just a pedestrian crossing, do they have red light cameras? Maybe, not sure.
What else can my, now overloaded, brain use for deductive reasoning? Ah! The lines! If it's a speed camera then there will always be lines on the road. Where are they, nothing in the middle...
At this point, I have almost convinced myself it is a red light camera. The RRS is back to attempting to mount me from behind.
Ease back onto the accelerator. I don't want to be mounted, please sir.
THEN I SEE THE LINES. Right there, on the side of the road. Arse, 100% speed camera.
Last glance at speedo, between 35-40 leptons. Double arse.
More thinking, was there a flash? Maybe? Not sure, could have been the blinding xenons finally appearing in the rear view.
Hold on, didn't I read something about flash-less "safety" cameras, recently installed by famed car-lover Livingstone?
Google is your friend; there was a trial... small box, no flash, thousands rolled out across London...
Triple arse.
THE SHORT STORY
Now the question. Can anyone tell me whether those small flash-less boxes are still on trial or whether they are actively issuing NIPs?
Feel free to point out that I deserve 3 points and a fine.
Feel free to point out that I shouldn't be intimidated by tailgaters.
Feel free to point out that I should have continued braking just in case it was a speed camera.
TIA
walm
No points/fines/pulls in the sports car, but now very likely points/fine in the estate. Dammit.
THE LONG STORY
Central London (Chelsea) 11pm last night.
Tasty Range Rover Sport (obviously, I was in Chelsea) right up my behind. I can't see his lights just a fat lot of grill in the rear view mirror.
Guy in front decides he is lost and pulls over (no signals) my slowing to pass him allows the Chelsea Tractor to close the gap a little further.
I can now quite clearly see that he has not had the car valeted since his last blast on the motorway from the exact number and genus/species of insects on his grill.
So, I accelerated relatively hard to open up a little gap.
At this point I see the camera.
I immediately start to slow, applying some brakes just to let the chap behind me know I am slowing rather than relying on engine braking which would have probably flummoxed him as he crushed my insignificant car.
Then I start thinking (bad idea): that is a very small camera, definitely not a gatso, maybe it's for red lights?
Are those traffic lights? No, just a pedestrian crossing, do they have red light cameras? Maybe, not sure.
What else can my, now overloaded, brain use for deductive reasoning? Ah! The lines! If it's a speed camera then there will always be lines on the road. Where are they, nothing in the middle...
At this point, I have almost convinced myself it is a red light camera. The RRS is back to attempting to mount me from behind.
Ease back onto the accelerator. I don't want to be mounted, please sir.
THEN I SEE THE LINES. Right there, on the side of the road. Arse, 100% speed camera.
Last glance at speedo, between 35-40 leptons. Double arse.
More thinking, was there a flash? Maybe? Not sure, could have been the blinding xenons finally appearing in the rear view.
Hold on, didn't I read something about flash-less "safety" cameras, recently installed by famed car-lover Livingstone?
Google is your friend; there was a trial... small box, no flash, thousands rolled out across London...
Triple arse.
THE SHORT STORY
Now the question. Can anyone tell me whether those small flash-less boxes are still on trial or whether they are actively issuing NIPs?
Feel free to point out that I deserve 3 points and a fine.
Feel free to point out that I shouldn't be intimidated by tailgaters.
Feel free to point out that I should have continued braking just in case it was a speed camera.
TIA
walm
I know, I know. That was my immediate hope, but looking back I think the gap was big enough. The camera actually seemed higher than my local Gatsos, perhaps for this reason.
He would certainly have obscured the plate had I not tried to open the gap a little (for the second time).
I think we will either both be done or neither depending on whether those cameras are issuing NIPs.
He would certainly have obscured the plate had I not tried to open the gap a little (for the second time).
I think we will either both be done or neither depending on whether those cameras are issuing NIPs.
Jasandjules said:
The 14 day sweat begins.
Hopefully you will be ok.
Thanks. You know, it is even worse than that.Hopefully you will be ok.
Since I have just bought the car, the documents have only just been sent to the DVLA. Given the state of our postal service, I can only assume the NIP will be on the way to the nice chap I bought it from.
I probably won't hear for months!
moral to the story brake like buggery and cause an rta, waste police's money by having to attend, waste nhs's money by using their services and up insurance premiums for everyone! but no, the camera will never know the events leading up to you potential ticket. anyhow, fingers crossed!!
jwo said:
moral to the story brake like buggery and cause an rta, waste police's money by having to attend, waste nhs's money by using their services and up insurance premiums for everyone! but no, the camera will never know the events leading up to you potential ticket. anyhow, fingers crossed!!
Easy tiger, guys only talking 35 in a 30!andy_quantum said:
jwo said:
moral to the story brake like buggery and cause an rta, waste police's money by having to attend, waste nhs's money by using their services and up insurance premiums for everyone! but no, the camera will never know the events leading up to you potential ticket. anyhow, fingers crossed!!
Easy tiger, guys only talking 35 in a 30!We are (as joe public) conditioned to seeing camera and breaking. Maybe my first quote was a bit extreme but can easily happen. Also speed KILLS!!!!
jwo said:
andy_quantum said:
jwo said:
moral to the story brake like buggery and cause an rta, waste police's money by having to attend, waste nhs's money by using their services and up insurance premiums for everyone! but no, the camera will never know the events leading up to you potential ticket. anyhow, fingers crossed!!
Easy tiger, guys only talking 35 in a 30!We are (as joe public) conditioned to seeing camera and breaking.
Feel free to point out that I deserve 3 points and a fine.
No i will not say you deserve three points, speed limits are wrong and oppressive and serve no purpose. Nobody deserves points for anything and why should you compensate anyone if you have not hurt anyone
Feel free to point out that I shouldn't be intimidated by tailgaters.
Of course you should be intimidated by tailgaters, tailgaiters(myself being an expert) will do all one can to intimidate the car in front, dont take it personally the guy behind just wants past - no its not a challenge of your right of being in front or the size of your you know what he just wanted past and would have passed if given opportunity.
Feel free to point out that I should have continued braking just in case it was a speed camera.
Do i really have to tell you that it is adviseable not to cause a road traffic accident.
The message: you were in the right in this situation - Dont forget it!!!
No i will not say you deserve three points, speed limits are wrong and oppressive and serve no purpose. Nobody deserves points for anything and why should you compensate anyone if you have not hurt anyone
Feel free to point out that I shouldn't be intimidated by tailgaters.
Of course you should be intimidated by tailgaters, tailgaiters(myself being an expert) will do all one can to intimidate the car in front, dont take it personally the guy behind just wants past - no its not a challenge of your right of being in front or the size of your you know what he just wanted past and would have passed if given opportunity.
Feel free to point out that I should have continued braking just in case it was a speed camera.
Do i really have to tell you that it is adviseable not to cause a road traffic accident.
The message: you were in the right in this situation - Dont forget it!!!
bi9_jk said:
Of course you should be intimidated by tailgaters, tailgaiters(myself being an expert) will do all one can to intimidate the car in front, dont take it personally the guy behind just wants past - no its not a challenge of your right of being in front or the size of your you know what he just wanted past and would have passed if given opportunity.
Tailgating shows only one thing about the driver behind: he is an arsehole.This can frequently be confirmed by his use of "w
r warning lights" (or front foglights as they are described in the sales brochures) at the same time.You think people let tailgaters past because they are intimidated? Wrong. If they let them past, it's so that they can go and have their accident in somebody else's luggage.
tvrgit said:
bi9_jk said:
Of course you should be intimidated by tailgaters, tailgaiters(myself being an expert) will do all one can to intimidate the car in front, dont take it personally the guy behind just wants past - no its not a challenge of your right of being in front or the size of your you know what he just wanted past and would have passed if given opportunity.
Tailgating shows only one thing about the driver behind: he is an arsehole.This can frequently be confirmed by his use of "w
r warning lights" (or front foglights as they are described in the sales brochures) at the same time.You think people let tailgaters past because they are intimidated? Wrong. If they let them past, it's so that they can go and have their accident in somebody else's luggage.
Lets not get into a fog light arguement, European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms entitles a person to peacefull enjoyment of their property!
Perhaps you feel somewhat belittled at being overtaken like its some attack on your ego. Perhaps you should as i do let people past when they want to belt ahead, trust me theres no shame in it! The next day that im late, in a hurry or just want to get somewhere in haste then i need past i hope that other people will have seen my good example and let me past. Lead by example!
I know that many of you will prattle on for decades about the dangers of driving to close or the possibility of crushing your ironed underpants in your luggage but foglights, flashing high beams and tailgaiting are really the most effective measures of signalling to others that you intend to pass, that you want to go faster than they are. How else would you communicate to them in that instant that you need them to speed up or let you past. Really im all ears - re read my words if necessary, were talking instantaneous communication to a person in front who is obstructing your journey and wasting time you do not have to waste. Please no mentions of lane discipline ect ect because we know that in the real world nobody observes it.
Also if you have time to stop and have a fight then surely you have time pull over and let them past. If you assault someone you get a criminal record, you could get fined, you could go to jail so its not a good idea....unless of course you are a delinquent.
Edited by bi9_jk on Saturday 20th October 22:43
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