Camera van facing the other way
Discussion
Tonight I have driven down a road in Dorset past a camera van but instead of coming towards it I drove past it and drove away from it. Didn't notice it was a speed van until I went past and at a glance speedo was 38 in a 30 limit. Do they clock you moving away from them or is it just towards them?
Edited by craigjm on Friday 4th July 23:56
It's not clear from your post if the van was parked, or did you mean it was driving towards you on the opposite side of the road???
If the van was moving and being driven, then it is not active at all. In fact I spent some time inside one last weekend at the Goodwood Festival, and the vans go out with one driver / operator. They are only active once parked and the equipment is turned on.
Usually, the van is parked so that the camera and speed detection equipment is pointing out of dedicated hatches in the back doors of the van. Sometimes, the van is parked in such a way that detection is from the side (usually on a bridge above a road).
It is highly unlikely that any normal speed detection is done from out of the front of the van. Looking at the equipment and the 'mounting bars' inside the van last weekend, there is no provision for forward-facing detection.
However.
There is at least one video example on YouTube of a speeding biker coming towards the back of a camera van, the speed was detected and logged, and the camera unit physically moved 180 degrees inside the van, in order to film the bike as it went past the van, to get the numberplate.
But as I said, under normal use, this is pretty rare.
If the van was moving and being driven, then it is not active at all. In fact I spent some time inside one last weekend at the Goodwood Festival, and the vans go out with one driver / operator. They are only active once parked and the equipment is turned on.
Usually, the van is parked so that the camera and speed detection equipment is pointing out of dedicated hatches in the back doors of the van. Sometimes, the van is parked in such a way that detection is from the side (usually on a bridge above a road).
It is highly unlikely that any normal speed detection is done from out of the front of the van. Looking at the equipment and the 'mounting bars' inside the van last weekend, there is no provision for forward-facing detection.
However.
There is at least one video example on YouTube of a speeding biker coming towards the back of a camera van, the speed was detected and logged, and the camera unit physically moved 180 degrees inside the van, in order to film the bike as it went past the van, to get the numberplate.
But as I said, under normal use, this is pretty rare.
SS2. said:
craigjm said:
Do they clock you moving away from them or is it just towards them?
Can be both.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1280183/Th...
Yes they can ping you either way out of the back of the van, the only difference you will see is the speed appears as -038mph as you travel away from the van whereas you would see 038mph traveling towards it.
The daily fail article is a bit misleading, the additional cameras are not for speed detection but to capture images of the vehicle & driver or members of the public walking past should they be needed to assist with a prosecution.
The daily fail article is a bit misleading, the additional cameras are not for speed detection but to capture images of the vehicle & driver or members of the public walking past should they be needed to assist with a prosecution.
Edited by shep1001 on Saturday 5th July 08:12
Edited by shep1001 on Saturday 5th July 10:46
It will depend to some extent whether there was any oncoming traffic. If there were cars coming towards you then there's a reasonable chance the operator will be concentrating on them as he won't see you until you've actually passed the van.
Did you react and brake once you realised? If you kept travelling at 38mph then he could ping you at his leisure once he became aware of you.
Did you react and brake once you realised? If you kept travelling at 38mph then he could ping you at his leisure once he became aware of you.
andyiley said:
" driven down a road in Dorset past a camera van but instead of coming towards it I drove past it and drove away from it"
I am confused as to how you managed to drive past it and then away from it without driving towards it?
OK typed that in haste what I meant was -I am confused as to how you managed to drive past it and then away from it without driving towards it?
Camera van was parked on left side of the road with me travelling towards the front of it. Only noticed it was a camera can after I passed the side of it and then saw the camera out the back of the van through my rear window
Edited by craigjm on Saturday 5th July 13:03
craigjm said:
OK typed that in haste what I meant was -
Camera van was parked on left side of the road with me travelling towards the front of it. Only noticed it was a camera can after I passed the side of it and then saw the camera out the back of the van through my rear window
Not being nasty, but here endeth the first lesson. I ALWAYS treat white and other colours of vans parked in laybye with great suspicion ( and more so if the van is parked tucked well into trees).. Most genuine white van men are self employed and seldom stop in laybyes in the middle of nowhere( except 42P). However, if it was not marked, it could have been an ANPR van .Camera van was parked on left side of the road with me travelling towards the front of it. Only noticed it was a camera can after I passed the side of it and then saw the camera out the back of the van through my rear window
Edited by craigjm on Saturday 5th July 13:03
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
There is at least one video example on YouTube of a speeding biker coming towards the back of a camera van, the speed was detected and logged, and the camera unit physically moved 180 degrees inside the van, in order to film the bike as it went past the van, to get the numberplate.
But as I said, under normal use, this is pretty rare.
I had the same worries on a motorbike once - thankfully, I didn't hear anything more about it but it was only then I heard about these vans that allow the camera operator to swivel round. I reckon you'll probably be ok.But as I said, under normal use, this is pretty rare.
Most vans round here park in laybys to chuck rubbish out of the back 
but detection is from the back of the van, either going towards or away from it, other cameras are to assist in prosecution of bikers etc, who don't have a front numberplate. This is to stop them just speeding towards a camera as they please.
but detection is from the back of the van, either going towards or away from it, other cameras are to assist in prosecution of bikers etc, who don't have a front numberplate. This is to stop them just speeding towards a camera as they please.Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff