4 Older Citizens & A Speed sensing sign....
Discussion
For the last 2 days on my way to work I have passed a group of around 4 older members of our society with a speed sencing sign that displays your speed and a smile or frown depending on your speed. (Sign is in Chalfont St Giles, Bucks)
Whats confusing me is:
1)They always have one of them trying to block the sign so you cant see your "results" easily.
2)It appears to read a bit fast....my speedo said just under 30 (I slowed down to look), but it flashed up 32!
I cant decide if they are having problems setting it up, or they are just noting down the results. If they are noting down the results I suspect everybody will be speeding if it's reading fast.
As it's not a camera i'm not so bothered, but their actions just seem a little strange...
Whats confusing me is:
1)They always have one of them trying to block the sign so you cant see your "results" easily.
2)It appears to read a bit fast....my speedo said just under 30 (I slowed down to look), but it flashed up 32!
I cant decide if they are having problems setting it up, or they are just noting down the results. If they are noting down the results I suspect everybody will be speeding if it's reading fast.
As it's not a camera i'm not so bothered, but their actions just seem a little strange...
I do agree that having OAPs prowling the streets with smiley faces is a bit of overkill.
However, I also feel that drivers should respect 30 limits, especially in villages where streets are often narrow, with pedestrians (children) around, difficult driveway entrances, and such like.
The "open road" is completely different and should be treated as such, but it doesn't take too much self-control to stick around 30 where it matters.
I just wish drivers were taught to recognise the risks and drive appropriately. We now seem to have 2 types of numpty:
1) Drive everywhere at max speed. They don't recognise the risks
2) Drive everywhere at the limit because it must be safe because that's what they're told. They don't need to think about the risks as long as their eyes are on the speedo.
Of course, both types of numpty are dangerous. Numpty #1 often gets away with it because they know where the cameras are. Numpty #2 is effectively immune from prosecution.
However, I also feel that drivers should respect 30 limits, especially in villages where streets are often narrow, with pedestrians (children) around, difficult driveway entrances, and such like.
The "open road" is completely different and should be treated as such, but it doesn't take too much self-control to stick around 30 where it matters.
I just wish drivers were taught to recognise the risks and drive appropriately. We now seem to have 2 types of numpty:
1) Drive everywhere at max speed. They don't recognise the risks
2) Drive everywhere at the limit because it must be safe because that's what they're told. They don't need to think about the risks as long as their eyes are on the speedo.
Of course, both types of numpty are dangerous. Numpty #1 often gets away with it because they know where the cameras are. Numpty #2 is effectively immune from prosecution.
Peter Ward said:
Of course, both types of numpty are dangerous. Numpty #1 often gets away with it because they know where the cameras are. Numpty #2 is effectively immune from any prosecution of any kind whatsoever
Sorry thought I had better make that statement more accurate judging by todays police priorities
Disclaimer - I am not having a go at any police in general only the system in which they work blah blah blah....
Munter said:
2)It appears to read a bit fast....my speedo said just under 30 (I slowed down to look), but it flashed up 32!
Speedos are usually (and deliberately, for product liability reasons) calibrated to be slightly optimistic at higher speed ranges, but because of the physics involved (ie. tyre growth due to centrifugal force), they often under-read a little bit at the lower end of the speed range. They will probably be spot-on somewhere around the 50mph range, then progressively optomistic after that.
East Sussex are currently recruiting for Speed Indicator Display (SID) Operators if anyone fancies it? Thought not... 
Oh yeah, and of all the applicants so far, the vast majority seem to be in their 'later years'
Much better than Talivans, at any rate. I'd be much happier if they fleeted up on these signs instead of more Revenue Generators.
>> Edited by julianhj on Sunday 9th May 11:17
Oh yeah, and of all the applicants so far, the vast majority seem to be in their 'later years'
Much better than Talivans, at any rate. I'd be much happier if they fleeted up on these signs instead of more Revenue Generators.
>> Edited by julianhj on Sunday 9th May 11:17
Martin_S said:
Speedos are usually (and deliberately, for product liability reasons) calibrated to be slightly optimistic at higher speed ranges, but because of the physics involved (ie. tyre growth due to centrifugal force), they often under-read a little bit at the lower end of the speed range.....
I was under the impression that they are not legally permitted to under-read at all?
kevinday said:
Speedos are usually (and deliberately, for product liability reasons) calibrated to be slightly optimistic at higher speed ranges, but because of the physics involved (ie. tyre growth due to centrifugal force), they often under-read a little bit at the lower end of the speed range.....
I was under the impression that they are not legally permitted to under-read at all?
yup bit of a misleadiing statement that one .. if the needle progression isn't in line with eh speed of hte car, all you do is alter the position of the *numbers* on the speedo to bring them in line .. not a difficult thing to do, in fact it's so easy you see it all the time ..
Very misleading!!! the speedos usually read a HIGHER speed than you're actually going at, i.e actually reading 30mph you'll find you're doing no more than around 27...at 100mph you're actually doing less than 95mph....... IMHO certainly german cars MUST read HIGHER than actual speed....... MY porsche reads 50kph when I'm (timed with a stopwatch) only doing 45, and at 200kph actually only doing 190kph (clocked over 2kms with km posts on mway!)
Yeah, most over read by design.
Not all German cars though - my MB reads only 3mph over all the way from 30mph to flat out, if my Road Angel GPS is to be trusted (I know you have to keep the speed constant for a few secs to take the GPS reading accurately due to the slight lag).
I think it's Autocar that prints how inaccurate speedo's are as part of some of their reports. A Fiat or similar (not really reading) in there the other day had a massive over read by the time it was flat out.
Not all German cars though - my MB reads only 3mph over all the way from 30mph to flat out, if my Road Angel GPS is to be trusted (I know you have to keep the speed constant for a few secs to take the GPS reading accurately due to the slight lag).
I think it's Autocar that prints how inaccurate speedo's are as part of some of their reports. A Fiat or similar (not really reading) in there the other day had a massive over read by the time it was flat out.
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