Being warned by other motorists......police camera van ahead

[Erudite geezer]

Earlier this week driving in semi-rural Berkshire, I was flashed and alerted by 3 motorists in a short period of time that there was a stationary police van further down the road, I presume issuing speeding tickets.

Is this common behaviour?

I was certainly grateful for the notification.

[FlabbyMidgets]

Happens around here (south Wales) quite often. I do recall a story in the news about an elderly chap who was prosecuted for doing this. Not sure what under, perverting the course of justice or obstruction I would guess.

[Second Best]

Flash of the headlights and a thumbs down was the unofficial way, right? Nowadays I see people gesturing to "slow down" (i.e. waving the hand with the palm facing the floor). I think the second way is quite clever as you could just say you thought the other driver was speeding and mimicked the motion of an old woman you saw doing the same thing.

[Huskyman]

Erudite geezer said:

Earlier this week driving in semi-rural Berkshire, I was flashed and alerted by 3 motorists in a short period of time that there was a stationary police van further down the road, I presume issuing speeding tickets.

Is this common behaviour?

I was certainly grateful for the notification.

Yes like the last poster we do but make sure the creature in the van doesn't see us flashing motorists. Defence to flashing a motorist?!? I thought he was speeding and was indicating him to slow down.. They aren't police in those vans by the way and one lunatic mate parked behind one van and opened the bonnet to check the engine... Designated parking area so the in the van couldn't do a blessed thing.

[Leins]

Routine behaviour here in Ireland, and almost viewed as bad form not to

[Earthdweller]

FlabbyMidgets said:

Happens around here (south Wales) quite often. I do recall a story in the news about an elderly chap who was prosecuted for doing this. Not sure what under, perverting the course of justice or obstruction I would guess.

PTCOJ would be nigh on impossible to prove and the obstruction offence would only apply if the camera operator was a sworn constable which invariably they aren't (many aren't even employed by the Police)

I think proving a hand gesture or headlamp flash was to interfere with justice would be disproportionate to the offence tbf when both have defences that would be hard to disprove

I.e. A headlamp flash under the Highway Code is too warn other road users of your presence

[corozin]

Leins said:

Routine behaviour here in Ireland, and almost viewed as bad form not to

It *is* bad form not to warn others. Down here the sneaky turds have started setting up away from accident spots clearly just to try and get the numbers up. Warning other drivers is the decent thing to do.

[Earthdweller]

corozin said:

Leins said:

Routine behaviour here in Ireland, and almost viewed as bad form not to

It *is* bad form not to warn others. Down here the sneaky turds have started setting up away from accident spots clearly just to try and get the numbers up. Warning other drivers is the decent thing to do.

They do seem to put them in some very odd places in the ROI from what I've seen

Rural roads, miles from anywhere

Where at least where I live in the UK they do seem to be at "concern" sites which are published and tend to be in towns/near schools etc not on empty country roads

[E65Ross]

I thought this was common practice everywhere!?

[gforceg]

Leins said:

Routine behaviour here in Ireland, and almost viewed as bad form not to

What sort of threshold over the limit do they set Leins? I was over last week and rolled past a van in an 80 limit a little over.

Thanks

[Davie]

These camera vans, their purpose is to reduce speed limits / save lives right...? On that basis, if you warn oncoming motorists who are a tad speedy to slow down, then you're obviously assisting the authorities in their quest to reduce speed limits and save lives and I'm sure the local constabulary would be most grateful for your efforts. They absolutely most definitely wouldn't be pissed at the fact they're missing out on £100 a pop... nope, absolutely not.

Odd isn't it, do this and the police almost burst a blood vessel and would have you hanged for denying them a few extra quid for the annual ball but stick some slightly mental old lady on a street armed with a hairdryer and she's hailed as being a national hero?

I warn people, though seems the PCP / stressed Mummy crew just glare back at you or mouth obscenities...

[steveo3002]

theyre saftey cameras - so if you see a dangerous driver approaching the danger spot at speed its only polite to gesture to slow down and improve saftey for everyone

[Wobbegong]

steveo3002 said:

theyre saftey cameras - so if you see a dangerous driver approaching the danger spot at speed its only polite to gesture to slow down and improve saftey for everyone

warning others of danger areas saves lives. Just imagine if a little toddler ran out on that empty dual carriageway in the middle of the countryside. It doesn't bear thinking about

[Prohibiting]

Someone did the waving downwards hand to me so I thought maybe there was a mobile camera ahead. Yep, 15 seconds later along the road sat a mobile camera van. That kind person saved me.

[venquessa]

I'd be much less annoyed with speed vans if they were actually used where speed is highly dangerous or where accidents are common.

I have yet to see one anywhere near a school in the mornings when people routinely plough through the 30 zone at 40 when IMHO with kids exiting Chelsea tractors and darting across the road... they should be doing 20.

[anonymous-user]

i find this actually makes me more aware of my speed, where as a safety camera is there just to make money.

[Poshbury]

Sorry officer, I wanted to wash the windscreen but pulled the wrong lever. Simples!!!

Common practice for the French too, they hate being taxed and as the French government are using speeding fines to pay off some national debt, a tax is exactly what it has become.

[Cudd Wudd]

I recall reading about an hgv driver years ago who was prosecuted for waving his arm out his window to warn fellow motorists, but that's as far as my recollection goes.

A quick Google search brings up mainly Mail and Express results, so perhaps not that reliable, but it did also reveal this PH thread from 2006 saying the Lords backed a lorry driver, albeit in circumstances where it seems they could not provide evidence of any speeders reacting to the alleged actions:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[HTP99]

Common practice where I live too.

There is one that is parked up in a spot where I don't recall ever hearing of an accident, however it is near a school (probably their reasoning for having it there) but, the school is a good few hundred yards up another road and the camera van is never there at school drop off or kick out time, I guess as the roads are too busy to catch anyone.

The only other mobile camera in my area is on the A3, northbound, in a dip just after a bridge and it is in an area where there are never accidents, the accidents happen about 2 miles further up where the M25 joins the A3, and the van is only there on either a Saturday or Sunday, when the A3 is relatively free flowing and probably at its safest, however it is far easier to speed, occasionally you will get a flash from the opposite carriageway.

Pisses me off that they are marketed as being in accident black spots and they are all about safety when in fact they clearly aren't, especially as both of the above are relatively hidden too.

Edited by HTP99 on Saturday 24th June 10:11

[FourWheelDrift]

Poshbury said:

Sorry officer, I wanted to wash the windscreen but pulled the wrong lever. Simples!!!

Automatic lights, they turn on when dark. Perhaps a tree or a bird's shadow passing over may have caused them to momentarily flash on officer.