Hypothetically speaking, if I were to pass a stationary police car at speeds in excess of the designated speed limit, how, if any, would I be caught speeding.

I thought that if theyre using a hair dryer to zap people they need to pull me over to give me the ticket. Likewise if they use the on board computer.

The only other way of getting caught speeding is by a camera of one sort or another which arent on board the cars??

they my have had a video camera further up. They do that here quite often so they can put the van or car out of sight and all you can see in a black box on a tripod.

chance are you haven't been done though

I accidently went passed a police car at 60 in a 30 a little while back (didnt realise it was 30 until i came back) and they did nowt.

not sure if it still the law but it used to be the case that if 2 officers were together and they both agreed that in their opinion you were doing X miles an hour then that stood legally!
Think that was all tied in with the laws about you could only be done by an unmarked car if there were 2 officers on board...

or maybe Im just talking cr*p....

They could be using VASCAR which is a timing system between to land marks could be changes in tar colour , bridges etc. But usually they will then pull out / chase and blue light you.

I got caught on a bike, but they didnt have any evidence other than they had to chase me through traffic to get me. I didnt know they were following me until they nearly knocked me off my bike.

The summons came through, and it went to court, but only one copper provided a statement, and i remember at the time that the other copper didnt seem to agree with the way the other guy was dealing with the issue.

He was a complete wanker, and was really aggressive, regardless of the reasons i had given him to prevent myself from being squashed under a lorry.

The summons were;

Fail to stop for a constable (he wasnt wearing hi vis, was on the opposite side of the road apparently, and i didnt see him.)

Exceeding 30 (which i admitted to as a result of being sandwiched between a white van and a lorry)

Fail to comply with a traffic signal (which was amber when i went through it)

Driving without Due care and attention (for filtering through traffic). - I was following the other bikes through the traffic at the time and wasnt speeding.

It was thrown out in the end, by a magistrate at Greenwich, and i was acquitted of all wrong doing.

Anyway, the point is, the traffic cars round here have HD cameras mounted on them with number plate recognition. You need to be very lucky to get away. The trick is to be sensible with your speed. Most coppers nowadays are fairly understanding if youre being sensible, but then i havent met too many of those....

vascar requires them to be moving for them to compare the time it takes them to do the same distance as you to do the same.
mobile camera units carry large equipment and are in special vehicles, not ur average parol BMW etc.
If they were using a laser/radar gun they should stop u there n then.
i have also heard of the 2 officers allowed to use judgement, but i would expect this to only be in extemely clear circumstances, they would be hard pushed to take it to court and prove beyond reasonable doubt you were doing more than the limit, unless you were doing a good 20mph plus.

I was pulled over the other day in the Tiger... they pullked along side (didnt even get out!) and asked if i was the owner.. then asked if i kneww the speed i was doing? I said no.. what speed was i doing?
they replied "thats not really relevant, just keep it down ok sir!"

I guess they knew they didnt have enough to get me on and just wanted to warn me off....

to be fair, if i hadnt missed a gear i would have been going quite a bit quicker when they saw me!

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they my have had a video camera further up. They do that here quite often so they can put the van or car out of sight and all you can see in a black box on a tripod. chance are you haven't been done though

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How will the public know where the cameras are? back to top The location of mobile cameras will be publicised in the local media and on this website. Fixed site safety cameras are highly visible, with distinctive red and yellow housings, in line with Scottish Executive guidelines. Officers engaged in mobile camera sites will be operating in conspicuous marked vehicles.

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Take care, they can get you with VASCAR while they are stationary or moving but only traffic cars have it. If they get your number and get a VASCAR reading they can summons you.

VASCAR works by working out the time it takes you to cover a certain distance. The policeman flicks a switch as you pass a marker and flicks it again as you pass another. He can do this whether he is moving or stationary and whatever direction he may be going in, so long as he can see you as you pass both points. The points can be picked on the fly and can be almost anything (bridge shadow, mile marker, telegraph pole, phone box, pillar box, etc. etc. etc. This gives VASCAR the time you have taken between two known points.

All it needs then is the distance. The policeman measures this by driving the distance between both points flicking a switch as he passes each one. He can do this before, after or while you are passing between the two points.

So they can measure it first and then sit and wait to time you, or they can time you and then go back and measure it, or they can time and measure at the same time which goes like this. Flick the switch as you pass the first point, flick another as they pass it, flick again as you pass the second point, flic the last time as they pass it.

They can also get you with their calibrated speedo by following you at a set distance, with video if it will be obvious to the magistrate from it (or the digital speed displayed on it) that you are speeding, and of course they can get you with handheld radar/lazer but must be stationary to do it.

[Edited on 20/8/09 by sucksqueezebangblow]