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#286441 - 07/09/2006 18:48 Re: UK speed cams [Re: frog51]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
In the US, there aren't many, if any, speed cameras. At least I've not seen any.

What we do have an abundance of are "red light cameras". It always seems that they're in places where people tend to push yellow lights, as opposed to places where accidents tend to happen. Also, they're often installed under a system where they're run by private organizations who provide the data to the local government, and then get kickbacks from the government based on the number of fines they collect. There's not a conflict of interest there at all. Nope.
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#286442 - 07/09/2006 19:19 Re: UK speed cams [Re: wfaulk]
larry818
old hand

Registered: 01/10/2002
Posts: 1033
Loc: Fullerton, Calif.
There were some here in la county, california. Not any more, tho.

We have something here call the "california hesitation", where no one goes for about five seconds after the light turns green, to give all the folks running the red a chance to go.

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#286443 - 08/09/2006 05:59 Re: UK speed cams [Re: Robotic]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
After my IAM training I spent a while self calibrating my speedo from GPS and found with my standard tyres at the recommended pressure an indicated 33mph was 30, but an indicated 68mph was 60! Gives a better realisation of exactly what speed you were doing, if for some reason you had to discuss this fact with a uniformed officer...ahem

Actually met one of my closest police friends in this sort of situation. I was roundabout playing and he spotted me, but after discussion he realised I was exactly on the speed limit and although drifting trough each roundabout, I was staying in my lane and obviously in control. Turns out he was an IAM examiner and went to some of the same track days and a general good guy.
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MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
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#286444 - 08/09/2006 18:21 Re: UK speed cams [Re: larry818]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
Heh. I learned the california hesitation pretty quick. I vaguely recall hearing my driver's ed instructor (back in Canada), mention that you should always double check that the cross traffic is actually stopping, but the why of it is so much more obvious here. What really irks me isn't the folks running the red, but the idiots who think that they're entitled to squeeze four cars through a left turn after the light turns red, even if they hadn't entered the intersection yet (of course, I think this is partly due to the pathetic lack of advance turn signals on traffic lights).

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#286445 - 08/09/2006 18:28 Re: UK speed cams [Re: frog51]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31578
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
an indicated 33mph was 30, but an indicated 68mph was 60!

I think we had another discussion here on the BBS about this very topic a while back.

My Honda speedo seems to indicate that it's deliberately set to read exactly 10 percent high at all times. So:

- 33 mph is really 30
- 66 mph is really 60
- 88 mph is really 80

Checking this against GPS units, "your speed is" radar emplacements, and speedometer check markers, all seem to support this theory.

Someone on the BBS suggested the following reason: Car manufacturers get fined if it's discovered that their speedos are reading too low, but not if the speedos are reading too high.

I personally think it's just a conspiracy to trick people into driving slower.
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#286446 - 08/09/2006 18:56 Re: UK speed cams [Re: tfabris]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
5mm of wear on your tire reduces your speed from 60mph to just barely over 59mph (at least with my 235/45-17 sample set). Just for reference.
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#286447 - 08/09/2006 23:28 Re: UK speed cams [Re: wfaulk]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5543
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Quote:
5mm of wear on your tire reduces your speed from 60mph to just barely over 59mph (at least with my 235/45-17 sample set). Just for reference.


Yeah... the math checks pretty close. 17 inch rim, probably about 26" overall tire diameter =~ 6500 mm. 5mm wear = 10mm reduction in diameter, 10/6500 = 1.5% reduction in wheel diameter. 60 MPH minus 1.5% = 59.1 MPH.

tanstaafl.
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#286448 - 09/09/2006 01:34 Re: UK speed cams [Re: tanstaafl.]
lectric
pooh-bah

Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
Sheesh, how bored ARE you?

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#286449 - 10/09/2006 04:07 Re: UK speed cams [Re: tfabris]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Also, I just checked. My speedo matches my GPS receiver within about 1MPH at 75MPH.
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Bitt Faulk

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#286450 - 11/09/2006 21:04 Re: UK speed cams [Re: lectric]
tanstaafl.
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5543
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
Quote:
Sheesh, how bored ARE you?


Hey, that's not boring! I find such things to be very compelling, actually. It's a lot of fun to see how numbers work out in real life.

It's a shame that I am too old to claim to be a geek.

tanstaafl.
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"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"

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#286451 - 11/09/2006 21:35 Re: UK speed cams [Re: tanstaafl.]
lectric
pooh-bah

Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
I was just giving you a hard time anyway. It IS interesting, just the last thing I would think to do.

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