To wonder if people who speed through motorway cameras just don't care about a fine?

[5toMidnight]

I am regularly on a motorway with variable speed limits and active cameras/painted speed lines positioned behind every gantry. Every single time it seems I am the only person who sticks to whatever the speed limit is. Others seem to be doing at least 5 and sometimes 10 mph more than I am.

Actually I also see this a lot on regular roads. If I stick to the limit then I inevitably create a tailback. This morning I ended up doing 35 in a 30, I created a tailback and at one point the bloke behind me actually overtook me.

So. AIBU to think that I am the only person who is worried about speeding any more?

No-one has said they are creating queues on the motorway. The OP was talking about regular roads when discussing queues.

The 10% plus 2 "allowance" is ACPO GUIDANCE only! Police issuing the fine can give it for any amount over limit and long as they can show they are acting fairly and proportionately. Some forces are specifically targeting people who fall under this bracket, see www.driving.co.uk/news/just-1mph-too-fast-and-youre-nicked-new-zero-tolerance-approach-to-speeding/

So although it would be rare to get a ticket for doing 31 in a 30 zone, you would have a job trying to challenge it, unless you said the police officer was targeting you unfairly.

My previous cars speedometer was out by 10%, current is out by 5%, according to satnav.

I set my cruise control:-
at 21 if limit is 20
at 31 if limit is 30
at 42 if limit is 40
at 52 if limit is 50
at 63 if limit is 60
at 73 if limit is 70

It's adaptive cruise control so car will slow down automatically to match car in front if they are going slower, then I have to decide if it's worth trying to overtake.

Lots of people don't care, I think.

I have a foreign reg, so I'm not particularly careful on the motorway.

Sorry I should clarify: I'm not particularly careful about keeping to the speed limit on the motorway- I'm a safe driver!

Around here the cameras only kick in when the variable speed limit signs are on - if the traffic is flowing normally then they effectively aren't in operation. People who don't know this usually slam brakes on to go down to 65 which can be more dangerous than someone steadily going at 75.

So although it would be rare to get a ticket for doing 31 in a 30 zone, you would have a job trying...

So rare there's not a single properly documented example of it actually happening

I drive according to the conditions on a motorway- sometimes it's 60, more often it's 85-95, sometimes in the 'slow' lane. Never been fined. Nothing worse than some idiot pootling along at 65 in the middle lane because they are scared to change lanes and causing an obstruction, leading another idiot to undertake around them. Use whatever lane is appropriate for your speed but move back left when the opportunity presents. Keep your eyes open and 'make progress', whatever lane you're in or whatever speed you're doing.

When it comes to motorway driving I hate being overtaken for some reason and I find driving very boring so I tend to speed to get there asap! I always work within the 10% rule around cameras and the rest of the time do what I fancy. Never had any points.... yet and most of my motorway driving is M25 based.

I really wouldn't worry about the speed just keep an eye out for cameras and unpredictable drivers.

all the posters who've jumped on to explain how they drive at whatever speed they, with their superior-to-other-drivers-wonderful-condition-assessing skills deem to be appropriate on motorways - do you think you sound cool and fuck-the-man-ish? Because you actually sound like twats.

yes you are lucky you've never been caught by cameras - you're luckier that you've never caused a serious accident.

Why is driving at the speed limit a law it's okay to break "a little bit", but others aren't?

If someone punched you in the face, you'd expect them to get arrested because they broke the law. You wouldn't handwave it as 'well they only gave me a bruise rather than breaking my nose, so they only broke the law a little bit.'

If someone stole from you I assume you'd still think it's a crime if they stole £50, rather than £5000?

What makes speeding so different? If you go over the limit by 1 mile, then you are breaking the law, and, whether you actually get issued one or not, then you deserve a fine.

I was told on a speeding course only a small number of cameras are operating so your chances of being caught are actually fairly low

They also said the 10% thing is a myth though....

DO NOT assume that your Speedo is over reading, most do, around 5 to 7%, but some do not! Mine is spot on and I've checked that against a precision measurement radar set. Also the GPS can be very accurate but not all of them are so keep to the limits and you won't be done simple as that .

If you disagree then take it up with your MP to get the law changed!

FWIW the ex was done for 34 in a 30 limit and had to do a speed awareness course!.

Oh come on anotherone have you been on a motorway recently? Hardly anyone is doing 70mph. Don't act surprised that people speed (commonly on motorways)

I notice a lot on motorways that people speed up to 80-90mph and iv questioned whether I should Google the national speed limit as I seem to be the only one doing it besides the people doing 40-50 on the motorway which is more annoying.

I always slow down to about 5mph less than the speed limit when coming to a speed camera I don't trust them to get it right and don't trust my speedometer either.

Cameras only work up to 200 mph so as long as you faster than that it's absolutely fine.

I always slow down to about 5mph less than the speed limit when coming to a speed camera

Good grief

We had a Suzuki Hayabusa 1300 and that could do 200mph.
Although one day we did go through a speed trap doing 175 and that obviously didn't register because we didn't hear anything!

Are we supposed to be impressed raspberry?

My initial reaction was 'what a monumental prat' for A) Riding at stupidily fast speeds and B) Coming on here to brag about it.

It wasn't me riding it. I was on the back.
And yes my ex was a prat.

You do realise that just because there are lines on the road there is not necessarily a camera on the gantry? I drive through a variable limit section where there are 10 sets of lines but only 3 monitored by cameras. I know this because I speed past the others and slow down for those....

mariposa why the fuck do you do that? How ridiculous.

By law speedos can't underread so manufacturers build in a safety margin meaning that if yours is spot on, there's probably something wrong. They wouldn't risk being held liable for you not knowing that you were speeding.

I was told that on the motorway the speed cameras don't tend to be switched on unless the lights come on and display a lower speed limit (for example when it drops down to 40 in rush hour) so people tend to slow down to speed limit at these times but otherwise they are not generally switched on.

Matchingbluesocks I commute daily on the M25 and hardly anyone is doing above 55-60 because it's packed at rush hour and my route isn't a very busy one.

I can't say that I've never been above the speed limit but to causally admit to regularly driving 85-90mph is bizarre. Why are people so casual about regularly breaking laws that they don't fancy adhering to?! Oh look at you, so cool....driving really FAST!! I'm well jel, as my teen would say....or not!

It isn't big or clever to exceed the speed limit by 35%. I know how easy it is to edge over the speed limit on a clear run, but doing 95mph in a 70mph limit is only 5mph short of an instant driving ban.

The arrogance shown on here by some posters is breathtaking.

Oh, and I do a lot of motorway driving.

at the posts in this thread. I doubt there is anyone who is perfect every day they use the roads, but this is somethong else.

As if there aren't enough accidents