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?

I do a lot of driving on the A1/A1M as well, and much of it is 2 lanes. What gets my goat is when I'm driving at 70 overtaking slow traffic, and someone scorches up behind and tailgates me, flashing their lights like mad to try and force me to get out of their way.

No, I'm damned well not going to break the law and go any faster, nor am I going to pull in as quickly as possible, cutting up the driver I've just passed in the process.

I have a speed limiter in my car. I set it to the speed limit and never have to stress.

Middle lane hogging was always against the Highway Code:

Part 264 of the Highway Code says: "You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past."

It was made an offence after a consultation in 2013. So there really is no excuse to do it and then bleat sanctimoniously about people who speed - they are both offences and they are both unacceptable.

"I have a speed limiter in my car. I set it to the speed limit and never have to stress."

IMO speed limiters can be dangerous. I once put mine on by mistake at 30mph and then struggled to accelerate when I was on the motorway. I didn't realise what had happened and thought there was something wrong with the car.

I use cruise control, not the speed limiter.

DH got caught by a fixed camera doing 32 in a 30 zone

I don't believe this - if you can post any evidence of it, it will be the first time any has been made available on the internet.

'The Internet'

My DH has 3 points on his license and a speed awareness course for doing 33 in a 30 zone twice (same stretch of road - Llanelli if you're interested) - I'll see if he can dig out the 'evidence' I won't He tried to explain the +10% 'rule' to the prosecuting police force but she laughed at him.

Regarding middle lanes - I also hate middle lane hoggers. However, if I'm overtaking in the middle lane and then can see that traffic ahead in the left lane is going slower than me (say within 1 mile) then I stay in the middle lane. Same if I overtake and there is a junction sliproad approaching. Saves moving in and out of the same lane in the space of a couple of minutes. Not sure if this makes me a hogger.

When I use GPS it does suggest the car speedo is overestimating by about 10%.

Apparently, most cars overestimate by ~10%, but I'm told German cars tend to be a lot closer to a true reading... wonder if any BMW/Audi drivers (in between driving like loons) with GPS can corroborate this...?

Ritchy, no that is defensive driving, not middle lane hogging. A mile at 70 mph takes no time at all, so no sense in performing two manoeuvres. Hogging is about the kind of driver who sits in a middle lane for miles and miles when the left hand lane is completely empty. Like the van driver who was the first to be prosecuted.

I have a speed camera detector on my tom tom - many of the gantries do not have active speed cameras - this is on M25 and M1.

Ritchy, no that is defensive driving, not middle lane hogging. A mile at 70 mph takes no time at all

No, that is lane hogging. If someone is a mile ahead on the motorway travelling even 20 mph slower than you (and unless they are going very slow, or you are going very fast, the difference will probably be much less than that) then it will take you several minutes and several miles to catch up with them.
Just move over and get out of the way.

Yes MrsBethe German motahs do have accurate speedometers;l)

And so the signs dotted round the M25 saying 'avoid changing lanes'...?

It's not about catching up with them though. If I move over and within the space of a minute or so am behind them at a reasonable distance - I will then need to move back out or brake. Constant changing lanes creates risks. If you are behind me and want to overtake then you move into the overtaking lane

A mile is probably an exaggeration as you can't really see that far ahead anyway - I'm talking about where you can see the lane ahead is occupied by a slower vehicle and moving into it would mean that you need to brake or move back out fairly quickly.

Having been clobbered quite a lot for speeding in the past (am not a boy racer - was just marginally over), I now use my cruise control consistently set to the speed limit - so I won't be one of those people you see whizzing through variable speed limits. I'm the one with the queue of traffic behind me! Nothing like learning the hard way

"My DH has 3 points on his license and a speed awareness course for doing 33 in a 30 zone twice (same stretch of road - Llanelli if you're interested) - I'll see if he can dig out the 'evidence' grin I won't He tried to explain the +10% 'rule' to the prosecuting police force but she laughed at him"

That is really harsh!

My rule tends to be that the lower the speed limit, the less likely I am to speed. So 20/30/40/50 mph areas, I stick to pretty rigidly. Roads where the speed limit is 60mph or on the motorway, I am a bit more flexible on . So you may find me driving nearer to 70mph in a 60mph if it is a dual carriage way, (though less if it is a single lane road) and closer to 80mph on the motorway. Not all of the time, but if I am overtaking or on some stretches I probably do drive faster than the speed limit

I very occasionally find myself going a bit over 80mph on the motorway, but that is generally because I have used the fast lane to overtake a couple of cars that may be doing 70 but are sitting in the middle lane. Then when I am in the fast lane, people do drive around 80mph or more there and I prefer not to to have anyone tailgaiting me when in a fast lane on the motorway. So I drive at a speed where I can safely overtake all of the drivers going at 70mph or less in the middle lane. Then I move to the middle lane and then back to the slow lane again as soon as there is space.

My aim is to stay at 65-75 mph in the slow lane if possible but to overtake if necessary, hence why I end up driving at about 80mph unless of course the motorway is so busy that the average speed is lower than that.

I do care about speed cameras but I know that most of them are not working anyway and also sometimes I fail to register them if it is an area I don't know well..

So I drive at a speed where I can safely overtake all of the drivers going at 70mph

Well that's OK then, one rule for me one for thee;!

If you can see the driver you know you will need to overtake then no way is that a mile. I believe the rule of thumb is 10 seconds - i.e. if you can stay in the inside lane for 10 seconds before needing to move out again, don't bother moving in.

In 10 seconds you will have drawn level with that slower driver. I always move back left if I can, but sometimes I can't - especially if the left lane is wall to wall lorries doing 52 mph and overtaking each other.

Some people are just stupid.

The number of people who slow right down as they pass the first 'average speed check' camera, then speed up to 80, then back down as they pass the second makes me

Just move over and get out of the way
Er... no. If people are doing 70, then there's no reason why they should have to 'get out of the way'.

Fresh milk in tea is always possible. You need two flasks - one for hot water, another for cold milk.

Oops, wrong thread