# Driving is a privilage....Cops 1 Wak 1 update!



## Wak (May 6, 2002)

and so is driving a TT.... :'(

3 points and a Â£60 fine......fair cop. :-/


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Half of the UK population are criminals now! :-/

Was it a police car or camera?


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

It was a police car. followed me vascar'd me got his evidence and pulled me..

dont speed ...and dont speed in the dark! :-/


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

I normally slow down when I see xenon's behind me.

At least you were not speeding too much so you only got 3 points.

Not to the end of the world and you will forget it soon...as I did.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

it was a non-xenoned rover! 

i didnt think an officer on his own could operate vascar! :-/


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## aidb (Mar 19, 2003)

Don't beat yourself up Wak. Â 

It seems to me that if you haven't got points on your licence these days, you're either lucky, or don't get out much. :-/


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## Marque (Jun 4, 2003)

Sorry to hear the news. I think 2% of us have @ one time or another been "processed".

Look on the bright side at least you dont live in N Wales with such an understanding & discrete Chief Constable as is currently in situ there nobody would stand a chance. But fair play to the means by which one of his relatives (Wife or daughter) was "processed".

How does it feel to spawn a "crime" dynasty then Chief Constable? Are you not the spawn of the devil?


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## SteveS (Oct 20, 2003)

> I think 2% of us have @ one time or another been "processed".


I would have thought that figure is woefullly short of the mark? Even my mother got flashed the other day and she's a "grip the seat" passenger at 25mph :.

Brunstrom is, I agree, a clown (albeit a dangerous clown) and a two faced one at that.

Unlucky Wak . I view it this way, I'm not a nutter in a car but I doubt that there is a day goes by when I don't exceed some speed limit by at least a small amount and I've had one ticket in the last 15 years so it's a reasonable return...


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

Afraid its an "Ocupational Hazard" these days. :-/

Surprised one of your gadgets didn't forewarn you that his Vascar was targeting you so you could make amends to your driving style (Assume you were done for an average over a set distance???)


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## SteveS (Oct 20, 2003)

> Afraid its an "Ocupational Hazard" these days. :-/
> 
> Surprised one of your gadgets didn't forewarn you that his Vascar was targeting you so you could make amends to your driving style (Assume you were done for an average over a set distance???)


AFAIK Vascar doesn't put out any signal to "listen" for.... :-/


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## senwar (Apr 21, 2003)

How bad's this.

I'm reading this post from Wak. My mail arrives from postie. I have a speeding letter drop through my door!!!!!!!

Noooo. 36 in a 30. Worst thing is, I remember being flashed, and thought I was in a 40. And I have a road angel, and knew it was the zone.

Spooky. And upsetting


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## Marque (Jun 4, 2003)

If truth be told I was either flashed (m25 vairable speed limit @ 40 mph) or caught in the flash of someone else (wall to wal) on Wed...I hope it was the latter...

Curious experience (ex 9 Pointer) being predated like this...make me feel very uncomfortable driving in the UK...and it used to be a great pleasure...

A real shame...
M


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## was (Mar 24, 2003)

Wak

sorry to hear that mate, dont let it get you down, take a good long look at whiTTe   

I was point free for 13 years then got 6 at once, gutted but when you put things in perspective


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

> AFAIK Vascar doesn't put out any signal to "listen" for.... :-/


I have learnt something today. I thought all speed trapping equipment put out a signal of some sort or another which could be detected by the right equipment.


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

And if its any consolation - three points for SP10 wont dent the insurance too much, if at all


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## whirlypig (Feb 20, 2003)

> I have learnt something today. I thought all speed trapping equipment put out a signal of some sort or another which could be detected by the right equipment.


Vascar is simply a combined timer/calculator, no signal generated whatsoever. The traffic plod hits a button at point A and then over a 1/4 or 1/2 mile hits the button again and it calculates the average speed over that distance. It may sound a bit primitive but is surprisingly accurate as proved when people have tried argueing their case in court.

Very common in police traffic cars as I can verify, been stopped a few times and showed the Vascar reading, only once was I given a ticket though. I believe that the short white lines on motorways are measured distances often used by traffic police although if they're sitting on the side of the motorway they'll use a bridge and some other obvious marker. It all goes to show that you shouldn't be too reliant on GPS and radar/laser detectors especially at night when you can't see clearly what's in front or behind you


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## fastasflip (May 13, 2003)

The big white circles/squares in the middle of the carriageway can be a good indication that the road may be a target road for Vascar


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

Awwww Wak sorry to hear your bad news :'(. You of all people eh . These things happen I guess. Still another way of looking at it, at least your car wasn't knocked and only your licenece is dented with a few points for a few years . Chin up Wak .


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## garvin (May 7, 2002)

Single copper .......... using VASCAR .............. in the dark ............. sounds very dodgy to me. Unless the carriageway was well lit at the time it is very difficult for the cops to 'spot' the marker points accurately - almost impossible to see when your car has travelled over the white markers on the road and no 'reflections' in back windscreen to accurately mark when you travel under a bridge etc !!


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> it was a non-xenoned rover!
> 
> i didnt think an officer on his own could operate vascar! :-/


You would have to report him then!! This is considered dangerous driving. The vascar is handheld isn't it?


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> If truth be told I was either flashed (m25 vairable speed limit @ 40 mph) or caught in the flash of someone else (wall to wal) on Wed...I hope it was the latter...
> 
> Curious experience (ex 9 Pointer) being predated like this...make me feel very uncomfortable driving in the UK...and it used to be a great pleasure...
> 
> ...


What junctions of the M25 was this? I didn't know that they had flashing cameras there, unless it is the part where they do roadworks between exits 13-15.


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## Private Prozac (Jul 7, 2003)

Bad luck Wak.

He must have been a right miserable jobsworth if the sight of whiTTe, and all it's illuminations, didn't persuade him not to issue the ticket! 

Anyway, saves him having to do 'real' policing like burglery, assaults, murders etc, etc.


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

Sorry to hear this Wak.... 

was just counting my blessings too... got flashed on the NY eve meet on the way home that night... so reckoned this Saturdays post was the last possible time for a ticket to come through the door... nothing tho


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## fastasflip (May 13, 2003)

Horses for courses.......that is his job, the police have many departments, just because someone works for the NHS doesn't mean they all should be performing life saving ops and believe it or not they do get involved in real police work now and again eg the Â 3 coppers, (two who were traffic ) who whilst recovering a stolen car got shot one resulting in his death.

Vascar Â is dashmounted pretty much like a car stereo so i doubt very much that the copper in question could be reported for dangeous driving

Even WAK states it was a fair cop


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## jdn (Aug 26, 2002)

> and so is driving a TT.... :'(
> 
> 3 points and a Â£60 fine......fair cop. :-/


I say congratulations to Wak for:

A) Having the guts to tell everyone he has been caught for speeding

B) Admitting it is a fair cop and not bleating on about how it was unfair or trying to find ways round it.

Makes a change from some of the other speeding posts we have seen.


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## GHuTTch (Dec 4, 2003)

But is it fair? Yes, he owned up to it and accepted the punishment. But three points will normally increase your insurance, costing maybe several hundred pounds over the years until they drop off. It may stop someone from getting a driving job, or if they have points already, it may even cost them their job. Seems a lot for what is an offence neither against a person or property.

Recent proposals to look at fines only for certain speeding offences with points only for really dangerous things, e.g. speeding past a school or very high speeds seem a lot fairer.

Just as an aside, does anyone know if in Scotland a policeman on his own can convict you? I thought in the absence of other evidence, e.g. video, that it then basically came down to his word against yours, which is insufficient proof.


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

> But is it fair? Yes, he owned up to it and accepted the punishment. But three points will normally increase your insurance, costing maybe several hundred pounds over the years until they drop off. It may stop someone from getting a driving job, or if they have points already, it may even cost them their job. Seems a lot for what is an offence neither against a person or property.
> 
> Recent proposals to look at fines only for certain speeding offences with points only for really dangerous things, e.g. speeding past a school or very high speeds seem a lot fairer.
> 
> Just as an aside, does anyone know if in Scotland a policeman on his own can convict you? I thought in the absence of other evidence, e.g. video, that it then basically came down to his word against yours, which is insufficient proof.


Last time i got three points, albeit five or so years ago it had no effect on my premium, i was informed that SP`s are not considered a "risk" factor as long as they dont exceed one count and are at max 3 points [smiley=dizzy2.gif]


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## GHuTTch (Dec 4, 2003)

It must depends on your insurance company for cost I guess. When I got 3 points about 4 years ago (SP50), it bumped up my insurance by about Â£50 a year.


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## L8_0RGY (Sep 12, 2003)

> What junctions of the M25 was this? I didn't know that they had flashing cameras there, unless it is the part where they do roadworks between exits 13-15.


Must be where they have the roadworks, they have lines of both sides of the road approaching J13 and on the side heading into London there is a Gatso that i saw get flashed at today.


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Surely there is a get out clause here :-/ Did he have Video footage of you speeding? Also with the increase of people getting pulled for eating whilst driving (sausage roll, and Kitkat if i recall) and the banning of using a mobile phone without cradle ect he would of had to of not been in total control of his car to set markers ect whilst driving :-/
Could prove costly taking to court though, But i'm with you all the way Wak ;D


> Single copper .......... using VASCAR .............. in the dark ............. sounds very dodgy to me. Unless the carriageway was well lit at the time it is very difficult for the cops to 'spot' the marker points accurately - almost impossible to see when your car has travelled over the white markers on the road and no 'reflections' in back windscreen to accurately mark when you travel under a bridge etc !!


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## Guest (Jan 17, 2004)

Take a look at http://www.abd.org.uk, makes pretty depressing reading, although there may be a few hints of a way to legally scr*wing up a system that is designed to Scr*w you ( as in the motoring public !) ! [smiley=argue.gif]


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> It must depends on your insurance company for cost I guess. When I got 3 points about 4 years ago (SP50), it bumped up my insurance by about Â£50 a year.


Correct. Tesco told me that the insurance will go up even with only 3 points. They said that I am a higher risk now, which is ridiculous anyway.

So it looks like Tesco won't be getting my business in April.


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## UK225 (May 12, 2002)

: Driving is a privilage....Cops 1 Wak 1 update! ???


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## EighTT (Jun 10, 2003)

> How bad's this.
> 
> I'm reading this post from Wak. Â My mail arrives from postie. Â I have a speeding letter drop through my door!!!!!!!
> 
> ...


Here in the U.S. we get our share of tickets as well, but under most circumstances, I don't believe that the majority of officers would issue a citation for barely 5 mph over the limit. Seems a bit cheap to me.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

Thanks for support chaps.

firstly I have to say that not only do I enjoy my car but I enjoy driving to an extent of like-ing fast driving and not wishing to damage myself or others, even when fast I am cautious and drive with 1 main philosophy...

everyone else is going to do something stupid all the time....!

with this I am trying to take care of myself and other road users....i.e. drive attempting to think for them.
Sorry if it sounds like me saying i am the best driver in the world cliche but just making out as an enthusiast and not a nutter I dont believe I drive agressivly or dangerously.

Stangely enough although this officer was curteous....there is a situation that happenned that really summed up how our police force act.

He had his evidence, he had been following me, but just before he pulled me over leading to the m3 sliproad.....

a car cut from the left accross 3 lanes of a roundabout to go right forcing people next to me to slam on anchors, a car in fron to break heavily and drove off at speed.
In that split second he had the chance to go after a real dangerous driver or get his easy money from someone who takes pride in his car and driving.

Unfortunately cars get faster more comfortable at speed and bang for your buck gets higher....

I'm a firm believer in the useless government invest heavily in speed monitoring devices and technology to catch the more careful and enthusiastic motorists.......but spend absolutely nothing on ensuring those given the privilage to drive are capable, curteous on the road or have the sense to be in the right lane for their turning!

I took the fine on the chin, but afterwards felt I should have asked the officer why he chose to persue me and not the guy who nearly took 2 cars out! :-/

However..........>>>


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## UK225 (May 12, 2002)

Come on come on spill the beans ;D


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## ttstu (Nov 1, 2003)

Sorry about your news Wak. As you may know I was stopped early November on the M5 in Devon. Issued with the NIP. Still not heard anything though.

Funny thing was he made a couple of bazaar comments.

1. You were doing 100mph and the road is just starting to get busy. It felt like it would have been ok if it were an hour earlier as it was quieter.

2. As I was about to get out of his car he said try and keep your speed under 80 mph Steuart.

So it is ok to speed then.

Wak the stance of your car on the screen saver is great.


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

> Just as an aside, does anyone know if in Scotland a policeman on his own can convict you? I thought in the absence of other evidence, e.g. video, that it then basically came down to his word against yours, which is insufficient proof


AFAIK it requires two to ticket you.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

Cops 1 Wak 1.. ;D

IT WORKS!..sorry if this will offend some but I have been on a high all day after yesterdays depression....

went to AmD today for a MkIV RR day and talk One Click.

on the way on the M40 lovely day light traffic everyone doing 85-90 mph .

I had let a Hyundai coupe overtake as he wanted to do a ton and I was just cruising....hyundai is pulling away but moves into the center suddenly and slows.

over the brow of a hill into the long sweeping dip and my garage door opener goes ballistic..... its its first time I've seen it go off....I slow down 

The sight of the officer looking confused at his gun was a picture moment and had me smiling all day ;D

I think its a sign to slow down and be more cautious...but thanks to AndyMan, I thought I'd bought a gadget that wouldnt get much use but today made it really worth while and save me another 3 points.
;D


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## UK225 (May 12, 2002)

Nice one m8 ;D

Did your Bell also alert you to the laser trap ?


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

where does one procure a garage opener of this kind ?


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## UK225 (May 12, 2002)

You can get them from lots of places Ronin do a search on the net for LRC100


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## ronin (Sep 6, 2003)

danka ;D


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## SaulTTR (Apr 30, 2003)

Unlucky Wak, I've got 7 points for sp30 and sp40 and they made hardly any premium increase.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

> Nice one m8 Â ;D
> 
> Did your Bell also alert you to the laser trap ?


yup the bell was screaming laser alert. 

time to let off the loud pedal.....maybe my Â£60 will go towards helping the police get all the uninsured drivers off the road.

If this ever happens to you, when you have been safely playing with your cars....what runs through your mind the most is how you work hard, pay taxes, mot, insure your car maintain it and hopefully drive it with due care and relatively more care than is shown to you........basically pay through the nose to be legitimate....but then have to pay more for a little indiscretion when there is so much more serious road traffic offences and behaviour to curb.

:-/

sigh...but that officers face.... ;D


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

I wouldn't put to much reliance on these devices tho... been researching how they work... found this

"Laser Jammers 
ECM -- Electronic Countermeasures 
Many laser jammers are built into the front and/or rear license plate frame or attach to the license plate mounts, some mount to the front grill, bumper or other location. Some laser jammers transmit all the time, some only when a laser radar is detected (some of these alert the driver a laser detected, some do not). Some laser jammers transmit a fixed pulse width at a fixed rate (all known systems using this method are useless), some jammers match the laser radar pulse rate and/or pulse width. Because laser radars have such narrow beams a laser radar at close range (by not illuminating jammer receive aperture) could easily track a target without the detector ever alerting the jammer or driver.

The laser jammer beam must be relatively wide (10's of degrees) compared to the laser radar (about 0.2Â°); the wider the beam the more area covered and the more power required. If the jammer depends on masking (instead of fooling) valid target reflections (pulses), even more power is required. Many laser radars are designed to detect this type of brute force jamming and alert the operator.

EFFECTIVENESS
In 2002 several members of the National Motorists Association (NMA) tested 3 laser radar jammers in 3 different vehicles (Ford Contour, Audi S4, and Ford Expedition SUV) against an LTI UltraLyte 100LR laser radar (purchased in 2000). Base line tests (no jammer) showed the laser radar took a second or more to track targets at long range (about 2,500 feet), and usually (90% of the time) 0.4 seconds for targets less than 1000 feet.

Jammer: K40 Defuser -- Blinder M-06
out of production
-- Blinder M-10 
Approx Cost: $200 $50 used $300 
Physical Style: license frame 2 modules 2 modules 
Operation: constantly
transmits constantly
transmits transmits when
laser detected 
Waveform: IR pulses at
fixed rate/width IR pulses at
fixed rate/width IR pulses at
rate/width of ladar 
Set off Laser
Radar Jam Alert: sometimes sometimes never 
Effectiveness: none none somewhat*

* The Blinder M-10 was ineffective at ranges less than about 500 for all 3 test targets, and generally effective for the cars at greater ranges. For the SUV the M-10 was effective about 60% of the time for ranges between 500 and 1000 feet, and 90% effective for ranges greater than 1000 feet.

Source: National Motorists Association Foundation News, Nov/Dec 2002, Laser Jammer Testing. 
"

There is a whole lot of info here...
http://copradar.com/index.html


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## was (Mar 24, 2003)

> sigh...but that officers face.... ;D


sounds like it was a real Kodak moment   

if only there was a way of linking the garage door opener to a digital camera


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## racer (Feb 3, 2003)

Wak, you've become the new bad boy. [smiley=dude.gif] 
Don't forget Mr Plod has lots of friends [smiley=gossip.gif] [smiley=policeman.gif] and a long memory. If you want to stay out of the way of temptation and avoid the heat for a while you could borrow my Black unmodified 180. It's got tints so they'd never know it was you. 8)


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

WhiTTe will appear in all police forces on the noticeboard. The writing underneath will be: "Wanted Dead or Alive" ;D

But Wak, why did you say fair cop when you think he was unfair to target you and not the dangerous driver? This is hardly fair.

Also chasing the dangerous driver would generate more income, because he would have to go to the court and having more points and fine paid.


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## m7ttc (May 21, 2002)

Wak, you have my commiserations... as someone who has just got rid of 3 points (still 3 left to go) I know how it feels when they get you 

The saddest thing about the way traffic law is now enforced in the UK is that the 'safe' roads are now the places you are most likely to get caught speeding, either by a camera or an officer of the law. Ever since being LASERed on the M1 while out on my bike one sunny Sunday afternoon I try to keep my speed down when on a motorway or dual carriageway. Even on a major A-road you have to keep an eye out for cameras, they are usually cynically positioned on the only stretch of road suitable for overtaking (the Newcastle to Edinburgh strech of the A1 is a prime example).

I guess someone exceeding the speed limit by 15% while out for a sensible drive in their properly prepared, taxed and insured car is more of a danger in the eyes of the law than some untaxed, uninsured, un-MOTed minicab driving past the local school zebra crossing at 30% above the limit...


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

> I guess someone exceeding the speed limit by 15% while out for a sensible drive in their properly prepared, taxed and insured car is more of a danger in the eyes of the law than some untaxed, uninsured, un-MOTed minicab driving past the local school zebra crossing at 30% above the limit...


Any uninsured untaxed driver whether above or below the speed limit is a menace to society, for whom we road legal motorists, pay a levy on our insurance :-/


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## ttvic (Jul 4, 2003)

Hang them all [smiley=hanged.gif]


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## m7ttc (May 21, 2002)

> Any uninsured untaxed driver whether above or below the speed limit is a menace to society, for whom we Â road legal motorists, pay a levy on our insurance :-/


Sorry, my post may have lacked clarity - I was trying to be sarcastic about how the law is enforced - I would rather see the police prosecuting people for driving uninsured or unroadworthy cards (can't say I care too much about road tax), or driving dangerously (and 40mph in a built-up area can be dangerous) than people doing 85-90 on a motorway or dual carriageway.


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## Andyman (May 6, 2002)

> I think its a sign to slow down and be more cautious...but thanks to AndyMan, I thought I'd bought a gadget that wouldnt get much use but today made it really worth while and save me another 3 points.
> ;D


Its awfully strange that the garage door opener could detect or interfere with speed detection equipment. :-/ Glad you found another use for it... whatever next??


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## Sim (Mar 7, 2003)

> Also chasing the dangerous driver would generate more income, because he would have to go to the court and having more points and fine paid.


Probably not when you take into account court costs :-/

Wak, what was a cop doing on your drive anyway? Are you not allowed to enter your garage in peace these days. :-/


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## L8_0RGY (Sep 12, 2003)

> Cops 1 Wak 1.. ;D
> 
> over the brow of a hill into the long sweeping dip and my garage door opener goes ballistic..... its its first time I've seen it go off....I slow down Â
> 
> ...


I think it may have saved you more than 3 points. Glad to know they work i have a "garage door opener " in my car as well


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## ddycool (Dec 9, 2003)

More info on garage door openers here:-

http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/jambuy.htm

[smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## Chip_iTT (Nov 14, 2003)

I think the most important piece of advice there is where to mount these devices... Â reading the spec of the laser diodes used in them they have Â a +/- 15 deg vertical beam and +/- 40 deg horizontal Â so you must make sure that the unit is spot on horizontal if its goiing to have any effect jamming... Secondly for the ladar unit (thats the gun) to get a decent reading it needs a good reflection... so the plice are trained to point it at the number plate as this is highly reflective... since they use a pulsed laser, at 300m range the spot is only 40cm across so if your detector is more than say 25-30cm from the center of the number plate it may not see the incoming laser... and you're nicked.....


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## garvin (May 7, 2002)

> I think the most important piece of advice there is where to mount these devices...


They are also using the laser guns to target the back of cars coupled with a camera for identification purposes - so to be sure you need a 'garage door opening device' both front and back !!


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## silvertt (Nov 5, 2003)

Do you know what really pisses me off about the way traffic laws are enforced and dealt with at court. According to radio 4 our wonderful magistrates are now jailing 4 times as many motorists as 10 years ago. My son was hit head on by a drunken woman driver who was on the wrong side of the road. She also had no insurance.Result one son who nearly died of his injuries and will have a disability for the rest of his life. One drunk who got a 12 month ban and Â£165 fine which no doubt will never be paid yet if I had been nicked doing more than 100mph on a motorway I would no doubt have had Â£300 plus fine and a ban. What really delighted me was how the police told us nothing about the case, what was happening or the result. As far as I am concerned the police have totally failed in all aspects of their work and actually dont give a damn.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> Do you know what really pisses me off about the way traffic laws are enforced and dealt with at court. According to radio 4 our wonderful magistrates are now jailing 4 times as many motorists as 10 years ago. My son was hit head on by a drunken woman driver who was on the wrong side of the road. She also had no insurance.Result one son who nearly died of his injuries and will have a disability for the rest of his life. One drunk who got a 12 month ban and Â£165 fine which no doubt will never be paid yet if I had been nicked doing more than 100mph on a motorway I would no doubt have had Â£300 plus fine and a ban. What really delighted me was how the police told us nothing about the case, what was happening or the result. As far as I am concerned the police have totally failed in all aspects of their work and actually dont give a damn.


Very sad story. :'(


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## robquatt (Oct 20, 2003)

I'm not sure if this has been brought up as I can't be bothered to read all 7 pages . RAC rally in wales, 7 competitors banned including some of the front runners and Â£5000 worth of smaller fines dished out between the rest of the competitors by 'smiley' speed camera vans between stages. The WRC governing body has said to the welsh organisers that as the roads are so dangerous that they have to be policed to such an extent that they must be too dangerous and no longer suitable to host the rally and have withdrawn wales's licence to host a WRC stage. Costing the welsh economy Â£5,000,000 in lost trade that the rally brings in every year. This is what Tiff Nidel said at the auto sport show so i assume it's pretty accurate. If it is some sweet justice for the crooked cash hungry police. ;D


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## PaulRS3 (May 7, 2002)

not a uk website despite the .co.uk part, but by far the cheapest garage door openers i have seen.

http://www.radarshop.co.uk/home.asp

Laser L1 at the bottom


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

Some cars, like the new A8 and the new 5 series have a factory based option that inludes up to 3 remote control buttons for opening garage doors.

Would this work the same way?


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

> I think the most important piece of advice there is where to mount these devices... Â reading the spec of the laser diodes used in them they have Â a +/- 15 deg vertical beam and +/- 40 deg horizontal Â so you must make sure that the unit is spot on horizontal if its goiing to have any effect jamming... Secondly for the ladar unit (thats the gun) to get a decent reading it needs a good reflection... so the plice are trained to point it at the number plate as this is highly reflective... since they use a pulsed laser, at 300m range the spot is only 40cm across so if your detector is more than say 25-30cm from the center of the number plate it may not see the incoming laser... and you're nicked.....


at 40cm accross you are correct its not a wide beam, however its been proven that if a car is being lasered a car behind it can pick up enough scatter to detect the laser, this was using a Bel 550.

at 300m from a stationary tripoded ladar its deadly accurate however some ground tremor will effect them. These guns are typically used from a van or by a handheld unit both with vastly more tremor to cope with..that 40cm beam is being shaken fairly wildly at 300m. Â 

My Laser Detector is top dash mounted and the GDO in the grill above the plate...both picked up the laser simultaneously. 

Some pics half way down this page:-
http://www.wak-tt.com/mods/underled/underled.htm


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2004)

Do the TTs over there not have to Homelink option? I couldn't care less about mine as I have no garage yet but it was on the car when I bought it. Three little buttons just above the rear-view beyond the over-head lights. They say they can be remotely connected to any three electrical devices in your house. That way, you can approach the house, open the garage, turn on the living room lights, and turn on the TV so you don't miss any more of the big game than you have to! Hoo-rah! Wow us Americans really ARE lazy!! I'm serious this time.


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## StuarTT (May 7, 2002)

> Do the TTs over there not have to Homelink option? I couldn't care less about mine as I have no garage yet but it was on the car when I bought it. Three little buttons just above the rear-view beyond the over-head lights. They say they can be remotely connected to any three electrical devices in your house. That way, you can approach the house, open the garage, turn on the living room lights, and turn on the TV so you don't miss any more of the big game than you have to! Hoo-rah! Wow us Americans really ARE lazy!! I'm serious this time.


This is a factory fit option in Europe.

Can also be retrofitted.


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## KevinST (May 6, 2002)

Hmm - I wonder is there's some confusion about standard garage door openers and what Wak has installed ??? ;D
What Wak has will automatically open a garage door by using a laser transmitter... when it automatically detects a laser being pointed at it (or close by). There's no buttons to press as the laser needs to transmit very quickly after first detecting the laser being pointed at it.
What's it used for?? opening garage doors whilst your traveling very fast of course! Admitidly there's very few automatic garage doors that need to be opened by a laser on fast roads...


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

TBH if I had one fitted I wouldn't admit to it online, particularly if I had an easily identified car.

We all know plod really don't like these and I'm sure that they'd hit people hard if they found it. :-/

p.s. First time I've heard of one actually working! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

but I do have an automatic garage door! :-/ really! many have see it


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

FYI

Time & Distance recorders
Visually Assisted Speed Computer And Recorder (VASCAR) is THE way that the police use to record your speed this way. Ever wondered what the white squares in the center of a lane were for? They are speed reference marks that allow VASCAR to be used. VASCAR can be used for 'pre-determined distance' or 'following' speed checks.

If a police car fitted with VASCAR is following you, when you pass over one of these reference points (reference points can also be STOP lines at a Pelican Crossing or a SLOW sign in the road) the time switch is turned on. When the police car passes over the same reference point the distance switch is turned on. Then they watch for you passing another reference point whereupon the time switch is turned off and the same with the distance switch when the police car passes that point. As both the time and distance is now know to the computer, the target vehicle's speed is instantly displayed and is a very accurate figure.

The pre-determined distance check is even easier - both reference points need to be in clear view and all he does is operate the one switch. The reference points then need to be referred to in court.

VASCAR is most often used in following checks where you don't even have to maintain an equal distance, you merely have to say you used the same fixed points on the road for both the target and yourself. Not widely known is this fact: It can be used for 'opposing' checks although it is not easy to do and is not commonly used. You trip the time switch for an opposing vehicle as it crosses a fixed point, you then turn off the time and turn on the distance as it passes you then turn off the distance when you pass the fixed point. Then you have the necessary for the time taken to travel a set distance and the computer does the rest. All you have to do then is turn and catch up to the offender!

Again, calibration is an issue - VASCAR has to be re-calibrated when new tyres are fitted, if the device has been removed for any reason, or at least weekly. A written record must be made in the vehicle log book and the officers pocket book.

The bottom line...
Another point worth remembering is that the speed device is used to corroborate the officers opinion of speed. HOWEVER two officers together can give an opinion of speed and successfully prosecute a speeding offence without a speed measuring device! It is merely necessary if it came to court and the Magistrate had to be convinced that the officer(s) are capable of giving an estimate - ie. years of driving, experience in the police etc. Of course all this only relates to offences committed in England. Scotland has different evidence rules.

In Kent (as an examole), a log is kept of every speedo calibration done on each vehicle fitted with a calibrated speedo. The vehicle is tested once a week and also within 24hrs following a speeding offence. It is not done prior to every days patrol, this is fairly standard throughout the country and is lawfull. Also, a vehicle fitted with a non calibrated speedo can be used provided the speedo is tested within 24hrs after the offence and the speedo is found to be within the acceptable limits.

For all the devices mentioned above, with regard to calibration checks, certainly a log of the checks must be available to the court if requested but the motorist does not have the right to demand production at the roadside. Local procedure may allow the motorist to see the log but it is not enforcable in law. Don't ask the officer questions about this at the roadside; if you were questioned about your ability to do your job how would you feel?

All this is policy remember. It varies from Force to Force. The only thing that is constant is the legislation governing the offence. How that legislation is enforced is down to the Chief of Police for that area.

I'll Just Pay! ;D


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## bajers (Nov 22, 2003)

Bottom line then chaps........

Is it worth buying and fitting a garage door opener, particularly if you don't have an electric garage door?

Will it open my manual garage door if I fit one, or will it only pulse a 'hot' laser on my girlfriends backside to get her to open the door quicker than she does now?

Has anyone had any success with 'opening a garage door' whilst travelling in excess of 70 mph???


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## ddycool (Dec 9, 2003)

This book is worth the Â£20 - very interesting read!

http://www.streetwisepublications.co.uk ... sp?page=60


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## ttstu (Nov 1, 2003)

Of course another reason for not asking the officer if the VASCAR had been callibrated recently is that if it hasn't it sure will have been by the end of the day. Thus you lose a potential loop hole.


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

> Hmm - I wonder is there's some confusion about standard garage door openers and what Wak has installed Â ??? Â ;D
> What Wak has will automatically open a garage door by using a laser transmitter... when it automatically detects a laser being pointed at it (or close by). There's no buttons to press as the laser needs to transmit very quickly after first detecting the laser being pointed at it.
> What's it used for?? opening garage doors whilst your traveling very fast of course! Admitidly there's very few automatic garage doors that need to be opened by a laser on fast roads... Â


Well fine, the garage door require manual interaction and this is automated. But apart from this, is all the rest the same?


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## BigJon (May 7, 2002)

There is an amazing amount of wrong/misleading information/opinion on this thread.

Speak to a serving traffic Policeman and get the true facts.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

care to elaborate John? 
Your opinions are very highly regarded..whats bugging you?


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

yes, please share!

very interesting read this one (and tough luck Wak - and all others who have put their hands up).

Would be nice to know which bits aren't correct - they all seemed pretty much spot on to me ???


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## BigJon (May 7, 2002)

It would take me a very long time to go through and list all the discrepancies on this thread.

I will try to get a Traffic Car and officer to AMD on the 7th February to give those present a demonstration and explanation of speed enforcement.

I cannot gaurantee this as it will depend on duty committments of the officer but I will try my best.


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## Wak (May 6, 2002)

> It would take me a very long time to go through and list all the discrepancies on this thread.
> 
> I will try to get a Traffic Car and officer to AMD on the 7th February to give those present a demonstration and explanation of speed enforcement.
> 
> I cannot gaurantee this as it will depend on duty committments of the officer but I will try my best.


Cool, I aint coming! Â 

Well I will but lets avoid mentioning garage door openers! Â  ;D


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## Dont I Recognise You (Oct 10, 2003)

ROFL! ;D


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

I wasn't planning to come to this...but if the officer comes, I must come and see the show. ;D

Will the officer approves Wak's installation? Will he pass the test? I will bring my video camera with me too. ;D


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