Can anyone recommend a detector that is effective without costing an arm and a leg. I have the static ones on my sat nav but thats all. Just got a letter for doing 36 in a 30 zone on way back from SKC so am paranoid now :-(

Talex is really good.

I have one and it's one of the few that works really well. It gives you plenty warning about fixed cameras, red light cameras and the locations of possible mobile camera sites (mobile cameras can only be used at approved locations).

It only gives warnings of cameras on your side of the road  (ie ones that you can get prosecuted by) unlike many others that will annoyingly warn you of cameras regardless of which side they are on and whether they can be used in evidence against you.  

By the way they are now called "safety cameras" not "speed cameras" because they are there for your safety and not to catch you speeding and make lots of money for the government. ;)

Forget any thoughts of radar detectors as they generally don't work and go off at nearly every traffic light (traffic lights can use radar to detect vehicles in their proximity) and in any event by the time you are hit by a laser or radar pulse from a hand held gun and the detector detects it ... too late you're done ! 

Talex won Autocars best all round "safety camera" warning system and there are plenty to be had on ebay:

http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=talex

It won't help you if you are followed by a traffic car though so don't think you are totally safe.

The only sure fire way not to get caught speeding is not to speed ! :)

H.T.H.

Is it a talex lite. I saw that one advertised in argos at 69.99

Talex Lite is fine.

The "full fat" version just includes warnings of School Areas as well and a few other features, uneccessary in my opinion. ;)

Thanks
Will get one of those. Does it warn you if you are exceeding the limit?

Only if you are approaching a camera.

But it gives you a constant read out of your speed which is very accurate because it uses GPS to calculate it.

They are good though and you'll get nagged to death if you approach a camera above the speed limit !!!! :)

I've got two a Snooper & an Indic8tor. The Snooper's can be set to pick up Laser's & give you a 500-1500 meter warning & it does work & doesn't false warnings. The Indic8torwarns of mobile camera zones & the speed limit.

Then I have my Tom Tom which sounds an alarm if you exceed the speed limit of whatever road you are on & also shows the speed limit. The Indic8tor is around £79.99 the snooper is more expensive but was a present

I use them to remind me what the limit is & not to get away with speeding, especially if I'm in a new area

not being funny, but why don't you just drive at the correct speed??

I've had tickets for speeding, once in a 40 zone, and once on the motorway. I know most of us push our luck on national speed limit roads, but in my opinion there's no excuse for speeding in a 30 zone

just my opinion

Dearlady you have posted exactly what I was thinking as I was reading this post! There's a post on here about the credit cruch & how people are hard up etc but yet you have people on here we are willing to spend a reasonable amount of money which could easily be avoid BY STICKING TO THE SPEED LIMIT!! The speed limits are set for a reason not just there to slow you down or to catch you speeding & make money off a ticket!!! A 30 mph area is set there for a reason & you should obey it & if you don't & get caught then that is no-one but your own fault! Ridiculous!

Dearlady you have posted exactly what I was thinking as I was reading this post! There's a post on here about the credit cruch & how people are hard up etc but yet you have people on here we are willing to spend a reasonable amount of money which could easily be avoid BY STICKING TO THE SPEED LIMIT!!

Fair point.

The "credit crunch" will affect us all but most of all those who have (for whatever reasons) been living their life using credit and now have huge debts with the prospect of increasing interest rates.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of that and no doubt some will say that it's all down to big business having made credit too easy to get hold of in the past, which may be so, the decision to take out credit has always been down to the indvidual & nobody else. In many cases (not all) they will just see something they want, buy it, and put it on their card with no thought whatsovever of the possible consequences of how they will pay for it should interest rates rise. This may be a bit of a generalisation and there will be others who find themselves in debt by overstretching themselves in what they thought would always be a buoyant housing market etc never considering that they might find themselves in negative equity one day should things change as they have done. 

What I'm saying is that buying anything on credit is risky whether it be a car, house or just a new pair of shoes and people have to realise that (most seem to have forgotten) and that financial climates and personal circumstances change, it's not money for nothing !

I've bought a house using a mortgage (in the 80's with interest rates at 15%) as it's the only way most people can do this but I was careful not to overstretch myself. It was a struggle at times to pay all the bills but it's now paid off and interest rates have fallen dramatically since then !

So, I'm genuinely sorry for anyone that finds themselves trapped by debt but I can't help but feel that in very many (not all) cases it's of their own doing. The old maxim "never a borrower or a lender be" was never truer than today !

The speed limits are set for a reason not just there to slow you down or to catch you speeding & make money off a ticket!!!

Getting back on topic, that's certainly what the government will tell you.

A 30 mph area is set there for a reason & you should obey it & if you don't & get caught then that is no-one but your own fault!

Couldn't agree more !

And, any device that warns you when you are approaching a safety camera (placed only at areas known to cause accidents) regardless of whether you are speeding or not, can only be an aid to safer driving in those areas.  

Ridiculous!

Well, maybe !

And, any device that warns you when you are approaching a safety camera (placed only at areas known to cause accidents) regardless of whether you are speeding or not, can only be an aid to safer driving in those areas.

I agree... if that's what they are being used for, however my experience has led me to believe these devices are to warn you when you are speeding so as to avoid tickets etc & not to make you 'speed aware'.  I stand by my response if you stick to the recommended speed limit you should't need one of these, in all fairness where most speed cameras exist there are plenty of warning signs & all the roads I travel on are clearly speed sign posted so all drivers know the speed they should be driving at!!!

I don't mean to attack the people that use these as I know that a driving licence to some people is a way of earning a living, but you have to remember the impact doing for example 36mph in a 30mph zone & hitting someone can have! The adverts on TV have certainly impacted on me & my driving.

The O.P. says she was caught doing 36mph in a 30mph zone, 6mph over the limit, not something too difficult to do. I bet we've all been there a momentery lapse in concentration you look down at the speedo and oops I'm doing 36mph instead of 30mph.

A Talex will warn you as you approach any safety camera, redlight camera or mobile camera area and it will nag you to slow down until you are doing the speed limit even if you are going just 1mph over the speed limit ! As I said before these cameras are only placed at areas known for accidents and therefore a Talex will immediately draw to your attention the fact that you are entering a dangerous area and allow you to bring your speed down to a safe level should you for whatever reason be driving at an innapropriate speed .

We've all seen the advertisments as to what can happen to pedestrians in impacts of 30mph+  so to my mind, all the more reason that these gadgets should exist and I commend the O.P. for enquiring about them. I'd say £79.99 is a small price to pay "credit crunch" or not, if it saves just one life that might otherwise have been lost.

Likewise, this is not in any way an attack on your post, it just depends on your view of these things & I suspect that we may actually be "singing from the same Hymn Book" on this . :)

I'm not condoning speeding but I recognise how easy it is to inadvertantly creep above the limit as anyone who drives will know ! :)

I wasn't trying to be facetious with my post.....but I have found that if you regularly drive at 30, 40 and 50 in the posted areas, it does get easier to recognise what speed you are driving without going over...

If you are thinking about getting a sat nav anyway, I think most of them have speed alerts etc

I certainly don't push my luck at any speed in unfamiliar areas, and as I drive one of the hated 4x4's, I am more aware of what damage I could do if involved in an accident...and in the van as well (dispatch) it just isn't worth the risk...

I dare say in the long run, spending X amount on a speed trap detector would work out financially viable if it stops the receiving of tickets and risk of losing licence re build up of points etc.....   

One of my pet hates is people driving at the wrong speed. Whether it is speeding or not going fast enough ;-) People doing 30-40 on a main country road really annoys me. What annoys me most though are the people who are doing 70 on a dual carriageway (where there is no restriction) and then slam on their brakes just as they come up to a speed camera. Why? The speed limit is 70, not 60, so why slow down? If I'm behind you I am more likely to crash into you at that speed as I am not going to slam on my brakes until I see your brake lights on! Ok, maybe not, as I keep a good distance, but can someone tell me why people have to do this???????? The only time the national speed limit was 60 was during the 70's and it was only for a short period of time during the petrol shortage.

As to doing 36 in a 30 zone, it is so easy to do in the modern car. I have quite often realised that I've gone over the speed limit.

What annoys me is people going 10-20 MPH UNDER the speed limit. I was taught on my lessons to get UP TO the speed limit as quickly as possible!!!
ANd the ones that drive 40 in a 60 and the 40 in a 30!!!!!!! WHY WHY WHY~?????????????
I had one the other day that drove 30 all the way through a 1 mile 40 zone and as soon as we got to the 30 sign she drove 40 until she saw the speed camera :-o :-o :-o
And dont get me oto the standard of driving on round abouts!!!!!! LOL

Re speed camera detectors, one thing I find is if I am concentrating on the traffic or the road, I SOMETIMES dont see the speed sign, so they atre good for that :) :)
Lea:)
BTW :- it isnt the speeed that kills its CARELESNESS and thats from people that clean up after the accidents caused by carelessness!!!!!

You dont HAVE to drive at the limit set though.

Whilst I do agree that doing 30 on the motorway when everything is shifting at 70+ is dangerous, are you seriously saying that doing 40 on a winding country road that happens, due to the fact its not a residential area (so there are few accidents) to have a 50 or 60 limit on it, is a BAD thing?

What if the driver is unfamiliar with the road? I know of plenty narrow winding roads that have a very high speed limit on them but a person unfamiliar with those roads would be damn near suicidal to actually DO that speed on that road... they dont know which corner is liable to have a tractor round it, or where a blind junction is..

But noooo... they should drive at bang on the limit just so it doesnt upset someone else?

And yeah.. if you are going so fast you have to slam on the brakes and cack yourself when you come across someone doing 10 miles an hour under the limit... YOU are driving too fast for the road/your driving ability.

Excellent post theemx, just what I was thinking :-)

Fablab your "The full fat version just includes warnings of School Areas as well and a few other features, uneccessary in my opinion"  I hope it's not unnecessary because you don't bother slowing down for schools either?

In my opinion, and as a professional driver I spend at least 8 hours a day behind a wheel, there is absolutely no need for speed camera detectors. The person who said you may not notice the speed limit signs scares me too - what else might you not notice...a child whose ball rolls out in front of you? Any driver should be able to spot speed signs and also be aware what speed they are doing, if you can't notice these things your mind isn't on driving at all...if this is the case I suggest you take the bus :-D

Ah no, I live in the middle of those bendy country roads with one of the worst death rates n the country Especially with motorbikes.
You drive to the conditions of the road, so YES, the roads like that I have no worries people going 40 or 50, I will just pass them when I find a long straight that is ok to over take on (and some around here are few abnd far between, but you still see people shooting past on blind bends)
Its the long straight straight roaads that have a few minor bends etc when people drive at 40 or 50 that gets me.
It is taught now that you get up to the speed limit if it is safe to do so. And if you drove at 40 or 50 on a straight road with a 60 limit, you would not be passed!!!!
Lea :)

>Its the long straight straight roaads that have a few minor bends etc when people drive at 40 or 50 that gets me.
>It is taught now that you get up to the speed limit if it is safe to do so. And if you drove at 40 or 50 on a straight road with a 60 limit, you would not be passed!!!!

Exactly. Driving at 45 mph along a straight road, with good visibility, in good conditions, where the speed limit is 60, is poor driving and would fail you your driving test.

if you get a letter about speeding just bin it- they wont know if you ever recieved it as its not signed for. they dont contact you twice

Sorry Sara that isn't correct.    I actually last month had a double cock up, the first letter I genuinely didn't recieve, 2nd one I did and forgot to post it back in the required time.  The men in black called apon me and cautioned me etc etc as it was a different county It took a few days to sort out. I was quite embaressed when they arrived and I got the whole thing.     I was up in Aberdeen when I was going a little too fast, I was being very caution but the sods still got me :-)   I was doing 7 miles over the limit in a area I thought was higher.   

They definately catch up with you. 

What annoys me is people going 10-20 MPH UNDER the speed limit. I was taught on my lessons to get UP TO the speed limit as quickly as possible!!!When did you learn to drive Lea? That certainly isnt the right way to be taught now. The speed LIMIT signs are just that. They indicate the maximum speed you can travel, not minimum. Only if you were driving at a ridiculously slow speed and putting others in danger would the police stop you. If people are more comfortable driving slow (however annoying it may be for you sat behind them pootling along) then surely thats better than the said person driving too fast for their personal reaction times and comfortablilty etc???

>When did you learn to drive Lea? That certainly isnt the right way to be taught now.

It's the way I was taught years ago, and Son, who passed his test (and PassPlus) 4 years ago says that's how he was taught too. Not getting up to the speed limit and holding people up are fails.

If people are pootling along substantially below the limit and holding up the traffic, then the Highway Code advises them to pull over to allow the held-up traffic to pass, before continuing their journey.

I agree 100% with sensible speed limits where needed - town centres, schools, housing estates etc but everywhere now I see 50mph max on main roads and dual carriageways which are put there for no other reason than to make money.
Without notice a main road near me which goes to another town suddenly became 50. It's been fine for years but no, lets see how many we can catch going over 50. Their reason, sadly a young girl was killed stepping off her school bus and walking behind it to cross. She was hit by somebody in a stolen car. It didn't stop and the driver was never found. What difference would a 50mph limit have made - he was going well over the previous 60 limit anyway. I'd prefer to see the police given time and money to catch murderers like him rather than those of us who might occasionally go slighly over the limit on a main road/motorway.
I don't have any points on my licence at the moment but it won't be long before most of us have I'm sure.
Something else which has recently annoyed my. Sis-in-laws Mum & Dad were on the motorway and witnessed a minor accident. They waited for the police, gave a quick statement as to what they'd seen. Her Dad was asked to pop into his local police station with his bits and bobs of paperwork to confirm it all. He explained that they were on their way to Cornwall for a holiday - the Policeman said ok - do it when you get home. So guess what happened ?. Goes into the station with his id after the holiday and was treated appallingly by the WPC and cautioned for not doing it straight away. Like he said - he would have been better off driving away and ignoring the accident in the first place rather than being a good citizan !.

I only learnt to drive 8 years ago, and it is one thing I specifically asked the driving instructor and examiner and they both said the same that you should get up to the speed limit IF it is safe to do so!!!
And driving at slow speeds is inconsiderate to ther roads users and actually ~(rightly or wrongly) makes people take risks to get past you, causing accidents!!!!
I am not talking about people driving 55, it is the ones you get driving 40-50 on normal roads that there is no danger going at the speed limit. (Apart from Lorries and vans that limit on normal roads is 40/50 respectivly!!!!!)
Lea :)

Tigger2, I'm not sure what you are implying by the word "either" in your post ?

I drive within the speed limits and slow when required, School areas are always marked by School Signs and a speed limit will apply throughout that area. So in my view the additional warning by "Full Fat" Talex that you are entering a school area is maybe useful but unnecessary as you should already be obeying the limit in these areas and it should be obvious from the additional signage (often with flashing lights) that there is a school there. The other functions of Talex "full fat" are things such as altitude, total trip time, etc. most of which I can live without.

PS. I was also a professional driver for some nine years, a quarter of a million miles of which were covered on motorcycles so I must be doing something right ! :)

lindylou, for sure you are talking about the forfar road.  It seems to be inbuilt in approx 10% of drivers on that road to slam on brakes to get to 60mph at the speed cameras.  Grrrr!

I think it was STAR!!!! and I am sure I was warned about that road by a policeman when I told him I was going up to Scotland a few years ago!!!! LOL
Lea :)

Know it all too well!  There seem to be a lot of muppets driving that road!!

Something else which has recently annoyed my. Sis-in-laws Mum & Dad were on the motorway and witnessed a minor accident.

Can't see why they had to go into the police station, after all they were a witness, and the police have statement takers (well, the local force here do) and even then, if the statement was so urgent it could have been taken at a police station at their holiday destination (in GB of course ;) ) I can see why they were anooyed, and rightly so. The whole thing about taking enough details as necessary, then carrying on to clear the accdent and the motorway is that full statements can be taken later, very often by out of force area police officers, because its not likely someone on the motorway will live near there.

As to the 50 mph....I do think that is at places where speed has been known to cause some quite awful collisions, long straight roads where the temptation to speed are greater.

They indicate the maximum speed you can travel, not minimum. Only if you were driving at a ridiculously slow speed and putting others in danger would the police stop you. If people are more comfortable driving slow (however annoying it may be for you sat behind them pootling along) then surely thats better than the said person driving too fast for their personal reaction times and comfortablilty etc???

Agree. You should only drive at a speed where you feel safe at, where you know you can stop should a hazzard present itself, and on country lanes there are plenty of them. The gateway where a tractor may emerge, or the woodland or open field where unacompanied children may rush out on foot or bikes, or a concealed smaller country lane junction may be where someone emerging may have to 'stick their nose out' for view. Horses being exercised, a loose sheep on the road that suddenly jumps out of the hedgerow....personally I think 60mph on country lanes is far to fast.

And on the subject of failing to pass a test for driving to slow....you will also fail for exceeding the speed limit. if you have good driving sense, and know the rules of the road, you watch your speed the same as you did when learning, and on the test, and will not exceed the speed limit. The limit is there to protect people, not make money. The limit was there before the cameras by the side of the roads, but then, whats the point of having a law and not enforcing it?

Have to agree with Calmstorm.  The reasons for limits is safety.  We only have one camera here and that is on a duel carriageway but there is a school so the traffic has to be forced to slow down.  The fact that everyone gingerly approaches the camera now just highlights to me how people disregarded the speed limit before.

Pedestrian fatality figures go up disproportionately with speed so the 30-40 mph difference is crucial because as the little girl in the adverts tells us, at 30mph most pedestrians will live but at 40mph most will die.

My daughter also failed her driving test because she was taken on a route that was unfamiliar to her and she drove slower than the limit.  Seemed very unfair.  Conversely, I had a shock once when nipping around familiar lanes and around one sharp bend was suddenly faced with the backend of a horse - yikes is what I said, or something like that :o

Thanks Calmstorm. I live in an area where there lots of the 60mph country roads you talk about. It is far too fast for bendy roads where you cant see what is coming, nor can you fit two cars through.
I have been in cars with people and told them to slow down, only to be met with the response "the limits 60mph, i'm doing 60mph" I explained that the limit may be 60mph but that doesnt mean you have to do it. At 60mph you would stand very little chance of stopping if you came face to face with a tractor. How many stories has there been in the media lately about children on mini quad bikes on counry roads?? Too many people do the speed the signs say rahter than assessing the road and its conditions.
Yes i enjoy going fast (on motorbikes) but there is defiantly a time and place which some dont seem to understand

>How many stories has there been in the media lately about children on mini quad bikes on counry roads??

One, as far as I know.

>there is defiantly a time and place which some dont seem to understand

I think everybody does understand that, very well. ;-) In a driving test one has to show that one can drive up to the speed limit, providing that weather and traffic conditions allow. And that's how you're expected to drive at other times as well. In good light, on dry roads, and good visibility ahead so you can see that the road is clear of hazards, driving below the speed limit and holding up other motorists is inconsiderate driving.

Incidentally, you'll also fail a driving test (son's friend did) for not keeping up with the flow of the traffic, even when the traffic was going slightly over the speed limit ...

One, as far as I know. There has been 3 in my local area alone plus another up country somewhere (cant remember where)

As with everything driving examiners are individulas and what one will pass you on, another may see as unsatisfactory driving and fail you.

I think everybody does understand that, very well
I dont think EVERYBODY does understand that. If they did we wouldnt see people speeding along in wet weather and as i have said before driving at 60mph round a blind bend on a country road just because the sign says the limit is 60mph

There is also another help if you put the car in third the revs keep you at about 30mph.
It works, I drive either my Kia Estate or OH's 4X4 Ford Wildtrak and its the same in both. I do get mad of speeding traffic as it could be a kid they knock over. I have been caught for speeding in 2004 doing 37 in a 30mph when my son's finished laughing I vowed never again!!! i had a clean licence for 32 years up until then!

I was taught to get a move on up to the limit as well they taught that in 1960's.

Its all to do with repeater signs you cant stick to a limit if you do not know what the limit is. In built up areas its all to do with how close lamp posts are together as well. Gone are the days when repeater signs were installed to show you what the limit is. You could be changing gear or looking at traffic and miss a speed sign they aren't placed ever 100meters or so. I drive strictly to a limit when I know what that limit is. Most people caught speeding are locals - according to police - who drive faster from fimililarity with the road conditions.

I am currently learning to drive, and I have been told to quickly get up to the speed limit, but only if it's safe to do so. If it's a narrow road with bends in it then obviously go at a safe speed. However I would be failed for going too slow.
Which is why I'm not ready to take my test yet :-D I'm still very wary of going fast! I bet I get cursed at by people stuck behind me!

Its  a shame there is so much emphasis on speed when driving as opposed to quality of driving/risk assesment etc

That's where the advanced driving test comes in.  You're taught much more about reading the roads, taking notice of signs, looking much further ahead and risk assessment.

for not keeping up with the flow of the traffic, even when the traffic was going slightly over the speed limit

Well that sounds most odd, are you sure? This is a traffic offence, the national speed limits are there for everyone to obey. In that case, maybe everyone who gets a ticket for being 5mph over the limit should go to court with the excuse 'the traffic was moving at that speed'....do that in a truck fitted with the new tacho and you will have an automatic fine, regardless of a policeman/whoever seeing you. The tacho records all.

Inconsiderate driving is not simply keeping someone at a slower speed than 60, ok if you are going at 20 in a 60 it may, on a main road, but local knowledge can often dictate the speed some will travel on a public highway, especially country lanes which are often quite narrow, and can have unexpected hazzards. it may be a quad, it may be a pony, it may be horses out exercise, it may be a family or kids on a bike ride, the animal that has escaped from a field, dog walkers (who will flag anyone approaching at 60 on a country lane and quite rightly so! :) ) but still there remains hazzards that are not clearly seen, and that includes farm traffic emerging from fields and the concealed narrow country lane junction, often unsigned. Would you really think that a new driver, who has yet to gain experience, is really safe going at top speed everywhere? It used to be said that you passed your driving test, then you learned to drive. :) Is there really any need to travel at the full speed everywhere? I thought life was fast enough already ;)

>for not keeping up with the flow of the traffic, even when the traffic was going slightly over the speed limit
>Well that sounds most odd, are you sure?

Yes, absolutely certain. In fact, because speedos are known not to be pinpoint accurate and have a tolerance of 10% variation either way, you are very, very unlikely to get a ticket for doing 33 mph in a 30 limit area, or 44 in a 40 limit area etc (unless it's the end of the month and the police have a target to meet before the next month!). It's acknowledged that your speedo could say you were doing 29 mph but not be reading accurately.

When i took my test i was "warned" by the examiner at the end. She said i was keeping up with the traffic but was going over the limit slightly (by 3mph) She said she didnt fail me for it (although other examiners may have) because i recognised i was speeding and immediately slowed down when i glanced at the speedo. But she said it is a danger when driving without someone beside you to keep up with others instead of driving within the speed limit and inevitably breaking the law. I was a lucky one and had a decent examiner. Keeping up with others isnt an excuse to speed - otherwise we'd all use that as an excuse :-)

Yes, I know there is a % allowed. That is because our car speedos are not calibrated or tested on a regular basis.

(unless it's the end of the month and the police have a target to meet before the next month!
A target? mmmmm. A bit of a typical anti traffic policeman misconception :)

eeping up with others isnt an excuse to speed - otherwise we'd all use that as an excuse

Very true, and as we all go that little bit faster, just to 'keep up' the 3 mph goes to 5mph, then 10 mph....there has to be a line somewhere. look at the motorway, or a duel carriageway....you drive at 70 overtaking, and you have a row of traffic behind you pushing your rear end to move over....as they race past when you pull over, or try to 'undertake' you....total madness.

>A target? mmmmm. A bit of a typical anti traffic policeman misconception

Not according to the policemen who spoke on the radio a few days ago. ;-)

Things change i guess, not always for the better.

Although you are allowed to exceed the speed limit for purposes of overtaking ONLY

Really - I didn't think that was the case?