Not strictly caravan question, but looking for some advice. Been driving 32 years, 29 of which with a fully clean license.
In the last 2.5 years I've had 3 speeding fines - one for towing a caravan at 56mph in a 60 zone(end of dual carrageway) One of those I went on a course for.
I think I've just got done again on the M1 in a variable speed gantry.(doing 69 in a 60 probably whilst breaking). The camera was going like paparazzi at a premiere.
So If that's 9 points its dangerously close to 12, and losing my license would be a nightmare. Now in all 3/4 cases I knew the camera was there and thought I was doing the correct speed at the time, though in hindsight I obviousy wasn't. But I was trying to keep to the speed limit.
Does any one know of any gadget that will warn me if I exceed the limit ever ? Or something that bleeps in a speed camera area thats always on (I have to plug my sat nav in) or some practical way of making sure I dont get any more points ?
Please don't just say drive slower - I'm not a speed freak (2 offenses were on the same variable camera on the M1 - 5th highest fine spot in uk). Any one got any useful advice ?
(I'm going to get 20 posts telling me to drive slower arent't I ?)
Try getting a satnav with up to date speed cam warnings. Mine is a TomTom Go, I don't have to set it to give me directions if I know where I'm going, but can just switch it on for the speed cam warnings - or I can have both directions and speed cam warnings. The speeds are always changing in my area, and trying to find a 'lollypop' sign hidden behind overgrown trees to give you an indication of what speed you ought to be doing is very irritating!
A gentle hint - don't try to keep to the speed limit, deliberately go for 10 miles below the speed limit (except for 30/40 mphs as that would be overkill!
I just looked up on the government and you can tow at 60mph on a dual carriageway. So how come you were fined.
Our sat nav makes a noise if you go over the speed limit, but that's 70 mph I am going to see if it can be set to a lower limit. I know that it changes it selves in France and then makes a noise if we go over the limit on some roads but no all.
I have a tom tom but I dont plug it in all the time, it also doesn't cover variable speeds. The Caravan incident was a speed van right at the end of the duel carriage way, just as it went to a normal road. I drove past smiling a the camera think doing 56, I'll be fine....
I use a satnav app called Waze, and its brilliant. Because its crowd updated (people tell Waze where traffic problems are like speed cameras, variable speed cameras etc) then its usually very accurate.
I have got a Garmin sat-nav and update it regularly but I have noticed that occassionally there's a difference in speed limits displayed on my sat-nav to that on the carriageway that's why I pay more attention to the road signs than the information on my sat nav.
Why they have now introduced sat-nav guidance on the UK driving test is totally beyond me because it can be misleading thus providing false information. In the event of receiving a speeding fine and appealing on the grounds that you were adhering to information on your sat-nav you would lose a case in court on those grounds as the council would state that the true speed limit is dislpayed on the carriageway and photographs would be provided to the judge as evidence in their support.
You don't need to be a speed freak, just switch off the mobile phone and pay more attention to detail to the road ahead which the latter seems to be more important to a minority of drivers these days.
Many of the rural speed limits have gone from 60 to 50 over the past couple of years.
My Garmin certainly hasn't kept up with them even though it is regularly updated.
Maybe local councils should have to notify a central body that Garmin etc could tap into to keep up to date. At the moment it seems to be a free-for-all.
When I did my speeding course the instructor said " how does anybody get done when they have a cruise control" I use mine more now and know that I should be OK.
A colleague of mine was in the same predicament. The company he works for have annual courses and driving audits and as one was due shortly after the event he asked the guy doing the audit. His advice was to drive one gear lower than he would have used normally. It seemed to work and reduced the stress levels he was under previously.
Dave.
------------- Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day,
Teach a man to fish and you can get rid of him for a whole weekend.
Thanks for the replies. I do have cruise control and I set it to 60 when pulling the van for the motorway, should have set it to 50 I suppose.
I can't set it every time the speed limit changes though.Was hoping someone might know a gadget that checked your speed and told you what the road limit was and screemed at you if you went over it, tomtom will do that but I'll have to plug it in every time I use the car (I pass the m1 varable 4-8 times a day).
I will brush up my Highway Code as I think misunderstanding the limits is one issue. I also think I start to slow down AT the speed signs instead of slow down to reach 60 at the 60 gang tree, which is where all the crafty cameras have got me.
Roll on google cars I say, will they pull caravans?
luck plays a big part in this.. your 56 in a 60 zone was about as bad as it gets..
my garmin sat nav keeps making noises at me quite often.. whilst not being a total defence it does come on with the ignition and does make you more aware of speed restrictions..
On my car dashbard it tells you the speed limit of the road, it does change for variable on motorways and in the road works, I find this a really good, as it is near the speedo, so do check it reguarly, also I like the speed limiter rather than cruise control in road works etc.
Years ago, people used to have radar detectors, don`t know if they are still a thing or even legal, probably never were lol
Variable speed cameras work out your average speed between each camera. If the limit is 50mph in the roadworks on a motorway for example then you need to stick to that speed or less. If for example you do 60mph between them and then slow down to 50mph as you pass the camera it work out your average speed being over 50mph and that is when you get a fine through the post.