Tailgating Worries Following Speed Camera Introduction

RobBrady

A local councillor has expressed concern that lorries are tailgating cars because of the introduction of average speed cameras on a stretch of the M4 in the Port Talbot area. The cameras were activated between junction 40 and 41 in January this year.

Councillor John Warman said, "I’m concerned that since these cameras have gone up, there has been quite a bit of tailgating with lorries. It is very dangerous. You get these lorries going right behind you, so closely, when the average speed limit is in force. You can’t go faster because it is 50mph. It’s intimidating people." He acknowledges that cars also tailgate through the camera system.

Warman intends to alert the authorities of the problem and would like the police the patrol the stretch of motorway.

The Go Safe Partnership commented: "Work is currently ongoing to provide a technical enforcement solution to those that are breaking the law by driving too close, although police can give on the spot penalty notices to those that are driving carelessly."

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Robert Brady

Bunty1948 · Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 2:06 pm Post subject:

This is of course what happens when you replace marked police cars with cameras. Speeding becomes the only offence recorded where as with marked cars driving behaviour improves. There is a very long stretch of "Specs" through road works on the A1 in North Yorkshire. Thankfully I use my sat nav to allow me to travel at more than an indicated 50 mph on my speedometer and that usually allows me to creep away from HGVs sat no more than a car's length behind my boot lid. But of course there is always the "bright" HGV driver who does exactly the same thing leaving me with the thought of 44 tonnes of HGV rearranging the metalwork of my car. But as long as HM Government and the police can earn money from speed cameras, why would they ever consider putting police cars that we can all see back on the roads. I travelled the best part of 700 miles at the weekend, mostly on motorways and dual carriageways and saw not one marked police car. I did however see at least 5 unmarked vehicles, notable by the fact that they were travelling just under the speed limit. As I was perhaps just over the limit they didn't bother with me, no doubt not wishing to uncloak themselves for a motorist travelling a few mph above the limit.

Kremmen · Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 3:38 pm Post subject:

This is one situation where I put cruise control on and 'do the limit' regardless.

I've personally not been bullied in specs zones but I can see how lorries may want to shield their front number plates by tailgating as specs face forwards don't they?
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chrissuk2000 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 01, 2006 Posts: 12

DennisN · Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:11 pm Post subject:

I think this is because lorry speedometers are calibrated accurately, therefore when they are doing 50, YOUR speedo holds you back at less than that.

It's not a tailgating problem unless there are cars blocking two lanes so that lorries can't pass them.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Kremmen · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 5:54 am Post subject:

I'm sure all the specs zones I've used are a wide inner lane and 2 narrow outer lanes which does stop the trucks overtaking.
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DennisN · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 8:06 am Post subject:

No. The three lane ones are invariably signed for lanes 1 and 2 'Any Vehicle', and lane 3 for 'Vehicles under 6' 6"' (or something like that). The only slight variation is for vehicles over xx wide to straddle first two lanes.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Privateer · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:47 pm Post subject:

exportman · Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 7:28 pm Post subject:

Many HGV drivers depend on their speed limiter in the road works

Although the official limit is 56 mph for factory set ones many fleet companies drop this to 52 or 53 mph so the drivers just sit on their limiter and get right up your boot if you are not moving as fast as they would like.

Bunty1948 · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:44 am Post subject:

Privateer · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:16 pm Post subject:

I think of:

Lane 1: the first, Nearside, left hand lane (i.e. slow)
Lane 2: The middle lane
Lane 3: The The fast lane

When a road has more lanes then just keep counting from left to right.

DennisN · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 12:52 pm Post subject:

Privateer · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:07 pm Post subject:

Kremmen · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 1:45 pm Post subject:

Some still use Octal so that's Dennis out till Easter.
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DennisN · Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 3:53 pm Post subject:

I was brought up on twelvetal and twentytal (but that was back in the good old days when a US cent was worth a d penny). Also sixteental, fourteental, onehundredandtwelvetal and onethousandsevenhundredandsixtytal.

For a couple of years I worked at a company which used octal (cloth measurement, yards octal).

This new modern stuff is very confusing. I still think in twelvetal and threetal.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

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