Proposed ban
on radar detectors in the UK
Devices which detect or jam speed cameras are to be banned in the UK under proposed measures to be introduced by the Department of Transport in a forthcoming road safety Bill to be presented to Parliament. This news was reported in a whole page set of articles in the Times on Friday 16th July 2004 by Ben Webster, Sam Coates and Alexandra Frean. (17.7.04) The motive for the proposals is a concern "that drivers are exploiting detection devices to drive over the speed limit without fear of being caught. More than 100,000 drivers have installed the devices and dozens of companies supply them. The market is growing rapidly in response to the huge rise in camera penalties. Two million speeding tickets were issued last year and police expect to hand out three million in 2004". But of course it's not just the penalties, but also the consequent additional costs in terms of higher insurance premium weightings following camera fines - which of course have to be disclosed to insurers by the policyholder following a speeding fine. "The Government plans to include the ban in a forthcoming road safety Bill. The penalty for carrying a device in a vehicle has yet to be determined but the maximum fine is likely to be £1,000 and drivers will have up to six points added to their driving licence. The Department for Transport document outlining the proposed ban states that it will "prohibit the carriage of devices which either actively inhibit the proper functioning of a speed camera or detect the presence of a functioning speed cameras". Many speed camera sites do not have functioning speed detection equipment in them - either the expensive equipment is being rotated between enforcement sites or the site is a dummy unit. "Devices that use satellite positioning systems or GPS to give drivers early warning of a speed camera location will remain legal" it seems. It is also reported that Ministers "want to prevent drivers from evading detection by police officers armed with speed guns". Those devices generally use laser technology. As they are handheld or installed in patrol vehicles they enable mobile enforcement and are an extra deterrent. The ban would bring Britain into line with several other European countries which have outlawed camera detectors. "Until 1999, detection devices were believed to be illegal in the Britain under the Wireless and Telegraphy Act 1948, but a test case established that radar and laser detectors were not covered by that Act". Road safety groups are reported to welcomed the plans for a ban, saying it would stop drivers from believing they could speed with impunity. Rob Gifford, director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety said "this is a long overdue closing of a legal loophle. Speed camera detectors should not be needed by law-abiding drivers: a competent driver is always aware of the speed limit and can assess the speed at which the vehicle is travelling. I am glad at last the Government is taking action". The Times report then notes that the "RAC Foundation said that detectors were a useful tool for high mileage drivers who would risk being sacked if they lost their driving licence after getting four speed camera penalties". A MORI survey commissioned by the Drivers Technology Association found that 60% of those who used speed camera detectors said that they had become safer drivers since purchasing the devices and three quarters said they had become more aware of speed limits. ". Comment
As someone who genuinely believes in road safety and good driving standards, these proposals to ban radar detectors do seem to be driven more by control freakery than evidence based policymaking. Much of the thinking which seems to be behind these proposals for a radar detector ban appears to be assumption or opinion driven. Much greater research into the benfecial aspects of the use of detectors is surely necessary before some drone in the Ministry of Transport can reach such sweeping conclusions that they are only purchased to "speed with impunity" and not as a serious aid to observing speed limits. Clearly a greater awareness of speed cameras as a reminder of speed limits will contribute to a safer driving. There is no doubt that on certain roads, particularly if you are not familiar with those roads, it is not always immediately clear whether the speed limit is 30mph or 40mph, or 40mph or 50mph where speed limits change along a length of road. So one very useful thing speed camera authorities could do is to have a large speed limit sign on or adjacent to the speed camera so the driver is provided with a doublecheck of the speed limit that is in force on that section of road. Finally, amongst the public there continues to be a generally held view that the growth and location of speed cameras is driven by revenue considerations, despite the protestations of the Police and speed camera bodies. Victor Smith (Harvest Gold 1089) |
 V8 Register - MG Car Club Reported facts How many - there are now 5,000 fixed and mobile cameras in the UK. How much - speed camera fines generate £68m annually of which £54m is spent on running costs. What benefit - the Government claims that speed cameras save 100 lives a year and many more serious injuries. But a recent study shows that accident casualties at 743 speed camera locations have increased rather than decreased! What effect - the proportion of vehicles speeding excessively (15mph or more than the speed limit) has fallen from 80% at fixed camera sites. However at mobile sites this falls to 28%. What types of speed camera? There are several types in use in the UK including: Gatso camera - the most common speed monitoring and detection device and found all over Britain. It sends out a radio signal (usually on the "K" band in the UK) and calculates the speed of a vehicle. The units can be used either head on or aimed at the rear of passing vehicles. In-car radar detectors sense the signals from these units either from direct or indirect signals. The indirect signals are from "scatter" as the signals bounce off road signs and other vehicles. Truevelo - which takes a photo of the front of the car. Specs - which calculates the average speed of a car between two points on a road. This seems to be a photographic system involving a registration plate recognition technology with no radio signal. What speed camera warning devices are available? Radar and laser detectors - these rely on a unit sensing the presence of an speed camera sending out a signal. A radar speed camera gives off radio waves whereas a laser camera or enforcement device emits a focused beam. Radar detectors can be triggered by other signals (fast food restaurants and fuel stations where microwave spill often occurs) causing false alarms. Some radar detectors have filtering technology to minimise triggers from false signals. Some of the top end radar detectors have stealth technolgy to avoid detector detection. It's not clear yet whether the enforcement of any radar detector ban would involve the use of radar detector detectors as in the USA. Laser cameras or enforcement devices work only when the unit is fired and then the radar detector can detect the beam - sometimes too late as the laser units are "instant on". Digital speed traps do not emit any signal, rendering radar detectors useless in most cases. Legal since 1998, but to be banned under the Government's proposals GPS detectors - these systems use a global positioning system to fix the position of the car and this is then checked against a database of all fixed camera locations in the UK. As your car approaches a know fixed speed trap location these units provide either a visual warning or both a visual and audible warning. They provide no warning of mobile speed traps. The software and database data require regular updating through some form of subscription and download service. GPS units seem to be slightly more expensive than the top end radar detectors. Appears they will remain legal under the Government's proposals Jamming devices - these are also known as "diffusers" and their operation interferes with the operation of the speed detection devices. They use gallium asenide laser-diodes, the same technology found in laser guns, to block the detection signal. They can be purchased on the internet. In an attempt to get round the law, they are advertised as remote control devices for use with automated opening systems for garage doors! The V8 Register has never provided information on these systems or encouraged their use, and genuinely considers them undesirable. Members' views on this topic will be very welcome either by email to the V8 Registrar or as a message posted on the V8 Bulletin Board. Further information on radar detectors
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