Mad Gatso

Borderfox

Just on another speed camera point. The camera on the N3 near the turn off for Trim is flashing cars on the opposite side. I was on my way home last night from work at 1:45am and drove past the camera doing a bit over the speed limit maybe and it flashed in my face twice. I can just see the pictures and the court apperance, yes your Honour I was doing xxmph in reverse gear on the wrong side of the road on a bend. I didn't even cross the white line so they must have made a hash of putting down the activating cables!! Its not the first time I have seen it doing this... :cool:

ciarsd

Borderfox wrote:

it flashed in my face twice.

surely this is wrong and dangerous, and could lead to a terrible accident.

i know the very camera you are talking about, didnt realise its trying to capture on the opposite side now.

Big Nelly

Borderfox wrote:

Just on another speed camera point. The camera on the N3 near the turn off for Trim is flashing cars on the opposite side. I was on my way home last night from work at 1:45am and drove past the camera doing a bit over the speed limit maybe and it flashed in my face twice. I can just see the pictures and the court apperance, yes your Honour I was doing xxmph in reverse gear on the wrong side of the road on a bend. I didn't even cross the white line so they must have made a hash of putting down the activating cables!! Its not the first time I have seen it doing this... :cool:

This always happens......nothing to worry about.......

Seth Brundle

my wife has been flashed by it when well under the limit. I presume it is just faulty

prospect

Bit of a headache today , so scuse me for getting this mixed up.

I was under the impression that on a two lane road, (i.e one lane in each direction), that the camera is always on the opposite side of the road to the traffic it is monitoring. i.e. it scanns cars that have passed the camera, and photographs the rear plate of the vehicle?

Well open for correction on this though.

Seth Brundle

You are correct prospect. however, the theory and reality are often different. Many of our fixed Gatsos flash oncoming traffic seemingly. Sends out a great road safety message by the authorities! :rolleyes:

murphaph

I have been flashed by that one loads of times. I heard from someone in the know that they only flash oncoming traffic when there's no film in the camera.

ando

yea good one, who told you that. Santa?

Borderfox

As usual it will stay like that. It's a bit dodgy alright it's pitch black apart from the headlights and I usually turn down the dash lights and next of all flash flash :eek:

mik_da_man

Those Gatsos will flash ya on the oppsite sdie of the road of you are going over the limit
happend me a few times
but they can only get cars on the same side of the road as the camera is on.

IMO this flashing on-coming cars is really dangerous
frightened the absoloute sh*te out of me when it happened

Mik

ambro25

Back in the old days in France (until late 90s when they introduced the laser-based 'Mesta 208s'), they were using the "barbecues" (tripod-mounted gray oblong boxes) interfaced with a camera and a flash at night, and these were always forward-looking/working, e.g. they would flash you in the face (from front right)

See an example of the beast (without camera + flash attachment):



Remember being caught at 160-odd in my AX one night, had been driving on Motorway for a good hour and a half with barely any traffic (so by then my eyes were well into 'night-vision' mode), and then *BLITZ* out of nowhere. Well... I just couldn't see anything at all for a good 4 to 5 secs - just flashy spots and ghosts dancing about. Didn't do any good for the defense, though

This guy had the good sense of driving with sunglasses (and a balaclava of sorts ), but this gives you an idea of the shot/angle:

mackerski

German speed cameras always shoot from the front, as they need a face in-shot to prosecute. However, they shoot in infra-red, so the flash, which perceptible, is far less intrusive, and most of the actual danger results from the realisation that you've just been nobbled.
Dermot

murphaph

mackerski wrote:

German speed cameras always shoot from the front, as they need a face in-shot to prosecute. However, they shoot in infra-red, so the flash, which perceptible, is far less intrusive, and most of the actual danger results from the realisation that you've just been nobbled.
Dermot

Dermot, didn't they stop sending the pics out with the summons/fixed penalty notice cos some bloke was caught by his wife with mistress in passenger seat all over him?!

mackerski

murphaph wrote:

Dermot, didn't they stop sending the pics out with the summons/fixed penalty notice cos some bloke was caught by his wife with mistress in passenger seat all over him?!

I didn't hear that story. I was never "geblizt", so I can't say whether they ever sent out the shots as a matter of course. I had the idea that they only showed them to you if you wanted to query the fine. Aside: unlike here, there was no penalty for querying, and could do so without going before a court.

I can tell you that there was (is?) a niche hobby of deliberately staging funny gatso photos. Funny costumes, mooning out the front screen, that kind of thing.

Dermot

hobochris

the same thing happened to me today... same camera on the n3..
was driving towards the camera and it flashed... i read on a uk site that the gatso speed camera's often flash oncoming traffic when theyre out of film...

MAYPOP

In England, the police cannot prosecute you if they catch you with a forward-facing Gatso, due to safety reasons; ie flash in yer face is dangerous, especially if you have epilepsy.