Budster:
RC:

I'm not sure about South Africa but they never caught me...Italy, Switzerland(tight ass police here), France...I just see them in time. Maybe you should ask your ophthalmologist about the advantage of a 175% vision sharpness. Smiley I even see laser traps in time and they are usually a mile away. Smiley Like I said, I adapt to traffic and circumstances. Regarding country roads with twists and turns, I am aware of the danger from other motorists, especially motorcycles (apparently some bikers don't really know how to drive a clean curve...) but like I said, I adapt and it works.

Wow RC, I thought you were referring to serious misdemeanours (points).  Are you saying that you've never been caught in a speed trap? 

Don't the cops hide in bushes, or just over the brow of a hill in your country..?  Do they stand up on the side of the road waiving their arms around, giving you a chance to reduce your speed to the legal limit before they push the laser button? 

Have you never even been caught by a fixed camera in an unfamiliar town where the speed limit is 60km/hr when you're doing say, 72? 

...or approaching a village when the limit changes from 60 to 40 and you're too busy eating your apple strudel?  Our equivalent sugary things are called "koeksisters" and are responsible for thousands of rands of fines on my holiday route.

The only time I've been caught was by a video patrol car a couple of years ago. I didn't pay attention to my rear too much at that time but now I do. Smiley

The most dangerous trap for me is the video trap: A camera permanently films the entire traffic and an automated program using a specific algorithm calculates the speed of each car filmed. This can be effectively used only with slow traffic, so whenever I see a van or a car with tinted rear windows, I slow down. Radar traps work similar or they are using light sensors but I usually spot them in time.

Laser traps are a little bit trickier but since they need a camera, usually on some sort of tripod,  I spot them too.

In Italy, there was a police man standing with his laser gun behind a white Fiat Uno. I spotted the car in time but it was a pretty close encounter because he stopped the car driving in front of me.

In Switzerland, I had two video cars encounters but I was lucky. In Austria, things are quite simple, they usually use those stationary radar traps on the right but there was also a laser trap once but I moved my car very fast to the right lane, so he lost the fix and then I slowed down. I know that (with the lost fix) because he stopped me anyway but I talked my way out of a ticket because I was nice and admitted(!) that I was "a little bit too fast". Smiley Austrian police can "estimate" the speed, they don't necessarily need proof.

Oh...and I was caught once in the US(Florida) because I simply didn't know that they have a front radar in their police cars (over 25 years ago).

Maybe I was lucky too but since I drive A LOT and always pretty fast, I rather think that my vision sharpness is to blame and the fact that I'm always alert. Only when I drive with the family, I usually drive slower but only when I talk to them. I can't talk and at the same time pay a lot of attention.

Radar traps in Europe are usually not really hidden but some are a little bit camouflaged.


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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche Panamera Turbo S (at Porsche right now), BMW X5M, Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe PP/DP, Mini Cooper S Countryman All4