road angel, speed camera detectors in general

[MikeH]

evening all

has anyone have any sage advice for me (apart from sounding like Mr H and telling me to drive at the speed limit) regarding speed camera detectors.

have had 2 x 3 points this summer and keen not to get anymore

have heard good reports of the road angel pro connected but have any forumers got any views, feedback on how good they (and indeed any models) are

cheers

 

[HTL]

I got a tom tom one XL and that has all the cameras on it, apart from the mobile ones that pop up, but they have to have signs a mile before leading up to it.
Does the job for me, with that, ipod and phone charger I have too many cables for anything else.

 

[Imurg]

Mike

I'm a driving instructor - you're only going to get a telling off from me!!!!

 

[theeaglehunter]

A mate has the road angel 9000 i think (its the top model one anyway!). It has voice commands that speak and tell you when a camera is approaching and what the speed limit is. I haven't been in the car with it though and have been told it is quite annoying at first, although I am sure you would get used to it. I bet someone on here has first hand advice on using one.

 

[medwayjon]

I used to use a snooper when I did lots of motorway miles and avoided many a nicking.

 

[RGuk]

My f-i-l uses a road angel and I have a TomTom that beeps at me. Both seem to work but the angel with the very latest updates is almost certainly the way to go.
I suspect that the model is pretty immaterial, it's the updates and your ability to react to the messages from the unit that are crucial.

The R_A navigator 6000 is cheap (under £100) and is a dual sat-nav + speed camera unit. Keep it updated (I don't know the costs) and it'll serve you well, just don't expect the sat-nav bit to be as good as TomTom.

 

[vig]

My brother has a road angel and swears by it. He has been driving for 40 years and got his first 3pts in January then panic set in.
He bought another device first and didn't rate it so got the top of the range RA.

Why not get a car with a speed limiter, much easier.

 

[GB72]

I use a TomTom with the speed camera update. Works for me and gives me plenty of notice of any approaching cameras.

Only word of warning with dedicated speed camera detectors such as the Road Angel is that if you are driving on the continent I believe that it is illegal to even have one in the car. Certainly a mate was nicked in France and charged despite not having hsi road angel switched on.

 

[Cernunnos]

I think most, well some of us, try to drive at the or up-to the speed limit; road conditions allowing. But it is really easy to be enticed to go with the flow when you are say on the motorway etc', with the general speed some drivers are going at without realising it, especially on a near empty M'way.

One solution is to get a car fitted with cruise control or overspeed notification. the other is to remind you that there is a camera coming up, just in case you have started to exheed, as its easy enough to do when you are concentrating on driving rather than the speed you are driving at.

I certainly wouldn't condone the use of speed camera notifiers to people intending on speeding, but if you are worried about accidentally getting caught when not intending on speeding, then a little reminder that there maybe an active camera about is certainly a potential aid to road safety, just so long as it doesn't promote unsafe braking in speed offenders.

At the end of the day I'd say the solution Citroen have in Overspeed warning which for general driving rather than telling you that there maybe a camera about is perhaps a better & more legal solution.

 

[MikeH]

thanks for the advice guys, really useful

 

[Herbie]

The only way is to be more observant and more aware of likely areas cameras etc may be posted/located and be much more careful in built up areas.

I used to cover over 100 thousand miles a year using 3 different veh types all over the place and I dont hang around using any of them, I havent had a camera ticket at all and only got stopped for speeding by cops in 1995 on my bike.

And when I say I dont hang around, I mean it, other than a built up area where I stick to limits cos I make up more than enough time on open road, also in my view, if you have to speed in built up area perhaps you deserve a ticket?heh heh.