OT Mandatory speed limiters on UK cars from 2022

[Steve Walker]

Well, he'll know when his lights dip and how that compares to when he would normally dip them himself - so he knows as much about the experience for other drivers as anyone else does.

[Steve Walker]

A misunderstanding.

New car models are required to have the system as they are introduced, from 2022, but existing models that are already in production will have to have the system introduced into their production at a later date, so "sort of" retrofitted to existing designs, but not to vehicles that have already been produced.

[Fredxx]

After a google I would say yes. One source:

They are private courses that pay commission to ex-serving police officers.

[PeterC]

They can't manage obvious but unusual situations, though. Near here there's a layout where vehicles from one way don't dazzle drivers coming out of a village but their lights dazzle the other vehicles by shining across a field. When I've driven out of the village and am on the LH curve I dip, but never seen anyone else do it. Having walked and cycled up there to the pub I know how bad it can be, especially when there's no foliage on the hedges.

[Tim+]

Unlike you apparently, I don?t drive with my eyes closed. It?s perfectly obvious when my lights dip and if the system errs in any direction, it tends to dip fractionally earlier than I might have chosen to.

Tim

[Tim+]

As has been mentioned before, you still have a standard manual dip-switch control in cars with auto-dipping lights.

Tim

[Roland Perry]

In message <sh59jf$1v6$ [e-mail], at 15:46:06 on Mon, 6 Sep 2021, Fredxx [e-mail]> remarked:

The Nottingham thing was in around 2005.

[Alex]

Roland Perry [e-mail]> wrote

Not a fib so much as a misunderstanding of the law.

From the database and speed limit signs.

In that case from the database.

Using the camera.

That's the driver's responsibility, just like when not using the cruise control.

[72y33]

When it does as well as you do it manually.

[nightjar]

On 06/09/2021 11:28, Roland Perry wrote: ...

Which would provide a defence against a speeding charge for a human driver. In any case, the only case where the limit start sign is the only indication you get of the speed limit is a 20mph zone, which must use traffic calming to keep speeds down.

....

One reason I don't use mine in the UK is that, even on minimum distance, you are so far back that other British drivers see the huge space you have left as an invitation to pull into the lane ahead of you. I rarely get that abroad.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well strictly speaking applying critical thinking to that statement, which in essence says 'when its no worse than I am' begs the question of just how bad you are anyway ;-)

Some auto functions on cars work better than others...and some drivcers are better than others, too

[#Paul]

Neither, in many cases, do other drivers dip in time. So I guess the main question to ask is: are the auto-dippers better or worse, on average, than drivers.

#Paul

[Roland Perry]

In message [e-mail]>, at 07:30:03 on Tue, 7 Sep

2021, Alex [e-mail] remarked:

I wonder what distance away they work at (or really, how close do they still work). At least one of the signs on my trip above changed as I was about a car-length away.

OK, so you need to re-set it when the road conditions change. Rather than just driving differently. I don't suppose they react to plain "Slow" signs, rather than ones with a numerical limit?

[Roland Perry]

I know that's often said, but it's not really true. The indications that a stretch of road is "built-up" for the purposes of NSL, are sometimes a bit scanty. There was one I was familiar with on the approach to Oxford where the 40-30 transition was in open countryside about half a mile from the nearest house or lamp-post (and even then if the lamp-posts are a foot too far apart, they don't have the required effect).

Yes, it's a big problem. Not helped by commercial vehicle drivers who have the etiquette of flashing a colleague the moment they aren't overlapping, so they can pull in. Many such drivers do it anyway, even if not flashed at. And I think car drivers then copy this.

[Alex]

Roland Perry [e-mail]> wrote

It would have seen the change, like you did.

Not if you set it to what is safe in all road conditions.

Rather

[Steve Walker]

Does it matter? When the speed signs change down, the following cameras change after a time delay, so no-one coming into a section having looked at the speed limit, but then missing the sign changing, gets caught by them.

[nightjar]

In which case, the 30mph limit between the start of limit sign and the 'system of street lights' would require repeater signs to be enforceable. That is not to say that local authorities don't make mistakes, otherwise there wouldn't be successful legal challenges.

[Roland Perry]

In message [e-mail]>, at 16:16:21 on Wed, 8 Sep

2021, Alex [e-mail] remarked:

Ultra-wide-angle lens then, I'm sure it was too high up for my dashcam to have picked up.

Speaking of which, those signs often have a significant strobing effect when picked up on a digital cctv camera.

[Roland Perry]

But if the sign has just changed *up* (or gone off) after the camera clocked it from 50ft away, you'll be speed-limited when you don't need to be.

[Roland Perry]

This was before 30-repeaters were considered acceptable. And perhaps "systems of street lights" need identifying in some way (perhaps a coloured band) so the driver knows if they are close enough together (and longer than whatever the required distance is to count) or not.