Hi all!

I was photographed on motorway by the following camera whilst on my motorbike:

http://www.audi-speed.com/forum/t15140/topic.html

Any ideas whether these traps have camera snapping rear as well, what type of speed camera is it? Has anyone been flashed on a bike by a front-only and been 'caught'? Appreciate any help.. .

Cheers,

.//phew

I don't believe this does get the rear. If you were doing silly speeds, though, they could track you down. If you're only 10 over, they might not bother.

Not sure exactly how fast I was going (got ****ed off by some a'hole who was 1m on rear and opened the throttle at the wrong time) but I did see it go off and it was defo me.

Don't be surprised if you get a fine in your mailbox.

People, the game is so simple:

1. You get photographed while speeding
2a. You are lucky and don't receive a fine
2b. You are unlucky and receive a fine
3. In case of 2b -> pay the fine

I've gotten numerous fines (parking, speeding, buzzing a red light) in the past. I don't like them, but in each and every case I was in the wrong, no use moaning about it, just pay up.

If you don't like paying fines, stick to the rules of the road. If you want to speed, park illegally, etc then stop complaining when you get caught... there are so many of these posts in the forum.

Most people I know simply learn where the traps are and get away with speeding... until a new trap appears and they get caught.. it's all part of the game.

ElJeFe, appreciate your post, but it is not helpful.

Just be happy it wasn't one of the new "Zero Tolerance" cameras..

I believe the new laser cameras ( the ones with the laser sensor embedded about knee height in the square post between two white painted bands) allow 3km/h tolerance, as opposed to 5km on older devices. Every measurement device must allow a margin of error to be accepted by the courts.

Okay. These camera's have a rear shutter. You got caught. You will pay the fine.

Was that helpful enough?

Fining people for 3km/h over the limit is ludicrous. Indeed, the whole idea of "fien brackets" for fixed amounts over the posted limit is stupid (highly profitable though, I'm sure, so from that aspect the speed trap fulfils its primary objective.)

What's the acceptable margin of error for car speedometers in Switzerland ?

For example, in Australia the Australian Design Rules say the indicated speed on a vehicle's speedometer can differ from its "actual" speed by up to 10%. So you effectively get 10% over the posted limit before you need to be particularly worried about being pinged (realistically closer to 15%, given most cars speedometres read low, especially at higher speeds).

(Of course, if you foolishly *admit* you were over the limit, even by 1km/h, you get no such buffer - so don't ever admit it !)

I believe that speedos must over-read (if not perfectly accurate) and thus your 50kph might only be, say, 46.

As devices become more accurate, the chances of your getting a fine are higher. I believe the "Pay And Go Faster" approach here is OK; no points - no problems.

You wont get a ticket for driving 3km/h over the limit but you will at 4 be fined for 1km/m over the posted limit (when photographed by a laser box with a 3km/h margin of error).

That particular camera has gotten me a couple of times, think is was around CHF40 each time.

The speedo on a car or bike may not legally indicate a speed lower than the speed you are actually traveling at, so most read around 7% fast. Depending on the size of your tires, inflation and possibly wear, you can generally add another 2-3%, so now you have 9-10%. Say you are driving an indicated 140kph, that might be a real 127.4kph. Subtract the 6kph allowance and you are maybe at 121.4kph, which might cost you CHF40, at least it did for me, guesstimating over my thumb.

...oh, and that one fires forward, in your face.

I've seen 2 of those radars set up along side of the street in my area where you could check your own speedometer against it. One was in an 80 zone and the other in a 60 zone. Every time I drove past it at an indicated 80km/h on my speedo the box showed me as doing 72km/h (60km/h was in reality 54km/h). I still drive by my speedometer so as to be sure that I AM under the posted limit and wont get flashed.

...and I drive at my thumbulicated speed and rarely get tickets.

You can calibrate your speedometer on the motorway, if you have cruise control in your car. Drive at constant speed and stopwatch time between km posts.

Better have someone help you so that you are not distracted.

Thanks J_T for the answer: the camera on the photo is front-firing. Since there is no number plate on the front of a bike .. .

I would be interested from people who ride motorbikes who have been caught with front-only cameras i.e. how did match you with photo?

The speed cameras in Oensingen don't take rear photos, at least when they came into operation a couple years back (source). The police says that they randomly make mobile tests there to catch speeders on motorbikes too. The Oensingen cam is advanced in another regard. The photos are of such a good quality that the driver can be identified and if the driver isn't wearing the seat belt or operating his cell phone without hands-free car kit, an additional fine will be slapped on top of the speeding fine.

Modern speed cameras take photos from front and rear. The tech specs of one of the common cameras at Swiss roads can be downloaded here. They measure with laser and the measurement isn't necessarily at the same place like the camera.

Interesting post. Confirms my suspicions that the LMS-04s positioned at intersections (such as on the Badenerstrasse Schlieren) catch speeders and red lights, but only in one direction.
I think you will find those LMS-04s which have the sensor mounted seperately are located in high speed sections to allow the camera sufficient reaction time (Such as the A1 at Wil, right on the SG / TG border).

Looking at the spec of the LM-04s I wonder if they could also detect tailgaters - probably more hazardous than just going 5 km/h over (yes, I've been nabbed a couple of times)

This is a huge problem of the camera based enforcement that many of the Kantons use - it gets the speeders (an easy source of revenue) but it doesn't do a lot about the more dangerous driving such as tailgaters and people who pass on the inside.

ElJefe, I'm confused - why would such a post warrant a groan?