Flashed by a Speed Camera

mikeecho

Hi Guys

Lots of threads and discussion about being flashed by speed camera.

Below is a pic i took from "GardaCheckpointsCork" facebook page

i added in some numbers.

Now can someone who has seen this mysterious flash with their naked eye please indicate where abouts the flash came from, and perhaps we can put the matter to bed.

MarkR

Dartz

I flashed a speed camera once.

Got done for indecent exposure.

RandomAccess

At risk of branding myself a witch, I will put my hand up and admit I saw it,
It was probably just a reflection from my headlight, but it was a convincing flash.

But I said this already on the other thread, so perhaps you need another witness.

I believe it came from point indicated as 2 on that image, BUT I was preoccupied by the line of cars in front of me shoe who were now braking!

Speed cameras can cause an accident when traffic is busy, a majority of people will brake when they see it regardless of what speed they are doing.

Hachiko

is this area 51?

Roen

Something I would have dismissed myself until last week.
From point 5 I felt like I had a laser shone into my eyes. Red, very intense and briefly blinding. I've had a green laser shone at me before and this was identical.

mikeecho

mikeecho wrote: »

1 = A big sticker
2= Infra Red flash unit (invisible to the human eye)
3= LED light for the operator to see the puddles when he steps out
4= Orange strobe light
5= Camera lens
6= Radar unit

Roen wrote: »

Something I would have dismissed myself until last week.
From point 5 I felt like I had a laser shone into my eyes. Red, very intense and briefly blinding. I've had a green laser shone at me before and this was identical.

If the light came from 5 , then what you saw was a light reflection

Rubberchikken

i was driving on the N20 at 3 am one morning.
a van overtook me not realising there was a garda van on the other side of the road facing towards where we were coming from.
the flash was white and very bright and seemed to come from the side of the garda van.

jamiemaguire

There is definitely some kind of flash, around 2 years ago there was a speed van in my local area in the same spot nearly every night. I was fully aware it was parked here and therefore took caution to ensure my speed was low when passing, must mention it was at night time on all occasions so it was dark, Many times I drove by staring at the van in detail and never seen a flash, until one evening I totally forgot about it being there and drive by above the speed limit, and the only thing that alerted me that it was even there was the bright flash!! which if it was a reflection I think i'd have noticed some time previous to that when actually staring at the van.

mikeecho

jamiemaguire wrote: »

There is definitely some kind of flash, around 2 years ago there was a speed van in my local area in the same spot nearly every night. I was fully aware it was parked here and therefore took caution to ensure my speed was low when passing, must mention it was at night time on all occasions so it was dark, Many times I drove by staring at the van in detail and never seen a flash, until one evening I totally forgot about it being there and drive by above the speed limit, and the only thing that alerted me that it was even there was the bright flash!! which if it was a reflection I think i'd have noticed some time previous to that when actually staring at the van.

There is No Visible flash from a GoSafe van.

jamiemaguire

I stand to be corrected on that, I know nothing of the technology used. But I am 100% sure there was a flash that night!! That was the only reason I even realised it was there. Although this was about 4/5 years ago actually thinking back so perhaps it could have been different kit used then!

Chris_Heilong

I vote No.2

Special Circumstances

jamiemaguire wrote: »

I stand to be corrected on that, I know nothing of the technology used. But I am 100% sure there was a flash that night!! That was the only reason I even realised it was there. Although this was about 4/5 years ago actually thinking back so perhaps it could have been different kit used then!

Was it a gosafe van (stickered up as per photo at beginning) or a garda van (not stickered up as per photo)

corktina

RandomAccess wrote: »

Speed cameras can cause an accident when traffic is busy, a majority of people will brake when they see it regardless of what speed they are doing.

Not the camera caused that hypothetical accident....drivers driving too close and not paying attention to blame perhaps..

ironclaw

corktina wrote: »

Not the camera caused that hypothetical accident....drivers driving too close and not paying attention to blame perhaps..

I actually place the blame on the van. Look at any accident on the M50, you can block both lanes in both directions by people slowing down to have a good rubbernecking session. If one person brakes, chances are given how close most people drive to one another and have zilcho control of their car, the person behind brakes too. Causes a ripple in the group and as a whole they slow down. Faster traffic coming behind may see the braking and slow down as well. So suddenly you have what could be a sizable group of traffic moving slower than the traffic coming behind. Doesn't take long until you have some person not paying attention and they'll slam right into the back of it.

They have been spending a lot of time at the Enniskerry turn off on the N11 Northbound recently and from watching the traffic as I pass, you can see the brake lights and panic in people. Also, what surprised me was, they don't see to be targeting every single car. They appear to target only when there is no group (Makes sense as you will have multiple cars in the photo frame) and at random i.e. Not every car that passes has its speed read.

TheNog

ironclaw wrote: »

I actually place the blame on the van. Look at any accident on the M50, you can block both lanes in both directions by people slowing down to have a good rubbernecking session.

Laughable post really. Blame is solely down to passing drivers not paying attention.

By your reckoning if the Emergency Services are dealing with a RTC and another RTC occurs due to piss poor drivers those piss poor drivers should/can obtain details of the ES to make insurance claims against the state.

Same with drivers passing speed vans. The reason they brake is because they are paying attention to their speed or have not observed the speed limit signs.

ironclaw

TheNog wrote: »

Laughable post really. Blame is solely down to passing drivers not paying attention.

By your reckoning if the Emergency Services are dealing with a RTC and another RTC occurs due to piss poor drivers those piss poor drivers should/can obtain details of the ES to make insurance claims against the state.

Same with drivers passing speed vans. The reason they brake is because they are paying attention to their speed or have not observed the speed limit signs.

If I'm not mistaken, you are a member of AGS?

Honestly, Emergency Services in this country need to learn a thing or two about accident and traffic management. Its no existent in most cases. Stick on the blues and sit there. No prior warning. No effort made to enact detours and keep traffic moving. And certainly no incentive to stop rubber necking (Screens, barriers encouraging traffic to keep moving etc) We have a 'Traffic Corp' with little to no formal education in traffic. Contrast to the US where its rare, if ever, that a freeway is closed due to an accident as the Emergency services are proactive in keeping lanes open and getting traffic moving. A single lane is better than closing one entirely. Look at the tail back on the M50 on Monday, a single car, in lane 3 closed an entire motorway!

People will always brake when they see a van even if they are watching their speed out of pure 'fear' Its a natural reaction. If not, it will slow traffic. So those not paying attention and speeding, will slow or hit the brakes. And create a ripple. Next time you see a van and its near a bridge, sit on it and watch the carnage and disruption it causes. For drives 'not paying attention' they noticed a van pretty handy

Roen

mikeecho wrote: »

1 = A big sticker
2= Infra Red flash unit (invisible to the human eye)
3= LED light for the operator to see the puddles when he steps out
4= Orange strobe light
5= Camera lens
6= Radar unit





If the light came from 5 , then what you saw was a light reflection

Not unless it was a specular reflection from an equally intense focused source and the lens covered with a flat mirrored filter or semi silvered coating.
That's about the only way it could reflect in such a fashion.
Any lens that reflects that amount of visible light isn't much of a lens. They are designed to transmit rather than reflect. Unless of course it doesn't deal entirely with visible light.

Do you have an insight into the lens set up that you can share?
I'm curious as you seem to be fairly au fait with the vans.

ironclaw

Roen wrote: »

Not unless it was a specular reflection from an equally intense focused source and the lens covered with a flat mirrored filter or semi silvered coating.
That's about the only way it could reflect in such a fashion.
Any lens that reflects that amount of visible light isn't much of a lens. They are designed to transmit rather than reflect. Unless of course it doesn't deal entirely with visible light.

Do you have an insight into the lens set up that you can share?
I'm curious as you seem to be fairly au fait with the vans.

Number 5 is certainly the lens. And 6 is the Radar unit.

They do have quite a habit of reflecting, my thought being a fast and large iris for night time operation, perhaps with additional lens coating / cut filters for such operation. My expertise doesn't lie in lens however. My other theory was a driver catching such a reflection in their peripheral vision, giving the impression the 'flash' was far great than it actually was.

As regards insight, the van set up is publicly available on the net. Its a system from Arizona, made by a company known as RedFlex.

mikeecho

I've not too much info about the lens, I'm more up to date on the radar unit,
it's freq, beam spread, range, limitations etc

(all of which has been stated in previous speed cam threads)