UKC

What speed awareness products are out there to supplement the speedometer, and cruise control in my car?

This is not so that I can go above the limit, far from it as I drive for a living and I want to keep my licence.  There are an awful lot of cameras and pop-up vans out there.

The last hire car I had was a Micra cruise and limit control options on the wheel, still manually set but rather useful. Apart from that it was utterly godawful in every other way, built by accountants doesn't begin to cover it.

Surely there must be a phone app to bollock you for speeding by now with all the online mapping available.

jk

There's an app called Waze, which has an option to remind / warn whenever you exceed the limit, also has an interactive bit where users  can inform of accidents / roadworks / cameras. I dont use it much, but my boss, who lives in the south east, swears by it.

A lot of cars have an adjustable alert if you go over a certain speed.

Set a friends one to 20mph and the language to Serbian...

I use it a lot - it's good but often drains phone battery faster than it can charge.

I have a Garmin Drive Smart 61 Sat Nav that gives audible and visual warnings that are programmable.  I bought it specifically for this reason as I got pulled up in Nant Peris for doing 34 in a 30 area and had to attend a speed awareness course

It can get a bit irritating after a while but it does help me keep to the limits.

Al

The brake pedal ??

If you've got an Android phone, then TomTom's Speed Camera app is pretty good.

Does anyone know if any of the satnav amd phone apps can cope with dynamic limits as in ‘smart motorways’? 

Sat nav can sometimes be set to make noises when you go too fast.

Yep I got done in Nant Peris. 2 minutes from Ynws after a long drive and dying for a pee. 

Funnily enough, my car has got in-car TomTom sat nav, but for some strange reason the manufacturer, Kia, is not supported by them. As such, I can't get get any updates.

And the worst part is that the TomTom does not show static cameras. I can connect my my phone to the car and display Google Nabigate on the in-car display but Google Navigate does not show cameras either. If it does then I don't know how to do this feature.

I gave my Garmin sat nav away when I got my car. It showed where static cameras were.

Tell you what, obey the speed limits and you'll be fine.

Speaking as someone who attended a speed awareness course, they made the point that you can always tell within a few seconds what the speed limit is. Stick to it. There's only about 3 variables: street lighting, dual carriageways, motorways. 

Hypertensive, small-time salesmen driving Vauxhall Insignias flashing their lights behind you are usually a good sign you’re adhering to the speed limit. 

I do obay the speed limits and have never attended any speed awareness courses.

So why the f*** do you want another gadget for?
You crack me up sometimes!

If you’re using cruise control and your eyes there is no need for anything else.

I use cruise control on my 3-series all the time but I can’t stand it on my wife’s Leaf - it’s so clunky and a PITA to mash buttons on the wheel instead of the beamer’s dedicated stalk with +/-1 mph and +/- nearest integer multiple of 5 mph clicks.

I had a SsangYoung mini SUV for a day that read speed limit signs with its camera and nagged you at 1 mph over on its (over)indicated speed.  Also the dashboard and infotainment clocks disagreed.  Also it had infotainment.  Also it had a slow “system loading” progress bar between turning the key and engine start.  Abomination - it’s like Windows 95 and Clippy come to cars.  I blame young people.

They also overtake me in my company van when I'm lit up like a Christmas tree on the motorway.

Refresher : and what's the speed limit on a dual carriageway in a car? 

I had one of your company vans following me down the motorway with all the lights on despite it being close to midnight and there being almost nobody else on the motorway.

The motorway in question is unlit and the lights were seriously irritating and distracting. I tried slowing down to let it go but I could see the lights for miles ahead. I had to pull off and sit in the services for a few minutes to get away from it.

Sadly Rob that is far from true, there are a great many roads where the street lighting and road furniture indicate one limit and the signs (or lack of the) another. On many roads the repeater signs are much too far apart or completely buried in overgrown hedges for miles.

It should be easy but it isn't always.

A comprehensive range of products here: http://www.snooperdirect.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIva_C98TF3gIVxeR3Ch2__ARcEAA...

I got one of the detectors some years ago and it's saved me a few points. 

If it IS a dual carriageway - i.e. there is a physical barrier between the lanes - then the default is 70. There are exceptions, but these are clearly indicated with ''repeater" signs.

I find in my van that a digital speedo is better than the dial one. Actually seeing 29mph in a 30 has so far hopefully helped me to avoid a ticket.

Alternatively don't fasten your seatbelt and fix a big steel spike in the centre of the steering wheel pointing at the centre of your chest. Should work wonders for speed and situational awareness.

Buy a Merc. Cruise control has a variable speed limit option, sensors advise on keeping safe distance, the screen tells you the speed limit of the last sign you drive past. And then when the road has no limits you can do 180 easily.

Seconded.  Those who regularly head to the Lake District from Leeds/Bradford will be familiar (painfully so?) with the A65.  At Cowman Bridge (just south of Kirkby Lonsdale) the speed limit has been dropped from 40mph to 30mph (and Lancashire camera vans like to sit in the layby in the village).  However, the painted roundels on the road, although fading, still say 40mph; and on the north side of the village, the signs go back up to 40mph briefly.  Very confusing.  Seems like they haven't got round to painting the markings on the road out (and I've e-mailed Lancs CC a while ago, and still nothing happens).  IANAL and I would think it might be tricky (& expensive) arguing the toss.

Theres one of those near me; the removed sign left a darker mask on the road saying “40” that’s easily ignored, but when it’s wet and under a bright sky, it reflects the sky making it look white...

There is a easy way. Treat the speed limit as a limit and not a target and you will be fine. Do 28 in 30's and allowing for speedo inaccuracies even if your speed sneaks slightly above 30 you will still be within the limit. Too many people see the posted limit as the target speed they should be doing then complain that it too hard to maintain without accidentally going over (it isn't if you pay attention to driving but that's another story) so if your worried give yourself a buffer zone . 

Before anyone starts saying I'm being holier that thou I have my share of points and speed awareness course's, I just don't bleet about it when I get caught because speeding is 99.9% of the time the fault of the driver. The point 1 % was when my accelerator jammed (rusty cable) on my first car and I shit myself before I realised to turn off the engine. 

Yep that's what I learned on my course- its the central reservation that's key. Beware the 60mph pretend dual carriageways!

You live and learn...

The clue is in the name. Two Carriageways. It’s nothing to do with the number of lanes.