# Excess Speed Warning Gadget



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Happy New Year to all.

With the police (or judiciary?) becoming increasingly hot on speeding offences, I would like to fit a device to give an audible warning if (  or when  ) I drift above a speed limit.

 >>This<<  looks like a well thought out gadget, and not too expensive.

Does anyone know about this device, or any similar one?

Thanks


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## Fatalhud (Mar 3, 2006)

I have a similar device in my Motorhome that gives out a load whining noise when i go over the speed limit, although it is more costly to run 

its the Wife
god bless her


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## ksebruce (Nov 5, 2006)

tomtom 720 does this.


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## sweetie (Nov 28, 2005)

Well Dave this looks a great investment only a couple of quid more the
an a speeding ticket and no points on the licence. I do try to keep inside speed limits but occasionly the old grey matter takes over and the speed climbs. Think I will put one on my wish for list.

steve


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## Dougle (May 18, 2006)

The ViaMichelin 960 satnav I have just bought does it, also warns of upcoming dangerous bends. £100 for full European version plus Michelin guides for hotels, restaurants, places of interest etc.

Dave


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

Fatalhud said:


> I have a similar device in my Motorhome that gives out a load whining noise when i go over the speed limit, although it is more costly to run
> 
> its the Wife
> god bless her


You think your unique?

I got two, wife and daughter!

_(they dont know about MHF so I can be brave!)_


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## rowley (May 14, 2005)

The computer on the X250 will do a similar warning,although it is a bit fiddly to select.


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## allan01273 (May 23, 2007)

*Talex*

I use "TALEX" lite to remind me the speed that I am travelling, in large numbers. It advises me the correct speed and starts shouting at me if I go too fast at places with speed cameras.

There are many places to purchase it, I wouldn't say that this is the cheapest but there is a good description here.

http://www.radardetectors.co.uk/talex.htm

Allan


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## 2kias (Sep 18, 2006)

I have just found one that is completely free. It is round, silent and with a dial with numbers on it. There is a needle which points at the numbers.
I think it might be called a speedometer :blob5:


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## 2kias (Sep 18, 2006)

ksebruce said:


> tomtom 720 does this.


Our old Tom Tom also did it except a lot of the time it was wrong!!!!!


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## 88742 (May 9, 2005)

I just set the cruise control to whatever it needs to be - best addition to the 'van  

Ian


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

I found them to be more of a nuisance than a help when i used one. Even now with an up to date sat nav with warnings in unless they are kept up tom date then you get a lot of false info. There was a 40mph average speed camera system near to birmingham on the M6 which my sat nav has programmed in.Trouble is now the road works has gone so i have to turn the sound off for about 5 miles unless i pay 35 quid to garmin for the latest camera info.

I found the best bit of kit for avoiding speeding was a cruise control. These not only make driving much more relaxing on the old right foot, but in places such as road works where you may be driving for several miles at 40mph just get to 40mph and set the cruise control. You then go at 40mph without having to look at the speedo. If you have to brake and so cut the device out just set resume and your back again.

Phill


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## 88742 (May 9, 2005)

Too true Phill, I've got three additional programmable preset buttons, so when your approaching roadworks etc just hit the required button  

Ian


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

Zebedee said:


> I would like to fit a device to give an audible warning if ... I drift above a speed limit












This is a quieter alternative. Happy New Year. 

Dougie.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Dougie

Happy New Year.

I must try to get one of your quieter alternatives (above) but one thing worries me a bit.

It takes nearly 1 second to look down at your gadget, focus on it, read where the needle is pointing, look up again, and focus on the road. Add a bit to each stage if you are *a)* old and/or *b)* wear varifocals so you have to move your head to find the right part of the lens.

I would be surprised if most bespectacled over 60s take less than a complete second to check their speedo and be fully back in focus on the road, especially since the view will be different when they look up again.

*At 30mph a vehicle will have travelled 13.4 metres (44 feet) during that one second.*

Am I being silly (_gentle rebukes only please - it's Christmas_) or is this a concern, especially at this time of year with poor morning and evening visibility, and when the pavements are full of kids going to or from school?

Cheers


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## 88742 (May 9, 2005)

Hi Dave,

Not meaning to be cynical, but here goes :wink:



> and when the pavements are full of kids going to or from school?


......... not much chance of hitting one though, as the little darlings are protected by the numerous parked 4x4's around every school   

Ian


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## RichardnGill (Aug 31, 2006)

> This is a quieter alternative. Happy New Year.
> 
> Dougie.


Dougie I hope you wernt driving when you took that pic.... 

Our Tom Tom does this and it is very good with the speed limits now with the newer maps on it. You can have it just to flash red when you are 3mph over and or bleep.

Richard...


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

RichardnGill said:


> Dougie I hope you wernt driving when you took that pic....


Prove it, copper.

Dougie.


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

If you do 150 mile trip on the motorway and travel at say 60mph you will have travelled aprrox 4.2 miles with your eyes closed......

blinking is why

The reason why people accidentally speed up is due to the formation of lactic acid in the muscles causing the calf muscle to gradually tighten up and so you gradually push further down on the accelarator pedal.
Any device which stop you having to watch the speedo instead of the road or warns you of the above is good in my opinion.


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## WALKIE32 (May 1, 2005)

*CONTROLLING SPEED*

I must be lucky because on my Peugeot Autocruise Starfire I am able to set the computer to warn me at whatever speed I want to set it. Also have cruise control which I find brilliant.


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

*Re: CONTROLLING SPEED*

Best of all is a speed limiter, it doesn't go off when you brake and you cannot go faster than the set limit unless you floor the pedal.

Been on Mercs for years, best thing since sliced bread.


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## 88870 (May 10, 2005)

Humph, could have done with one of these about an hour ago .. I think I may have been zapped by a police officer who was trying to get out of the wind by hiding his car behind a wall! :lol: I think he zapped me and then was speaking into his mike as I drove past so I actually expected to be pulled over further up but there was no one there .. is this normal?

I think I was doing about 38 in a 30 as I had a doctor on call up my butt and was trying to move out of his way. Not that its an excuse, i'm still guilty.  

Anyone know how long a ticket would take to come though, happy new year and all! :roll:


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## oldun (Nov 10, 2005)

You must bear in mind that some of these radar detector devices are illegal in France. Even having one that is switched off or disabled still breaks the law.

I have no other information of the legallity in other countries.


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## 101405 (Oct 15, 2006)

*speeds*

Beside the Speedometer. you also get round signs on poles at the side of the road telling you what the max speed is in dry and clear conditions. but of course you did not notice them. if your not paying attention to your driving , your not safe on the road.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

*Re: speeds*



silversurfa said:


> you also get round signs on poles at the side of the road telling you what the max speed is in dry and clear conditions. but of course you did not notice them. if your not paying attention to your driving , your not safe on the road.


This opens another can of worms. Why are speed warning signs so often placed within 5 yards of the exit to a roundabout? 8O

As silversurfa quite rightly says above (_though I don't think he meant it kindly in his context!!_) as you begin to exit a roundabout you are paying particular attention to your driving in case some cretin is trying to overtake or cut across lanes without a signal etc. etc. The last thing you need is an important warning sign precisely at the point of maximum concentration on the road itself, just where the idiots see a chance to shoot past a motorhome!

Then to make matters worse, there are no repeater signs for miles so you don't even know what the speed limit is for that stretch of road. :evil:

Just a point to ponder?


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## ksebruce (Nov 5, 2006)

Yes the speedo and the road signs telling you the limit are there to be used, but I don't see the harm in an audible warning in the car. It can be quite easy to "drift" over the limit especially on a downhill slope so I find the tomtom warning useful as my foot automatically lifts off the accelerator when I hear it.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

ksebruce said:


> Yes the speedo and the road signs telling you the limit are there to be used, but I don't see the harm in an audible warning in the car. It can be quite easy to "drift" over the limit especially on a downhill slope so I find the tomtom warning useful as my foot automatically lifts off the accelerator when I hear it.


Perfectly put Ken. 

My whole original point in a nutshell. :lol:

Cheers


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## dragstar (Jun 26, 2006)

sounds a waste of money to me can you imagine how many times you have to alter the speed button, the police can nab you for altering a satnav so instead of being done for speeding you get done for dangerous driving i mean how difficult is it to keep to the speed limit if you are worried i would either buy a satnav with speed warnings or a cruise with electronic finger tip controls. On your bit of kit you have to punch in the speed, you have to know the speed, so if you know the speed what is the point of buying it in the first place


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

*Re: speeds*



Zebedee said:


> ...there are no repeater signs for miles so you don't even know what the speed limit is for that stretch of road


There is much myth and misconception about repeater signs, the absence of which is often wrongly blamed for drivers' failing to understand the national arrangements. These arrangements really are very straightforward:-

* signage requirements
* actual signs in graphic form
* requirements for motorways

Dougie.


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## ksebruce (Nov 5, 2006)

dragstar said:


> sounds a waste of money to me can you imagine how many times you have to alter the speed button, the police can nab you for altering a satnav so instead of being done for speeding you get done for dangerous driving i mean how difficult is it to keep to the speed limit if you are worried i would either buy a satnav with speed warnings or a cruise with electronic finger tip controls. On your bit of kit you have to punch in the speed, you have to know the speed, so if you know the speed what is the point of buying it in the first place


It's sat nav I use so no need to alter anything.

Just a point in this debate, I passed my test 2 months after my 17th birthday I am now 61. In all those years I have been prosecuted for speeding once and that was some 25 years ago. I started driving in the army in all kinds of vehicles, I have driven buses and 8 leggers for Tarmac. I would defy anyone not to "drift" speed from time to time in fact if someone is watching their speedo to the extent they never do then in my view they are driving dangerously. I am not a "speeder" and try to stay within the limits, *BUT* I and human not a robot. I think this is where a good policeman would use discretion whereas cameras are not able to do this.

Dons tin hat and ducks beneath the parapet.


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## asprn (Feb 10, 2006)

ksebruce said:


> I think this is where a good policeman would use discretion whereas cameras are not able to do this.


No need to duck. It's true.

Dougie.


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## MikeH (Nov 10, 2007)

*Excess speed warning gadget*

Hi.
I have a Talex lite, very good, gives clear warnings of fixed cameras and countdown from 500 yards, with speed in force, at camera. Also warning of possible mobile camera positions with speed in force.
Have been taken over by another company Novus GPS. They are giving free updates for life for owners of Talex and Talex Lite units. Visit www.novusgps.com for more details.
Mike H.


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## Waggy (Jan 15, 2006)

*Re: speeds*



asprn said:


> There is much myth and misconception about repeater signs, the absence of which is often wrongly blamed for drivers' failing to understand the national arrangements. These arrangements really are very straightforward:-
> Dougie.


It may be staightforward to you Dougie but do we still have to measure the distance between street lamps to determine the speed limit :roll:

Why is it PROHIBITED to put repeater signs in a 30mph limit if it is not to catch out unsuspecting drivers who may not be familiar with the area. Is the object to help drivers comply with the limit or to catch them out to raise revenue? :x


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## homenaway (Jul 27, 2005)

Hi,
I agree about the poor positioning of speed limit signs at the exits of roundabouts :? 

On a fast main N road in France this year I believe south of Rodez there was an experimental section where they put coloured stripes along the road by the kerbside as it entered villages and repeated at pedestrian crossings so that red meant 50km/hr and green 70km/hr (or something similar!)

Seemed a good idea unless you are colour-blind  although I wouldn't want to see more stripes to go with the mass of yellow ones everywhere!
maybe just for 50 yards after the restriction signs.

Surely that would provide a better visual prompt than an ancient often dirty small 40 sign hidden in bushes on the opposite side of the road?

Steve


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## rogher (Dec 17, 2006)

I think most of the replies have missed the original point:
Is there anything (reliable) that will tell you if you're exceeding the local limit (or, for that matter, what the local limit is)?

Most devices I've come across only tell you if you're close to a recorded speed trap.

Speed limiters are better than cruise control, especially in built-up areas, but both require the user to know what the limit is and set it accordingly. In practice, this is no easy task.

It shouldn't take much investment to add such information to the navigation databases many of us use. I imagine that the authorities are not really interested (in safety or) encouraging this because they would lose so much revenue. A very small % of which would fund such an exercise, I'm sure.

Roger


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## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

I like the "Comes as standard" beeper on the Fiat. To set it is to hold one button in for a few seconds, trip through about 5 major options and select speed things and move arrows on dashboard up or down to select speed. You can of course also change from miles to K's here as well. I like to hear a beep when I have reached the permitted speed so I have a good idea how much faster I can push my luck.


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

djchapple said:


> You must bear in mind that some of these radar detector devices are illegal in France. Even having one that is switched off or disabled still breaks the law.
> 
> I have no other information of the legallity in other countries.


In france if you get cause using a radar detection gizmo they can CONFISCATE YOUR VEHICLE.


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