Moral dilemma….warning oncoming traffic of speed traps.

I would never do it - we’d campaigned long and hard for a reduced speed limit on a major road near us and there’s often a speed/ANPR vehicle out and about.

Technically it could be seen as an offence under Section 89 - obstruction of a Police Officer.

You were right

I don't really see a dilemma here. If you're warning them, then surely they are going to slow down, and isn't that the whole point?

I've always understood that to do so is a chargeable offence.

I agree with your husband, it made the traffic slow down.

Most of them here are automatic and hidden now but they used to have police traps. Everyone flashed each other warnings. That’s probably why they have the hidden ones.

I'd let them get caught if that's what it takes to stop speeding. I don't like the practice of warning others of speed trap locations on facebook either. It's not asking much to drive safely is it?

I’m on the side of slowing them down by whichever means if that makes other people safe on our roads.

I'd also lie to someone burgling next door that cops were on their way if it stopped them in their tracks!

And to make me a complete busybody I’d warn anyone dropping litter in the park that wardens are about!

The object should be to make people slow down but sadly it now seems to be to extract larger and larger fines; frequently unfamiliar routes have little indication of what the correct speed should be, particularly roads into towns where the limits change several times. The signs that flash up your speed, and make you aware of what you are doing are far more effective.

your husband was wrong and he could have been prosecuted. Speeders need to be caught

Me too Smileless. People who speed need to be caught and dealt with appropriately.

Surely if you are warning someone, then they are going to slow down, which is the object of the exercise. Some drivers are repeat speeding offenders and seem to almost take fines in their stride, so to speak.

If they are speeding the object of the exercise is to catch them doing it. Someone who regularly speeds will slow down when warned of a speed trap and put their foot down again as soon as they’ve passed it. Repeat offenders will gather points on their licences which will eventually see them disqualified.

I don’t see it as a moral issue at all. We can all have a momentary lapse in concentration and inadvertently go a bit over the speed limit, so an on-coming car flashing us will alert us to the speed trap and we slow down.
Some roads have a variety of different speed limits in a short stretch, which can cause confusion.

It happened to me a few months ago and now I am extra vigilant on that road as there is often a police car lurking just out of sight.

It is against the law, I believe.

Georgesgran

I would never do it - we’d campaigned long and hard for a reduced speed limit on a major road near us and there’s often a speed/ANPR vehicle out and about.

Technically it could be seen as an offence under Section 89 - obstruction of a Police Officer.

I agree. The offence is obstructing a police officer - section 89(2) Police Act 1996.

It’s specifically listed here under potential offices.

giving a warning to other motorists of a police speed trap ahead

www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/public-justice-offences-incorporating-charging-standard

Confused.com say: According to the Crown Prosecution Service, you could get/serve 1 month in prison for police obstruction and potentially get a level 3 fine, which is £1,000.

www.confused.com/car-insurance/guides/speeding-law-faqs

Well in that case it’s not to be advised !

The idea is to trap people who speed and are dangerous on the road and show them that doing so many result in a lost license so they should slow down

If everyone "warned" people who speed that a trap was ahead then those people would feel safer speeding more.

That would lead to more accidents and deaths

So logically, warning people is a dangerous thing to do

I don't understand that 'logic' at all. If you are warning someone, then they are going to slow down. I don't see how it means they would feel safer speeding more. Anyway, it's not something I do.

You were right.
If you don’t want to be caught speeding then don’t speed.

There are phone apps that warn of speed cameras and traps and my sat nav app does the same thing. It dings a warning and flashes up the speed limit.

Speed cameras on the roadside are painted yellow to make them prominent so as to discourage speeding.

I understood that it was illegal to warn others, as is the use of speed detector devices. Surely warning someone by flashing lights or whatever means that the speeder then has carte blanche to speed if there is no one flashing lights at them.

A friend who holidayed quite often in Europe said that in one country they drove through (wish I could remember which!) had a system where if you were speeding in urban areas a traffic light further down the road would turn red and you’d have to stop until it went green again. They were a bit baffled at first by having to stop at these seemingly pointless traffic lights until it suddenly twigged with them that they were the ones responsible for making the lights turn red and that it was also why other drivers were glaring at them.

it is improper use of the headlamps; same as sounding the horn, only proper use is to make other road users aware of your presence.
not of any other presence.