1.You've just got your new '"Haayabasu" and you want to have some fun - where do you go? First off, if you're not going to stick to each and every speed limit then avoid the places that other bikers are going to congregate. Boxhill and the like are all very nice but they are also the source of the biggest number of complaints by members of the public and the biggest concentration of fatal bike accidents. So it's no surprise that it's also the biggest concentration of Police! Go for the fast A roads well away from towns.

2. You're riding down the road and you see a police officer pointing a radar at you. What do you do? Simple - brake hard!. He may stop you and have a word but he has to release the trigger to register the speed. He wants to record the highest speed you do so he wont be in a hurry to release. Question is, can you get your speed down to a sensible level before he releases?! Also bear in mind that (contrary to popular belief!!) the Police are there to stop accidents (see earlier question regarding who gets ticket money). Their success is measured not by how many tickets they give out but by how they reduce accidents on their area. If they see you have decent observation and see them early you are FAR more likely to get a verbal warning than a ticket. It's a bit like the old motorway guidelines - better a 100mph good driver than a 80mph tailgater!

3.Dual carriageways are a favourite for speed traps using the VASCAR method. This involves a police car or bike having a vascar unit installed. If they are static they have already inputted a fixed distance (i.e. bridge to bridge) and they just time you going through these points to work out your average speed. If you see a car doing vascar then drop your speed massively . If you`re doing 90 in a 60 limit and you manage to drop it to 45 halfway through the measuring points then it will show your average speed as 67.5mph. Bear in mind that ACPO rules for prosecution are a minimum of speed limit +10%+3mph. So for a 60mph limit, the lowest prosecution speed is 69mph. You're probably asking "but the police will see that I have braked hard" - simple answer - it doesn't matter.

4.Its very easy to get points on your licence - but its not that hard to avoid them either or at least minimize the risk. One fact that is overlooked is that 86% of all speeding tickets issued in 1998 were in 30mph limits. The main reasons are that although hand held radar (or miniquip) will work at all speed limits, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines are that a police officer on foot will only step out into the road to stop vehicles in 30mph limits - it gets a bit hairy above that sort of speed. Bear in mind that most vehicles they stop will be travelling at 45mph plus! Another reason is that 75% of fatal accidents are in 30mph limits. Also, Police have to respond to complaints by members of the public - and most complaints are to do with excess noise in built up areas. So the main lesson is - keep your speed down in the 30mph limits - its the best way of reducing the chance of a ticket.

5.Whether it's admitted or not, when you get stopped, there's an attitude test. If yours is a 50/50 case between getting a ticket or not then how you act can make the difference. Want a ticket? - stop a distance away from the officer, wait for him to come to you, leave your helmet on and engine running - that should do the trick! Courtesy costs nothing and could save your licence.

6.When you go to places like Thruxton or Boxhill, do you ever speak to the Police officers that are there?  Invariably Police motorcyclists also ride off-duty and are professional bikers. They are a mine of information and are (contrary to popular belief!) human. If you ask them where the hazardous roads are they will tell you. They know the local roads extremely well, and they see a lot of bikers after crashes - so guess what - that's where the speed cameras will be as well. (Apart from the obvious advantage of letting you know where the blackspots are!)

7.Watch the local press. If you read about a serious or fatal crash involving a bike, expect an increase in enforcement in that area. The Police often put out press releases about problem areas - which are also published on that force's website. Check them out - some good pointers to be had. Check out your local force at www.police.uk/