THE DEVIL SUGGESTS
See how accurately you can measure the speed of a passing car without specialised equipment
Estimate vehicle speed using a measured distance and a stopwatch, then compare it with a safe reference if available. Observe from private land or a safe pavement; never stand in or step into the road.
Do it
- Find a safe viewing point beside a straight stretch of road.
- Measure a short visible distance between two fixed points.
- Time a car passing between those points.
- Divide the distance by the time to estimate its speed.
- Repeat several times and compare the estimates.
What next?
Keep the useful notes, photograph the result if there is one, then go and find something else to do.