Caught speeding

[shaggy]

Just had a letter through this morning saying i had been caught doing 35mph in a 30mph zone. Fair enough!

The time and date match up etc etc and i can remember travelling along that road at that time but i cant remeber seeing any speed traps down there or any of those speed trap vans etc etc, not even a police car. I thought that these mobile speed traps(Must be one of these) had to be visible to the driver from 100 metres.

Its damn annoying as i'll get 3 points on my license and a £60 fine. I've just had 5 points taken off my license so i was planning on turboing my bubble, clean license etc etc but now i dont see the point, more points, more insurance!!

Contemplating getting rid of the car and catching the bus everywhere!

[Punx0r]

Bad luck mate!

[TomcatDan]

It happens to the best of us - I got caught a couple of years ago on the A35, hadn't registered a van or anything but when I thought back I remembered seeing it sat in the layby, I just hadn't registered it at the time. That was 79 in a 70.

I think the visibility thing only applies if the police force gets the revenue from the fine (iirc) - that's why you still see grey camera boxes some places, that just means that only the council get it instead. Unless they've changed it, I lose track

[shaggy]

At the end of the day i was speeding, albeit not by much, but i was speeding.

Just peed off cos i thought i was gonna have a clean license for a bit.

[TomcatDan]

It was a pipedream and you know it

[Nom]

There used to be a 10% error margin for your speedo reading, if thats still the case you're being done for 2mph over the speed limit
I'd want the photo of my reg plate, the accuracy certificate of the speed testing equipment and the status of /or inside leg measurements of the persons carrying out the speed check (if possible) and all before it went to court
You may as well check that they have followed procedure to the letter and see the evidence before deciding whether to pay the fixed penalty.
All imo of course

[PJW]

There used to be a 10% error margin for your speedo reading, if thats still the case you're being done for 2mph over the speed limit
I'd want the photo of my reg plate, the accuracy certificate of the speed testing equipment and the status of /or inside leg measurements of the persons carrying out the speed check (if possible) and all before it went to court
You may as well check that they have followed procedure to the letter and see the evidence before deciding whether to pay the fixed penalty.
All imo of course

I would ask for the photo and certifcate anyway, but i cant remember if you have to contest it in court to see them first. If you contest it, you end up paying about £2k if you lose. Sorry, when.

[Steve220]

Its the only proof that they caught you speeding, you're entitled to see it.

Chris - where abouts did they catch you??

[stefaclese]

35 in a 30 limit sounds rather pedantic, I didn't think they bothered until you were doing 36 and above? Same for the 79 in a 70.

Where do they draw the line now then? I did hear of someone being done in North Wales for 31mph in a 30 limit, but that sounds like an exageration to me.

[TomcatDan]

I think from what I remember the 10% +2mph rule was never a concrete rule, just a rule of thumb. Unless I'm very much mistaken the offence is exceeding the speed limit at all, it's down to the officers/forces discretion as to how much over the limit is worth a pull, there is no hard and fast rules. 31mph in a 30 is still technically an endorsable offence, but they'd have to prove it accurately enough. The margin of error is a courtesy do to calibration errors on your speedo, not their equipment. Technically Honestly though I think it's a bit of both.

[Big__P]

I did hear of someone being done in North Wales for 31mph in a 30 limit, but that sounds like an exageration to me.

my mate 3 years ago got done doing 31 mph in a 30 in a cinquento in huddersfield
on the same night, an hour apart iirc his cousin in a ford ka got done in bradford i think at 33 mph

[Nom]

I wasn't suggesting going to court... but I was suggesting making a questioning nuisance out of myself in the hope of finding an official prepared to use some common sense or discretion.
I've always found spraying letters at different people asking questions to be fruitful.
Since it costs money (in terms of peoples' time) to answer recorded delivery letters at the worst some/all of your fixed speeding fine would be lost in administration fees.

[munky]

Click here for useful advice on how to avoid speeding fines

[shaggy]

Its the only proof that they caught you speeding, you're entitled to see it.

Chris - where abouts did they catch you??

It was in Hadley, the main road going thro i presume.

Really cant remeber seeing any cameras/vans etc.

[shaggy]

Click here for useful advice on how to avoid speeding fines

Love it!!!!

[arfursixpence]

I wasn't suggesting going to court... but I was suggesting making a questioning nuisance out of myself in the hope of finding an official prepared to use some common sense or discretion.
I've always found spraying letters at different people asking questions to be fruitful.
Since it costs money (in terms of peoples' time) to answer recorded delivery letters at the worst some/all of your fixed speeding fine would be lost in administration fees.

Other than wasting council tax payers money (aka your OWN money!) what on earth would that sort of nonsense achieve?

[Big__P]

Click here for useful advice on how to avoid speeding fines

nice find

[munky]

Click here for useful advice on how to avoid speeding fines

Love it!!!!

One of my favourite webpages ever.

Glad you took it in the spirit it was meant... Some people haven't in the past.



But seriously...

3 points wont add huge amounts to your policy. The average is a £40 increase.

But thats entirely down to individual circumstances so if its going to cost you a sh*tload and hold you back from plans you really dont want to postpone....

Your best bet is to ask for the photograph, find out if it was a fixed or mobile camera, find out the exact location of it and ask for proof the equipment was correctly calibrated.

Once you know where it was, go there and work out if it was visible from the legally required distance. (used to be 60m but may have changed, google it). Take photos, measurements etc.

Once you have all the info you can get, call one of the many free legal advice lines or visit your local Citizens Advice Bureau to find out if you have anything worth contesting.

It IS worth arguing in court IF you are sure you'll win.

If you're not sure, just bite the bullet because contesting it and losing normally ends up costing more in court fees and costs, and sometimes results in harsher penalties too.

[Sheaf]

IMO just pay the fine and take the hit.

If you were there at the time then it looks like you're guilty and if you were to make a fuss it's more likely to end up being more hassle and probably more cost than it's worth.

As Dan says I think if they're fussy they can clock you at 1mph over.

No idea about the viability.... but I got caught in August and I was slowing down before I even saw the van. They clocked me much much more than 100m away, probably more like 300m tbh.

[shaggy]

I'm not going to contest it, knowing my luck lately it'll just get worse.

I'm more peed off with the £60 fine now. Oh well

Munky - Bookmarked that webpage! Will prob use it myself on occasions

[TomcatDan]

Good lad, take it on the chin (or get your mum to write a letter instead like I did when I was caught years ago, although the letter was technically to slow in coming... The definition of manliness )

[Raistlin]

and sometimes results in harsher penalties too.

No it doesn't.

[Nom]

The penalties are fixed within magistrates guidelines, I guess.

[marksmith]

The 10%+2mph is the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) guideline - as stated, a guideline not a rule. 1mph over is breaking the law and you can be prosecuted. It's there to account for speedo error (which is actually quite generous because your speedo OVER reads). Certainly saying "but I was only just over the (already quite generous) tolerance" is probably not going to win any favours

[Nom]

Fair enough, I take your point. The fact that the speed limit has been broken is the offence and whatever percentage of speedo error was factored in, would often mean that people just outside the percentage limit feel aggrieved.
My own perspective on a 30mph limit is that close to schools and town centres, I obey the limit conscientiously, often slowing a lot more if I deem it necessary. Overall, I think it is a sensible limit for some built up areas.

[marksmith]

There's a whole can of worms to be opened regarding what speed limits should be. Personally I think some areas should be (and some rightly are) dropped to 20mph, and other areas increased a lot. I hate this habit of dropping nationals (country lanes etc.) to 40s - yes there are SOME places in some conditions where you can't do 60. That's not what national limit means - it doesn't mean you MUST do 60, it means you MAY do up to 60. If there's a blind bend and it's wet, 20 might be the right speed - engage brain. Motorways when it's clear could be done like in Germany - some suitable sections without limits (or with much higher limits), and policing for stopping distance rather than speed. I think (hope) people would respect the 20s and 30s more if they could make a bit of progress on open roads.

Anyway, sorry to hijack your thread

[Nom]

I wasn't suggesting going to court... but I was suggesting making a questioning nuisance out of myself in the hope of finding an official prepared to use some common sense or discretion.
I've always found spraying letters at different people asking questions to be fruitful.
Since it costs money (in terms of peoples' time) to answer recorded delivery letters at the worst some/all of your fixed speeding fine would be lost in administration fees.

Other than wasting council tax payers money (aka your OWN money!) what on earth would that sort of nonsense achieve?

So what you're saying is that its a vain hope that anyone in a position of minor authority is allowed to use discretion or common sense ? Unfortunately, that rings very true
I may be old fashioned in believing that such people exist but it would not stop me from asking in preference to going court and losing the case.
If this particular offence was recorded on a speed camera then, personally speaking, I'd prefer it if any perceived profit from the fine was 'diluted' in administration costs rather than go to a camera partnership.

by the way.