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Busted...

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horseofwar

Member
Edinburgh
Got the dreaded letter from the Police yesterday after being caught by a mobile camera on the M74 last week. Those things must have a crazy range as I saw it well in advance and lowered my speed to 70 mph with a good 500m to spare. Too little too late apparently.

Hopefully just the 3 points and £60(?) fine just as I got rid of my last 3 points from 2011! So annoyed as I didn't have to rush but you know what they say about being man enough to commit the crime...

A few miles further down the road and I would have been across the border and perhaps an option (vs points) to go on a speed safety course- no such luck in Scotland apparently. Pity. :headbang:
 
It's a minimum £100 plus 3 points these days.

That's what I got earlier this year for 41mph in a 30 limit. Fortunately I had the option of a course which was £90 but avoided the points.
 
dr_john said:
It's a minimum £100 plus 3 points these days.

That's what I got earlier this year for 41mph in a 30 limit. Fortunately I had the option of a course which was £90 but avoided the points.
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After you factor in a day's holiday, the travel to and from the venue and the boredom, the fine and the 3 points sounds like a better deal! Assuming you are on a clean licence to start with (3 points make no difference to insurance - seems to be the new baseline for a clean licence as it's so easy to collect points these days!).
 
I did a four hour driving awareness course on Friday afternoon. My god, an insurance seminar would have gone quicker
 
Fair points, although I'm retired so taking holiday was not a factor for me.

The course was useful, I now know how the speed limits work although at 4 hours it was very repetitive and boring towards the end. The instructor was an ex cop who obviously thought that the sun shone out of his arseh0le. :)
 
I had did a speed awareness last year, i actually found it very good!

Was 6-9 in the evening so i didnt have to take a day off work... They do weekends too.

Everyone speeds... Eventually your luck runs out and you get caught.





Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
 
aquazi said:
Everyone speeds... Eventually your luck runs out and you get caught.
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...or you crash and die....or kill someone else!

Only joking (although that could happen) but I'm not perfect (although I am as close as you'll get!). I did the speed awareness course as well.....found it quite useful.
 
aquazi said:
Everyone speeds... Eventually your luck runs out and you get caught.
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Exactly what happens. Also gone are the days when a police car had had to follow you for a defined distance and catch you exceeding the speed limit. Now technology nabs you for a moments indiscretion.
 
I've been waiting for a speeding fine for well over a month now!!(9th September ) so i presume i've got away with it??. I definitely went through a mobile camera doing 46/ 48 in a 40 zone don't know why i haven't had the dreaded letter
 
Insurance companies now ask the question "Have you attended a speed awareness course". I take it that this then effects the premium.
 
As I understand the police have 14 days to issue a NIP ( notice of intention to prosecute) as im in the same boat as I went through one on the way to Bridlington a week last Monday so if I'm right if I've not got it by this coming Monday I'm in the clear, mind you I was only just over 30 and im allowed +10% +2mph which is 35 mph but am not sure what I was doing in the 40 zone before it :-(
 
ric19 said:
As I understand the police have 14 days to issue a NIP ( notice of intention to prosecute) as im in the same boat as I went through one on the way to Bridlington a week last Monday so if I'm right if I've not got it by this coming Monday I'm in the clear, mind you I was only just over 30 and im allowed +10% +2mph which is 35 mph but am not sure what I was doing in the 40 zone before it :-(
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I'm not sure where that info came from. The 'allowance' is to accommodate inaccurate speedometers. If yours is accurate, you are allowed nothing apart from a policeman's discretion.
Good luck.
 
Speed Enforcement

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has issued speed enforcement policy guidance, which suggests that enforcement will normally occur when a driver exceeds the speed limit by a particular margin. This is normally 10 per cent over the speed limit plus 2 mph. It also sets guidelines for when it would not be appropriate to issue a fixed penalty notice but to issue a summons instead (see below). Note that these are guidelines and that a police officer has discretion to act outside of them providing he acts fairly, consistently and proportionately.

Speed limit: 20 mph 
ACPO charging threshold: 24 mph 
Summons: 35 mph

Speed limit: 30 mph 
ACPO charging threshold: 35 mph 
Summons: 50 mph

Speed limit: 40 mph 
ACPO charging threshold: 46 mph 
Summons: 66 mph

Speed limit: 50 mph 
ACPO charging threshold: 57 mph 
Summons: 76 mph
 
They're the charging thresholds.

There's nothing to stop them offering/making money out of a speed awareness course for speeds of 1mph over the limit, all the way up to the charging threshold.

My one and only SAC came for 34mph in a 30mph dual-carriageway.

My 86mph in a 60mph was a straightforward 3pts/£60 fine (missed out on the £100 bill by about a week).

Don't forget that even though the point are 'expired' as far as your license goes, you still have to declare them for up to 5 years to an insurance company. The declaration of SACs is a grey area, as they can ask any question they like (such as "Are you a cross-dresser?") and it's up to you whether you answer it or not. However in the case of SACs, there's supposed to be no legal way for them to get hold of this information, so if you gave a false statement how would they know? But then you risk the policy being voided if they do find out.
 
Did we find out what speed Horseofwar was doing?

Scotland is not a good place to speed as they seem pretty keen up these, North Wales too. I did an awareness course this time last year and I found it very informative. Problem is, once I got back in the car (on the way home) I just went back to my usual habits of driving sensibly but this is still just slightly higher than the limits.

Some dual carriageways are now down to 40 Mph near me and it is hard to concentrate and keep to those speeds with an open road ahead of you. It has never been easier to get done for speeding as it is now. Cars are more refined and the limits are dropping everywhere. Even as an ex copper, I think things have gone too far where concentration on speed is overtaking the need for basic skills in manoeuvring, indicating, lane discipline and awareness of other vehicles in positions where accidents are likely.

Don't get me wrong, in built up areas, housing estates, outside schools etc, strict limits and punishments should apply. Getting caught doing 50 on a dual carriage way or 80 on the motorway is a joke in my book.

H.
 
I think the punishment should be graded as speeding in built up areas such as schools etc. should be far worse than 80 on a motorway although I realise this is unlikely.
 
Derbyshire where I live are currently having a speeding purge and camera's are popping up where they didnt used to in fact my Missus nearly got caught yesterday on a 30 road when normally She (and a lot of others) would be well over that
 
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