56 in a 30 - what can I expect?!
Discussion
Breadvan72 said:
Jonny TVR said:
Breadvan72 said:
Yes, but some of us take responsibility for our mistakes and don't make flaky excuses.
Grow up!
now you've done it, the mods will be here in force. OK, a tad harsh, perhaps, but these "Waaaaaah, I drove almost twice as fast as the speed limit and it was the evil government's fault!" threads do bring on the sardonic somewhat. Maybe we should just use use the splendid template provided by 10PS on a nearby thread the other day:
tenpenceshort said:
Yeah but but but those 3 points expensive extra insurance Nazi police state safety statistics Germany physics not exist selfish waffling irrelevant licence freedom jobsworth money making scam revenue pratnership Steve Callaghan.
nipsips said:
I got caught doing 57 in a 30 by traffic police - no excuses at all just was being a dick. Sat me in the car, asked why I was doing it, told him the truth and he gave me some advise.
The officer said that they would take into account the fact the road was on an industrial estate, at night, no pedestrians around and that I was in a high powered car (whether the last bit hinders or helps is another matter). It was also noted that it was dry and that I showed no lack of control just high speed. I read the officers report which wasn't as scathing as it could have been, and showed that my vehicle was seen accelerating quickly to the speed I was caught at.
I received a courts summons that asked for my plea - I said Guilty. I was asked to give my mitigation/defence and put exactly what happened. You're then in the courts hands.
For what its worth I got 6 points and fine that equalled a weeks wages + court costs and a victims surcharge. Did I deserve a ban?
Possibly. Was a stupid thing to do and wont be repeated. Lesson learnt!
That sounds like good advise thanks. Interestingly it was through an industrial estate on a Sunday. The officer said that they would take into account the fact the road was on an industrial estate, at night, no pedestrians around and that I was in a high powered car (whether the last bit hinders or helps is another matter). It was also noted that it was dry and that I showed no lack of control just high speed. I read the officers report which wasn't as scathing as it could have been, and showed that my vehicle was seen accelerating quickly to the speed I was caught at.
I received a courts summons that asked for my plea - I said Guilty. I was asked to give my mitigation/defence and put exactly what happened. You're then in the courts hands.
For what its worth I got 6 points and fine that equalled a weeks wages + court costs and a victims surcharge. Did I deserve a ban?
Possibly. Was a stupid thing to do and wont be repeated. Lesson learnt!
Hi OP
Ignore these "Perfect Peter" drivers who never speed in a 30. They do go over the speed limit its just that they didnt get caught. As previous posters have said an early plea will go a long way in reducing the pain. Suit up and look remorseful on the day. Have a statement to read out that you are really sorry and you have learnt your lesson. If you want to keep a clean licence then opt for a short ban (if it is possible workwise). The benefit of this is that points arent added to your licence and you dont have to endure the next 4 years with 6 points+ on it suffering the usual paranoia of all speed cameras. Anyway Good Luck.
Rgds
Richard
Ignore these "Perfect Peter" drivers who never speed in a 30. They do go over the speed limit its just that they didnt get caught. As previous posters have said an early plea will go a long way in reducing the pain. Suit up and look remorseful on the day. Have a statement to read out that you are really sorry and you have learnt your lesson. If you want to keep a clean licence then opt for a short ban (if it is possible workwise). The benefit of this is that points arent added to your licence and you dont have to endure the next 4 years with 6 points+ on it suffering the usual paranoia of all speed cameras. Anyway Good Luck.
Rgds
Richard
richarda0109 said:
Hi OP
Ignore these "Perfect Peter" drivers who never speed in a 30. They do go over the speed limit its just that they didnt get caught. As previous posters have said an early plea will go a long way in reducing the pain. Suit up and look remorseful on the day. Have a statement to read out that you are really sorry and you have learnt your lesson. If you want to keep a clean licence then opt for a short ban (if it is possible workwise). The benefit of this is that points arent added to your licence and you dont have to endure the next 4 years with 6 points+ on it suffering the usual paranoia of all speed cameras. Anyway Good Luck.
Rgds
Richard
Pretty much this.Ignore these "Perfect Peter" drivers who never speed in a 30. They do go over the speed limit its just that they didnt get caught. As previous posters have said an early plea will go a long way in reducing the pain. Suit up and look remorseful on the day. Have a statement to read out that you are really sorry and you have learnt your lesson. If you want to keep a clean licence then opt for a short ban (if it is possible workwise). The benefit of this is that points arent added to your licence and you dont have to endure the next 4 years with 6 points+ on it suffering the usual paranoia of all speed cameras. Anyway Good Luck.
Rgds
Richard
I speed a lot, and usually on purpose, on motorways and NSL roads. On a few occasions I have failed to pay attention to my surroundings, speeded in a 30 zone, been caught, and paid up. I don't blame anyone other than myself if that happens, and most of the time I pay attention and drive within the limit in 30 zones. I can identify a 30 limit because of stuff plainly written in the Highway Code. It's not obscure stuff, and the idea that a road can "catch you out" is, I think, daft.
Jonny TVR said:
That sounds like good advise thanks. Interestingly it was through an industrial estate on a Sunday.
Page 131 of http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/docs/MCS... would be a good read.It may be more a case that there are no culpability/harm factors to increase the penalty as opposed to a reduction based on circumstances at the time.
Moulder said:
Page 131 of http://sentencingcouncil.judiciary.gov.uk/docs/MCS... would be a good read.
It may be more a case that there are no culpability/harm factors to increase the penalty as opposed to a reduction based on circumstances at the time.
P185 of that document should also be read, regards discretionary disqualification. The OP should use his mitigation and any evidence he gives in person to influence the court's discretion in the direction that most suits his circumstances. All the while being careful not to appear as if he's telling the court what to do.It may be more a case that there are no culpability/harm factors to increase the penalty as opposed to a reduction based on circumstances at the time.
Breadvan72 said:
I speed a lot, and usually on purpose, on motorways and NSL roads. On a few occasions I have failed to pay attention to my surroundings, speeded in a 30 zone, been caught, and paid up. I don't blame anyone other than myself if that happens, and most of the time I pay attention and drive within the limit in 30 zones. I can identify a 30 limit because of stuff plainly written in the Highway Code. It's not obscure stuff, and the idea that a road can "catch you out" is, I think, daft.
With you 100%. Sadly these threads are becoming increasingly frequent.kapiteinlangzaam said:
I was booked for 56 in a 30 in 2002.
I asked for a large fine and 5pts, pleased guilty by post with a grovelling letter (could not attend due to being in the South China Sea with work!). I needed the car for work, and to see family who at the time lived at the other end of country.
Awarded 6pts and £150 fine. Total w
kers.
That meant licence revocation (only held for 20 months) and I had to re-sit all the parts of my test.
So from my experience so you can either expect 5pts and a large fine, or 6pts and a moderate/low fine, depending on how much a git the judge is feeling on the day.
FWIW I was pinged at 3am on a wide and empty DC, by a Gatso hidden in trees 200yds after the NSL dropped to 30mph. To say I felt hard done by is an understatement. It certainly irrevocably tainted the perceptions of the UK justice system to an impressionable 18 yr old.
The magistrates sentencing guidelines specifically advise not to decrease points and increase fine to circumvent the new driver's act, so for the most part their hands were tied.I asked for a large fine and 5pts, pleased guilty by post with a grovelling letter (could not attend due to being in the South China Sea with work!). I needed the car for work, and to see family who at the time lived at the other end of country.
Awarded 6pts and £150 fine. Total w
kers.That meant licence revocation (only held for 20 months) and I had to re-sit all the parts of my test.
So from my experience so you can either expect 5pts and a large fine, or 6pts and a moderate/low fine, depending on how much a git the judge is feeling on the day.
FWIW I was pinged at 3am on a wide and empty DC, by a Gatso hidden in trees 200yds after the NSL dropped to 30mph. To say I felt hard done by is an understatement. It certainly irrevocably tainted the perceptions of the UK justice system to an impressionable 18 yr old.
kapiteinlangzaam said:
There was discretion, we consulted a motoring lawyer at the time. He advised to attend in person for the best chances of 'success', but that simply wasnt possible.
5pts and an increased fine was an option, the magistrate chose not to use it.
The time did not fit the crime, if you will.
Having to resit all parts of my test, needing to use a taxi to commute for an extended period, etc etc was a punitive retribution for what was, IMO, a momentary and minor lapse. 5pts would have ensured that I drove like a saint for the next few years, without leaving the bitter taste.
This was back in 2002 remember, at the height of the new speeding paranoia, so in retrospect it was hardly surprising.
That is all good and stuff, but you had only been driving for 20 months...5pts and an increased fine was an option, the magistrate chose not to use it.
The time did not fit the crime, if you will.
Having to resit all parts of my test, needing to use a taxi to commute for an extended period, etc etc was a punitive retribution for what was, IMO, a momentary and minor lapse. 5pts would have ensured that I drove like a saint for the next few years, without leaving the bitter taste.
This was back in 2002 remember, at the height of the new speeding paranoia, so in retrospect it was hardly surprising.
From an alternative POV; you had been driving less than 2 years (so still a newish driver) and were already in trouble for speeding. Doesn't that say something? There is a reason they give you a 6 point limit for your first 2 years.
I drove like a bloody saint for my first two years, knowing full well that anything vaguely stupid would see me off the road.
Moot point now anyway, but you were hardly a victim.
kapiteinlangzaam said:
We will have to agree to totally disagree then.
I had driven more than 30k miles in those first 20 months, more than a lot of people manage in 10yrs.
To lose your licence for passing a hidden Gatso at 3am in the morning on a wide & empty DC was (and remains) an absolute piss take.
We might agree that you were causing minimal danger at that speed in that location, but the reality is that you lost your licence for a total failure to observe the speed limit. You either didn't realise it was a 30, or you knew and decided that you didn't feel the rules should apply. I had driven more than 30k miles in those first 20 months, more than a lot of people manage in 10yrs.
To lose your licence for passing a hidden Gatso at 3am in the morning on a wide & empty DC was (and remains) an absolute piss take.
No, you don't like it, but you did know the likely consequences when you drove. Before you think I'm being a sanctimonious arse, I've gone to court and, just like you, have been given 6 points rather than the 5 my solicitor thought it would be. It didn't have the same consequence for me as it did for you, but that was just luck on my part.
I got caught doing 59 on a 30 that was a dual carriageway with no 30 signs only road writing and it turns into a 40 later on. When in court the clerk actually took the time to explain the layout of the road to the magistrates and explained to them that it was set up like a 40 mile an hour road, it was only a 30 as there was a crossing to the cinema complex on it.
I got 3 points and a small fine but this was a good 7 years ago
I got 3 points and a small fine but this was a good 7 years ago
kapiteinlangzaam said:
The whole UK system of punitive punishment for what are often minor and unremarkable speeding 'offences' is a joke. You only begin to realise that when you step outside of the UK madness and experience something else.
I left the UK going on 10 years ago, and one of things I definitely do not miss is the frankly absurd points system.
I know a lot wont agree with me, but that is often the position of people who have spent their entire (motoring) life under the UK system and have not experienced anything else.
I think that being caught 4x, at as little as 5mph over (what are very often arbitrary and unneeded) limits = loss of licence, ban and all the crap that goes with it.... is an unbelievable system.
I've lived in NL for a while now (a country that generally hates cars by the way), no points here for speeding unless your are doing something very, very daft. Its just a fine, expensive fines at that, but at least the government are open and honest about the locations of cameras, why they put them there, and don't deny for a second that its a massive money making exercise, neither do they hide behind the 'mask of safety'.
A colleague in Germany recently got a month's ban for being caught twice within a fairly short space of time, second time by a motorbike cop using a laser camera in the dark.I left the UK going on 10 years ago, and one of things I definitely do not miss is the frankly absurd points system.
I know a lot wont agree with me, but that is often the position of people who have spent their entire (motoring) life under the UK system and have not experienced anything else.
I think that being caught 4x, at as little as 5mph over (what are very often arbitrary and unneeded) limits = loss of licence, ban and all the crap that goes with it.... is an unbelievable system.
I've lived in NL for a while now (a country that generally hates cars by the way), no points here for speeding unless your are doing something very, very daft. Its just a fine, expensive fines at that, but at least the government are open and honest about the locations of cameras, why they put them there, and don't deny for a second that its a massive money making exercise, neither do they hide behind the 'mask of safety'.
I forget the amounts over but they were minor, the sort of thing that would get you a speed awareness course here, and 3 points for the second offence.
Sheepshanks said:
A colleague in Germany recently got a month's ban for being caught twice within a fairly short space of time, second time by a motorbike cop using a laser camera in the dark.
I forget the amounts over but they were minor, the sort of thing that would get you a speed awareness course here, and 3 points for the second offence.
Really? I'm sure the standard PH argument is that you can drive everywhere at a billion mph in Germany as there are no speed limits I forget the amounts over but they were minor, the sort of thing that would get you a speed awareness course here, and 3 points for the second offence.
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