The new speeding fines coming in April

[Michaelhunt]

Possibly been covered before but want a fresh spin on things....

Just seen a few things pop up on facebook with links to saga/evo articles etc that explain in depth what these new fines (taxes) mean.

Seems to me it's just a greater tax on normal people because if you are rich then the fines are capped so it's not going to bother them so much. Also it's come from magistrates not central government which I think is wrong.

I would have less of an issue if the money was being put to good use (like making all our roads silky smooth and filling in potholes)

To me it's wrong that you get punished twice anyway (points and fine, unlike just fine in other countries)

But it's fine isn't it because speed (rather than idiocy) is a good measurable unit which they can place a nice heavy tax on.

Do people agree with these new rules (genuinely and not just trolling on a car enthiusiast website)

I agree with the change regarding mobile phone use but surely this is just a disproportionate tax on working people.

• Awaits the speed kills Nazis on a car enthiusiast forum*

[Ekona]

One could argue it's idiocy to speed in a place where you're likely to get caught, so they are just punishing the stupid

[gus607]

The law is the law, get over it.

[TooMany2cvs]

No, don't you worry about actually posting a link...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38724301

Michaelhunt said:

Seems to me it's just a greater tax on normal people

You do realise this isn't FPNs, right? They're staying the same. Roughly how many "normal people" find themselves above the FPN threshold on a regular basis?

Michaelhunt said:

because if you are rich then the fines are capped so it's not going to bother them so much.

Goodness me. Rich people suffer less from financial penalties. Well, whodathunkit.

Michaelhunt said:

Also it's come from magistrates not central government which I think is wrong.

The law isn't changing. The fines ranges will still be the same as they've always been in. It's purely a change in the guidelines that magistrates have to work to - and, btw, the Sentencing Council is part of government - it's part of the Ministry of Justice.
http://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/about-us/

Michaelhunt said:

To me it's wrong that you get punished twice anyway (points and fine, unlike just fine in other countries)

Quite a lot of countries issue both fines and points towards totting-up bans for repeat offenders.

[Centurion07]

gus607 said:

The law is the law, get over it.

Good job not everyone thinks that way, eh Judge Dredd?

[spookly]

This will only affect those over FPN threshold, but I'd agree with the sentiment that the penalties for speeding are already disproportionate. This will just make it even more disproportionate.

Speeding is an absolute offence. What makes a mockery of it is that the speeding limits are completely arbitrary and often bear little resemblance to the risks of speeding on that particular road.

Many NSL country lanes you'd be mental to de doing 60mph, but you wouldn't be breaking the speed limit. And then apparently we can't be trusted to select an appropriate speed on some dial carriageways that get 40mph limits despite being far less risky than country lanes.

The only places the camera vans operate in my area are where the limits don't really match the roads. When they are enforcing 30mph limits they can always be found on the safest, widest roads with really good visibility.... usually just beyond a bend. The reason they'll catch so many people is that people who aren't staring at their speedo all the time will naturally select a higher speed there as in all reality it is a perfectly reasonable speed. yes, it is above the posted limit.... but far safer than doing 25mph on some of the 30mph further into town.

TLDR: Speed limits are mostly b0llocks, focussing too much on speed enforcement is also b0llocks.

[Monkeylegend]

It's not a tax it's a fine which is legally avoidable.

[spikyone]

spookly said:

When they are enforcing 30mph limits they can always be found on the safest, widest roads with really good visibility.... usually just beyond a bend.

Quoted for comedy value.

Without wanting to sound like a speeding Nazi these new penalties only affect you if you're exceeding the speed limit by at least 20mph, or 30mph in a NSL. There can't be many circumstances where you'd be doing that without knowing, and if you are then you should probably hand in your licence on the way out.
A hefty penalty is fair enough for people who are caught doing that. It's not as if you're being thrown in jail, just a wake-up call that your speed was likely inappropriate, for one reason or another. It's supposed to be a bit painful, otherwise it has no deterrent value. And as with most occasions where someone moans that "it will hit the poorest the hardest", it's entirely avoidable.