68 in a variable M25 zone but mitigating circumstances
Discussion
Long story short; returned from a very last minute holiday last week due to my wife's secondary cancer diagnosis. It was possibly the last holiday together as a family before either the chemo makes her too ill to travel or the cancer gets her.
She has lymphedema as a result of surgery from the initial cancer 3 years ago. She was in incredible pain due to the travelling and discomfort on the plane and the journey home was tense; I was trying to drive as smoothly as possible to make it comfortable for her. At times she was literally sobbing in pain.
At some point we entered a 60mph zone on the relatively quiet M25 (it was 7.30 on a Weds evening and traffic was light) and the car was snapped apparently doing 68. Possibly a fair cop but my questions are:
• Is it worth going to court to explain the circumstances that may have led to the driver missing the speed change?
• The pics online show 2 dark Range Rovers (one ours, the other was going considerably faster than us). On the Offence View site one of the photos is actually of the other dark RR in lane 2 and in another taken a second later, another shot of the other car albeit now obscured by the the truck in lane 1 it was overtaking. We were sat several cars back at this point in lane 3. All other photos contain both very similar looking Range Rovers. Do a couple of photos attributed to the wrong car count for anything?
If 3 points and £100 come my way so be it but I'm feeling inclined to at least state the circumstances in the hope I may get just points or just the fine if they do find me liable.
She has lymphedema as a result of surgery from the initial cancer 3 years ago. She was in incredible pain due to the travelling and discomfort on the plane and the journey home was tense; I was trying to drive as smoothly as possible to make it comfortable for her. At times she was literally sobbing in pain.
At some point we entered a 60mph zone on the relatively quiet M25 (it was 7.30 on a Weds evening and traffic was light) and the car was snapped apparently doing 68. Possibly a fair cop but my questions are:
• Is it worth going to court to explain the circumstances that may have led to the driver missing the speed change?
• The pics online show 2 dark Range Rovers (one ours, the other was going considerably faster than us). On the Offence View site one of the photos is actually of the other dark RR in lane 2 and in another taken a second later, another shot of the other car albeit now obscured by the the truck in lane 1 it was overtaking. We were sat several cars back at this point in lane 3. All other photos contain both very similar looking Range Rovers. Do a couple of photos attributed to the wrong car count for anything?
If 3 points and £100 come my way so be it but I'm feeling inclined to at least state the circumstances in the hope I may get just points or just the fine if they do find me liable.
Edited by DrSteveBrule on Thursday 12th July 20:08
Edited by DrSteveBrule on Thursday 12th July 20:09
I failed to spot a change from a 50 limit to a 40 and passed a camera at 48. That I was responding to a phone call from the hospital to inform me that my mother was dying and that I should get there as soon as possible was not accepted as a reason to cancel the NIP. At least it gave me the chance to attend a Speed Awareness course!
there seems to be virtually no leeway.
Let's hope you could do a speed awareness course.
Friend of mine had a similar thing and he sped to hospital to be at the bedside of the dying loved one. When the ticket came in he sent the now dead person licence and death cert and said they were driving.
Let's hope you could do a speed awareness course.
Friend of mine had a similar thing and he sped to hospital to be at the bedside of the dying loved one. When the ticket came in he sent the now dead person licence and death cert and said they were driving.
surveyor_101 said:
there seems to be virtually no leeway.
Let's hope you could do a speed awareness course.
Friend of mine had a similar thing and he sped to hospital to be at the bedside of the dying loved one. When the ticket came in he sent the now dead person licence and death cert and said they were driving.
That made me laugh. Let's hope you could do a speed awareness course.
Friend of mine had a similar thing and he sped to hospital to be at the bedside of the dying loved one. When the ticket came in he sent the now dead person licence and death cert and said they were driving.
I did a speed awareness course 2 months ago so that’s not going to be on offer...
As much as these stories can tug at heartstrings, if leeway were given for one person, the floodgates would open. It's the same with red lights with an emergency vehicle behind you with its siren going: go over that line and get caught, you can be done. It won't matter if you've just saved 80 people in a burning tower block, you've broken the law.
Horrible thing to happen in your circumstances.
Horrible thing to happen in your circumstances.
KevinCamaroSS said:
I would not write to the court to explain why you were driving without due care and attention, not a sensible move.
That crossed my mind too. I also had an upset 6 year old asking why mummy was crying. I thought i was being good by sticking to 70. Points and a fine it is then.Up to you if you have the time or inclination to fight it.
If you do I would go to court and state your case and then call the local paper with the story and the magistrate's name when they inevitably fine you.
If you don't I wouldn't blame you.
Good luck with whatever you decide and sorry to hear about your wife.
If you do I would go to court and state your case and then call the local paper with the story and the magistrate's name when they inevitably fine you.
If you don't I wouldn't blame you.
Good luck with whatever you decide and sorry to hear about your wife.
BertBert said:
Really op, get a grip FFS. You are in the middle of dealing with your wife's serious cancer and are wondering whether to contest 3 points?
Ignore the speeding, who cares? Get on with the important things.
Hope things go well for your wife.
Bert
Well... yes but there was the fact some of the photos showed the wrong car. I wondered if that was grounds to query the validity.Ignore the speeding, who cares? Get on with the important things.
Hope things go well for your wife.
Bert
Ignore the t
ts above.
I was rushing my girlfriend and her family to see her grandmother in hospital as we'd had "the call". Got caught in a 40 on the M25 doing significantly over that. Wrote a letter explaining the situation and offering to provide hospital and doctor details as proof and it got cancelled.
Write the letter. You might get an understanding person at the other end or you may not. But if you don't try you definitely won't get it cancelled.
ts above.I was rushing my girlfriend and her family to see her grandmother in hospital as we'd had "the call". Got caught in a 40 on the M25 doing significantly over that. Wrote a letter explaining the situation and offering to provide hospital and doctor details as proof and it got cancelled.
Write the letter. You might get an understanding person at the other end or you may not. But if you don't try you definitely won't get it cancelled.
Steve H said:
cmaguire said:
Just forget about it and take the punishment.
They are wkers, you won't change that, and you have far more important stuff to think about.
This is the correct answer. They are w
kers, you won't change that, and you have far more important stuff to think about.
Do you really want to spend any of them time you have with your wife arguing with Civil Servants?
swerni said:
Not really sure how your wife having cancer is a reason for speeding.
If it’s that distracting, maybe you should consider not driving while she goes through her treatment.
It wasn’t that she has it again, the distraction was the pain she was in from effects of the surgery from last time, exaserbated by the travelling. Plus there’s the issue of the wrong car in two of the photos. I was sat behind other cars presumably doing the 60mph limit; could the camera have been triggered by the speeding, visually nearly-identical other car? Why would it be our car in some shots and the other car in other pics?If it’s that distracting, maybe you should consider not driving while she goes through her treatment.
And she won’t be spending time in the car while having treatment. It’s oral chemo this time - still rough but not as tough as the intravenous type she had.
Thanks for all the best wishes btw.
Edited by DrSteveBrule on Friday 13th July 09:23
swerni said:
As an ex cancer patient and having had chemo, my comments were meant with all sincerity.
Understood – I didn't feel any offence was implied but thank you. It's not a subject to get prickly about. I'll write a letter explaining but I'll accept the points and fine when they arrive. I was a bit fired up from being caught and some of the photos and conditions in the car gave me hope that I could fight it.
Thanks all.
For your health!
I don't think your mitigating circumstances will work, mainly because - perversely - you weren't going that much often the speed limit. You weren't rushing to due to any particular medical emergency. Your argument would basically be that your mind wasn't on the road, and that certainly is not an argument you would want to put to a magistrate.
I don't think your mitigating circumstances will work, mainly because - perversely - you weren't going that much often the speed limit. You weren't rushing to due to any particular medical emergency. Your argument would basically be that your mind wasn't on the road, and that certainly is not an argument you would want to put to a magistrate.
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