Bang to Rights - SAC or 3 Points
Discussion
As per the title, known camera van location, came around the corner chuntering distractedly to myself about some banal nonsense that fills our daily lives, clocked the van, clocked the speedo, 47 in a 40...Fair cop...nip has arrived and completed.
It was me guv, so what is the received wisdom on next best action?
Clean license for many a year to date, is it least painful long term to attend a sac and take it on the chin, or just do the old fashioned route of FPN £100 + points?
Don’t make a habit of speeding, therefore odds of ‘reoffending’ and being caught again are slim.
First nip for 20 years.
In a most unusual twist for this forum, advice is being sought and will probably listened to.
Cheers
It was me guv, so what is the received wisdom on next best action?
Clean license for many a year to date, is it least painful long term to attend a sac and take it on the chin, or just do the old fashioned route of FPN £100 + points?
Don’t make a habit of speeding, therefore odds of ‘reoffending’ and being caught again are slim.
First nip for 20 years.
In a most unusual twist for this forum, advice is being sought and will probably listened to.
Cheers
SAC is boring as hell in the main, but saves you the points. It is 4 hours of your life you will never get back. Points might make a small difference to your insurance, or they may have no effect. It may have a bigger effect if you already have, or think yourself likely to get, more points. To some, 4 hours is worth a lot of money, much more than any minor increase in insurance. To others, 4 hours is worth little and they have nothing better to do. Only you know how much you value your time and whether you're likely to get more points in future.
SAC is OK if you go into it with the right attitude. If you have a modicum of driving intellect, it is worth it as an eye-opener to see how dumb some people are about driving matters.
My wife has been too.
One question was..’where do most accidents/collisions occur. Towns, countryside, or motorways?’
Majority answer was, Motorways.
Correct answer, by only one person (nearest and dearest)..around towns.
My wife has been too.
One question was..’where do most accidents/collisions occur. Towns, countryside, or motorways?’
Majority answer was, Motorways.
Correct answer, by only one person (nearest and dearest)..around towns.
agtlaw said:
Pay the £100 fixed penalty. Do a course next time. If everyone did this then then their business model would fail.
Agreed.The course will cost about the same anyway so the choice is whether you want to be lectured-to by a patronising **** or have 3-points. Like you the OP, I don't make a habit of being caught so took the points which have now cleared.
Pica-Pica said:
If that were to happen, then in future there would simply be no courses, and just points.
If a business model fails, you change the model!
Yes but the funding model is key, points money goes one place, sac goes another doesn’t it?If a business model fails, you change the model!
Since insurance companies ask about sac now anyway, the business model is probably already under pressure.
In an ironic twist, I’d rather like a scamera van parked on our street, it’s a 30mph half mile straight road that most people treat as a 40-100+ drag strip. However, because it’s straight nobody wraps themselves around a lamppost so there’s no accident based justification to put a van there even though it would curb speeding/make a killing if they did.
Mind you, we’ve had that silly glue on stone chipping surfacing done this week so that’s calmed things down a bit...
Don't be too hasty ... reserve judgement.
I've done a couple of SACs. and my wife did one last week. To say they're enjoyable would be grossly over-stating it, but I found them really quite useful It was a reminder of some of the basics we tend to forget and, for most motorists, it's the only 'instruction' they get since passing a test.
The demographics on mine were interesting - overwhelmingly middle-aged and female-heavy - and not what I was expecting.
By all means take the points if you think you're making a valid objection and 'sticking it to the man', but no-one will give a s
t and you deny yourself the chance to maybe - just maybe - learn something.
I've done a couple of SACs. and my wife did one last week. To say they're enjoyable would be grossly over-stating it, but I found them really quite useful It was a reminder of some of the basics we tend to forget and, for most motorists, it's the only 'instruction' they get since passing a test.
The demographics on mine were interesting - overwhelmingly middle-aged and female-heavy - and not what I was expecting.
By all means take the points if you think you're making a valid objection and 'sticking it to the man', but no-one will give a s
t and you deny yourself the chance to maybe - just maybe - learn something. Thansk cdg, I by no means consider myself a driving god and sticking it to the man doesn’t really matter to me - with the right attitude the sac would be beneficial, was interested in canvassing thoughts.
With my employer, as a company car driver, I was required to do an advanced driver course that covers a great deal of the SAC stuff recently so I know there is value in those courses.
Every event is a learning opportunity and this time I was just miles away mentally and drifted over the limit
As per title, bang to rights.
With my employer, as a company car driver, I was required to do an advanced driver course that covers a great deal of the SAC stuff recently so I know there is value in those courses.
Every event is a learning opportunity and this time I was just miles away mentally and drifted over the limit
As per title, bang to rights.
agtlaw said:
Pay the £100 fixed penalty. Do a course next time. If everyone did this then then their business model would fail.
I understand completely where you're coming from but I think the reality is the vast majority will take a SAC if offered due to lower costs, no points, no insurance implication, etc. Therefore, if an individual opts to take the points in an effort to help break the business model aren't they really just whistling in the wind? Unless a majority of offenders do the same - which for the reasons I've mentioned I think is unlikely - the model will (unfortunately) survive....Also, if you fall foul for a second time within 3 years I don't think a SAC is even an option in which case haven't you in effect thrown away your free pass?
stewjohnst said:
With my employer, as a company car driver, I was required to do an advanced driver course that covers a great deal of the SAC stuff recently so I know there is value in those courses.
Does your employer have a policy about how many points you can have on your licence ?Re; where the money goes - Take the FPN and points and £100 goes to the treasury.
Take the SAC and the money (£80ish but varies between forces) goes to the police, camera partnership and course provider.
Your choice but as stated you won't affect anyone's "business model"
Most people will take the course to avoid the points.
You would not be given that option in any other country and would pay a much larger fine in many other parts of Europe.
speedking31 said:
JNW1 said:
Also, if you fall foul for a second time within 3 years I don't think a SAC is even an option in which case haven't you in effect thrown away your free pass?
No, you're not allowed to do a second SAC within 3 years.
lleyes: You have missed the point he was making.If you take points and fine the first time, you still have the opportunity of a SAC (if on offer) the next time should it be within 3 years of the first offence.
The other way round that choice is gone (assuming no administrative error: I know someone who has done two within that time frame).
No, it wasn't me: I've never been offered one never mind two!
stewjohnst said:
speedking31 said:
o, you're not allowed to do a second SAC within 3 years.
I think the question was can you do 3pts first then SAC.Guessing you probably can, if inclined to do so.
I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
JNW1 said:
Yes that was my question!
I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
I know from experience of many many cases, that is incorrect and I’m unaware of any police force that applies such a policy. Bonus internet points if anyone can identify a single police force for which it’s true. I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
agtlaw said:
JNW1 said:
Yes that was my question!
I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
I know from experience of many many cases, that is incorrect and I’m unaware of any police force that applies such a policy. Bonus internet points if anyone can identify a single police force for which it’s true. I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
If the op does not visit Scotland though, he'll probably be OK - unless he exceeds the threshold for a course next time and ends up on 6 points.
My advice would be if you are offered a course then take it.
agtlaw said:
JNW1 said:
Yes that was my question!
I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
I know from experience of many many cases, that is incorrect and I’m unaware of any police force that applies such a policy. Bonus internet points if anyone can identify a single police force for which it’s true. I thought SAC's were only offered to people who hadn't been convicted of a speeding offence in the previous 3 years and hence someone who had taken 3 points and a fine couldn't then attend a SAC if they were caught again (say) a year later? As an example the link below seems to support this but some of the information on the internet is contradictory and, as agtlaw is a specialist in the area, I'm quite prepared to accept he knows best!
https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/speed-awar...
Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff