Dangerous Driving Charge

[Mr_B]

OK, so I'm sat at a roundabout onto the M25 and waiting for the lights to go green. I pull away and accelerate down the slip road when PC Plod follows me and after a short while indicates for me to pull over for a chat. He gets out and says I was doing 75mph on the slip road when the limit is 50 ( the actuall limit is 60 and then 70 on the M-way - I double checked this )and he considered my driving as dangerous as a result. He then says he measured my speed with a calibrated speedo in his car and that he is now going to caution me for a dangerous driving charge. He then goes thru some basic 'did I didn't I' type question and makes his notes. I stuck to me side and said I wasn't doing 75 mph and there was nothing dangerous about the way went down the slip road.
At the end, I then ask how he managed to use his cars speedo to close from 300-400 yards behind,to pull on to my bumper and record a speed reading when he was clearly having to go faster to close the gap when I had already dropped back to 50 mph for slow traffic. I also asked over what distance he measured my speed,to which he said he hadn't and didn't need to. I also asked to see where he had recorded in his note book that he had calibrated his speedo that day for speed measuring,to which he said he hadn't but was about to now.
Any thoughts ?

[Mattt]

1) Visit Pepipoo

2) Get a good lawyer

[herewego]

Did he say that doing 75 in a 50 was the only reason for a dangerous driving charge, or were there other reasons?

[Hooli]

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

[Mr_B]

herewego said:

Did he say that doing 75 in a 50 was the only reason for a dangerous driving charge, or were there other reasons?

He claimed the way I drove from a standing start at the lights on the roundabout above the M25 and onto the slip road was why. I asked how this could be when I travelled only 50 yards before indicating and driving down the slip road and accelerating to join the M25. I didn't wheel spin away or do any dumb stuff like that. I was in the correct lane ,indicating, no one else was around me or near. I think he was pissed because he firstly mistook the speed limit to be 50 when its in actually a 60, and that I didn't just stand there and accept what he was saying and grovel to him. I was polite, but denied what he was saying and then questioned how he could possibly measure my speed.

[Mr_B]

Hooli said:

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

Thanks for your input.

[herewego]

I'm surprised there was a 50 or 60 limit on the slip road. I thought slip roads were subject to the motorway limit, unless there were roadworks or something.

[Mr_B]

herewego said:

I'm surprised there was a 50 or 60 limit on the slip road. I thought slip roads were subject to the motorway limit, unless there were roadworks or something.

There is fixed 60 mph signs approx 50 yards onto the slip road leading to the M25. These have been there for ever and are not for roadworks,etc.

[andygo]

Should have taken a photo of his notebook

[Hooli]

Mr_B said:

Hooli said:

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

Thanks for your input.

my pleasure

also my cockup for misreading your post.

seems like you didnt respect him enough by daring to 'race' him so he got his knickers in a twist & decided get even.

[TheCarpetCleaner]

Mr_B said:

Hooli said:

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

Thanks for your input.

Yeah it does say clearly in Mr_B's post that it was a roundabout going ONTO the M25...

[paoloh]

I'm not a lawyer but surely at worst, it can only be a minor speeding offence!?

[Hooli]

TheCarpetCleaner said:

Mr_B said:

Hooli said:

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

Thanks for your input.

Yeah it does say clearly in Mr_B's post that it was a roundabout going ONTO the M25...

ah but im a blind illiterate numpty

[Mattt]

paoloh said:

I'm not a lawyer but surely at worst, it can only be a minor speeding offence!?

At worst, it is a custodial sentence.

[G.O'Rilla]

Hooli said:

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

M23 gatwick turnoff? As far as I know the road is a motorway until the first roundabout on the way to the airport.

Anyway, I think it was a case of "read what I mean rather than what I actually say"

Back to post, I think it is - to say the least - a bit of a thin case; I always thought that DD was really difficult to prove

Edited by G.O'Rilla on Saturday 10th November 19:14

[tank slapper]

Mattt said:

paoloh said:

I'm not a lawyer but surely at worst, it can only be a minor speeding offence!?

At worst, it is a custodial sentence.

Yes, but dangerous driving is quite difficult to get a conviction on I think. One of the BiB will correct me no doubt, but I believe the test is that the driving should fall far below the standard of a competent driver. Accelerating a bit briskly would not in itself fulfil this, but it would heavily depend on what else was going on at the time - Doing so while people are crossing the road infront of you for example.

[deevlash]

tank slapper said:

Mattt said:

paoloh said:

I'm not a lawyer but surely at worst, it can only be a minor speeding offence!?

At worst, it is a custodial sentence.

Yes, but dangerous driving is quite difficult to get a conviction on I think. One of the BiB will correct me no doubt, but I believe the test is that the driving should fall far below the standard of a competent driver. Accelerating a bit briskly would not in itself fulfil this, but it would heavily depend on what else was going on at the time - Doing so while people are crossing the road infront of you for example.

unless your amir kahn...

[Mattt]

tank slapper said:

Mattt said:

paoloh said:

I'm not a lawyer but surely at worst, it can only be a minor speeding offence!?

At worst, it is a custodial sentence.

Yes, but dangerous driving is quite difficult to get a conviction on I think. One of the BiB will correct me no doubt, but I believe the test is that the driving should fall far below the standard of a competent driver. Accelerating a bit briskly would not in itself fulfil this, but it would heavily depend on what else was going on at the time - Doing so while people are crossing the road infront of you for example.

It is hard to convict on, I was just pointing out what the actual worst case scenario is.

From the side of the story we have heard, SP30 should be the outcome.

[biglepton]

Hooli said:

there arent any roundabouts on motorways.

Oh yes there are.

The roundabout under the M4/M32 junction has big signs clearly stating you are still on the motorway and motorway rules still apply to this roundabout.

HTH

<Pedant mode off>

[ron_rocket]

i thought the minimum follow check distance is 0.2 miles at constant distance. The speedo must be calibrated before or after the session. Provided you made no omission of your speed, i.e i thought the slip road was 70 etc. then i fail to see how a speeding conviction could hold. If you were cutting people up whilst you were doing it and drawing attention to yourself then that's why you may have been stopped.