FPN for 100.2MPH

[jrwells]

I was issued with a FPN on the M40 yesterday for 100.2, measured by VASCAR, unmarked Silver 5 series BMW.

As I sat in the car and saw the VASCAR reading I thought oops, court + min 6 ppts & fine.

I guess I was lucky as I thought it was anything over 96 and automatic court apperance, from what I have been reading on the forum and previous experience!

He said they have raised the threshold to 105 in his area, as the local judge will ban anyone for 6 months, without question, for exceeding 100.

Has anyone else ever heard of this limit being raised?

Cheers

[vonhosen]

jrwells said:

I was issued with a FPN on the M40 yesterday for 100.2, measured by VASCAR, unmarked Silver 5 series BMW.

As I sat in the car and saw the VASCAR reading I thought oops, court + min 6 ppts & fine.

I guess I was lucky as I thought it was anything over 96 and automatic court apperance, from what I have been reading on the forum and previous experience!

He said they have raised the threshold to 105 in his area, as the local judge will ban anyone for 6 months, without question, for exceeding 100.

Has anyone else ever heard of this limit being raised?

Cheers

If they have it's just their local policy &/or discretion being applied.

[Number 7]

jrwells said:

He said they have raised the threshold to 105 in his area, as the local judge will ban anyone for 6 months, without question, for exceeding 100.

Did they say this before or after you accepted the FPN?

I'm also struggling to understand why an officer (or Service come to that) should be second-guessing what sentence, if any, Magistrates might decide upon, and why they would use the result of their guess to pursue a particular course of action.

Call me cynical, but is this another scam to avoid clogging the courts, and to cut down on the administrative workload in processing those people who would not normally wish to accept a FPN?

7.

[7db]

M40's a long road. Which bit did you get nicked on?

[Fort Jefferson]

Number 7 said:

Call me cynical, but is this another scam to avoid clogging the courts, and to cut down on the administrative workload in processing those people who would not normally wish to accept a FPN?

It's a scam I can live with.

[FishFace]

What? They don't have to accept an FPN anyway. Even if they do they call still go to Court if they indicate so in 28 days.

[GPSHead]

You were definitely lucky. Not as lucky as if you hadn't been done at all, but lucky all the same.

Like 7DB The Great Camera-Hater Turned Supporter, I am interested in which part of the M40 it was. Having said that, ISTR that in good conditions it's possible to do 100mph in relative safety on pretty much any part of the M40. Was it quiet and dry at the time? If so then you can probably consider yourself relatively unfortunate that the BMW "decloaked" at all, IMHO. Generally from what I know unmarked cars tend to ignore behaviour that they consider safe, even if it is some way above the limit, as there isn't the "seen to be taking the piss and getting away with it" aspect (not to mention the "lack of observation" aspect) that you'd get if you did 100mph past a marked vehicle.

[EU_Foreigner]

moral of the story - if you go over 70 mph, might as well go to 100 as the fine / penalty is exactly the same if you get caught at 76 or 100.

[Burgmeister]

Does anyone actually use the M40? Of the many roads i travel on it appears to be the quietest by quite a long way. And not ever have i seen a car driven by le policia.

[John57]

EU_Foreigner said:

moral of the story - if you go over 70 mph, might as well go to 100 as the fine / penalty is exactly the same if you get caught at 76 or 100.

If you are lucky enough to have the same officer stop you in exactly the same conditions, etc, etc ....

[EU_Foreigner]

But as it is an absolute crime - how can there be different rules for different offenders on the same roads ...

The "old" guidelines were that if you stuck under 85, you would not get a ticket on the motorway. I used to cruise on that speed. As you do receive one now, I either drive at 78 on cruise or go straight to 95 as anywhere in between makes no difference what so ever

[jrwells]

It was M40 Southbound, between 12 and 11. Around lunchtime, traffic was light, road dry, good vis etc.. He said he had to do 120+ to keep up, but couldn't get a higher VASCAR reading as I slowed for patches of traffic. I watched him join at 12, but decided (foolishly) that as it was a car with no passenger, it would not be unmarked police - how wrong could I be. No video to play me back, no bollocking, nothing, just a refreshing (and lucky) 3+60.

[ec1 eex]

No passenger?
Surely to control a VASCAR system you need to take your eyes off the road?

[John57]

ec1 eex said:

No passenger?
Surely to control a VASCAR system you need to take your eyes off the road?

No, handset is just by the gear lever - it is very easy to use. You don't need to look at it at all. Normally the person sitting in the passenger seat does it but I single crew most of the time and I find it easy to use on my own.

[silk]

Glad you said about the no passenger thing as i too have usually taken this to mean its not the fuzz...oops.

[Nano2nd]

John57 said:

ec1 eex said:

No passenger?
Surely to control a VASCAR system you need to take your eyes off the road?

No, handset is just by the gear lever - it is very easy to use. You don't need to look at it at all. Normally the person sitting in the passenger seat does it but I single crew most of the time and I find it easy to use on my own.

could the .2 be attributed to "finger delay" on the button though? do you not have to make 4 presses to do a single in motion check?

[John57]

Nano2nd said:

John57 said:

ec1 eex said:

No passenger?
Surely to control a VASCAR system you need to take your eyes off the road?

No, handset is just by the gear lever - it is very easy to use. You don't need to look at it at all. Normally the person sitting in the passenger seat does it but I single crew most of the time and I find it easy to use on my own.

could the .2 be attributed to "finger delay" on the button though? do you not have to make 4 presses to do a single in motion check?

It is normally 4 button presses for a check ... say if you are following the subject. Other checks are not always 4 presses such as when a subject overtakes you. An 'error' of 0.2 is well within the acceptable limit for these checks.

[andyuk911]

John,

I am sure it will be on here somewhere, but I can't see how VASCAR is accurate ... I have never seen one in action ...but I assume this follows

1. subject goes under bridge, you press
2. you go under bridge, press.
3 Subject goes under marker or whatever, press
4. You go under marker

so time comes from 3 above and distance from 4 .. right ??

Is this not open to error etc etc ... or am I just wrong ?

Thanks

[10 Pence Short]

The Tuscan Rat said:

Remember its all on video so the exact time the butons are pressed can be matched with the video. The course to be an operator is a week long and you have to do about 30+ checks on various different scenarios which you must pass within a very strict tolerance. Don't ask me what it is as I'm not an instructor. Unless you reach the standard you are not passed and can't use the system.

Not always. If the VASCAR is used stationary over a pre-programmed distance, it isn't.

I was caught about 10 years ago by a stationary VASCAR hidden behind a bush. He used the two white squares on the road to press on/off.

Looking back at the positioning, it would have been very difficult for him to have seen the marks on the road properly, but being young and naive (and guilty!) I chose not to challenge it.

[andyuk911]

Thanks for the info