Got couaght speeding What happerns next

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Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by jacksun1987 »

I got cough speeding. Its my first time. Im 25 been driving 4 years. Was doing 71 in a 60. Whats the worst what would happen.
Any others speeding stroyes Surly im not the only one
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by myglaren »

You will get a notification through the post asking you to confirm that it was you driving.
Fill that in and return it - registered post!

Then they will send another letter with a fixed penalty fine and points or the offer of attending a speed awareness course.
The latter may be the better option although it will cost you around £90 but you won't have points to declare on your insurance renewal which can save you more than the awareness course cost.
Alternatively you can go to court and contest it - a lost cause in the majority of cases and an expensive option if when) you lose.

The whole thing can take months but if you are lucky and don't receive the initial letter from the police within fourteen days then you are off the hook as it is a legal requirement that you are notified within this period.
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by jacksun1987 »

Got the letter today
Sent it off Today
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by CitroJim »

I guess you'll be sent a notice of prosecution in the post. You can then plead guilty and pay a fine of whatever and have three points on your licence. If you plead not guilty you'll need to appear in court and likely they'll still find you guilty but it'll cost more than just doing it all by post.

It may be a bit too much doing 71 in a 60 but if you were just over the limit and it's your first offence they might have waived the points and offered you a speed awareness course instead.

Some say the notice of prosecution must reach you within 14 days of the offence occurring and if you can prove it took longer there may be no case to answer. Whether or not this is an urban legend I do not know.

In conclusion, take it on the chin, pay the fine, take the points and learn a lesson from it. I did when I was nicked in 1988 on a motorbike and touch-wood I've not been nicked since but I've had some very close calls - as I think most of us have.

If a notice of prosecution popped through my door in the future I'd not be at all surprised. With all the cameras about nowadays I think anyone who avoids a speeding offence during their driving career is very lucky indeed.

In future pay attention to your speedo.

Unless you want to contribute to the copper's tea club fund. And if you do I'm sure there's a better way to do it...
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by Xaccers »

CitroJim wrote: Some say the notice of prosecution must reach you within 14 days of the offence occurring and if you can prove it took longer there may be no case to answer. Whether or not this is an urban legend I do not know.
It must be sent within 14 days of the offence, with proof of postage such as registered or recorded delivery. It doesn't have to arrive within 14 days, or arrive at all as long as there is proof it was posted.
However, most of them are sent 1st or 2nd class to keep costs down, and they rely on people's lack of legal knowledge in order to get a confession.
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by CitroJim »

Steve, sorry I pushed the submit before I saw your reply...
myglaren wrote: The whole thing can take months but if you are lucky and don't receive the initial letter from the police within fourteen days then you are off the hook as it is a legal requirement that you are notified within this period.
Ahh, so that much is quite correct then :) Amazing they haven't found a way around that one before now... I did wonder if it was stuff of fantasy or some bizarre one-off someone used in 1967 to avoid a fine.
Xac wrote:It must be sent within 14 days of the offence, with proof of postage such as registered or recorded delivery. It doesn't have to arrive within 14 days, or arrive at all as long as there is proof it was posted.
However, most of them are sent 1st or 2nd class to keep costs down, and they rely on people's lack of legal knowledge in order to get a confession.
So hold on one moment there Xac. In theory then unless THEY the coppers supply YOU proof of postage you can claim you never received it. So to carry on this line of thinking - if it arrives normal first or second class post you can just say it arrived after 14 days and that's it, end of?

So don't they send it recorded or signed-for as a matter of course then?

This is bizarre.
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by jacksun1987 »

How long is it when the points go back on
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by CitroJim »

jacksun1987 wrote:How long is it when the points go back on
I think they become spent after five years.. or is it three?
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by handyman »

Points last three years on your licence, but you will have to declare it on any insurance proposal for up to five years. Failure to disclose means your insurance will be null and void.

In addition, once you have got your nice points, you have to inform your current insurers, as that is a change in your circumstances. They may, or may not, ask for additional premiums as your risk increases. Its no point pleading you've never done it before or its the first time, they take the view its habitual and this is the first time you got caught. :shock:

As for severity of fine, that does depend on how fast you were going over the limit and where. Breaking speed limits in urban areas can be much heavier fines as there is more chance of pedestrians being about, 20, 30 & 40mph. It used to be a percentage of the amount you were over the limit, but I do not know what magistrates use as guidelines now.

Police used to work on the view of ten per cent over limit was OK or a ticking off, 3 mph over that was borderline, and anything over that a definite nick, with 50% over the limit was a ban! 8-[ Except for the national limit, if you were doing a ton plus, you gave up the licence for a little while, months or a whole year!

The only time I got done, many years ago in the mists of time, when lighting was done with acetylene, I was 1mph over the guidelines. The copper was very apologetic but said his new fangled speed gun had recorded the offence and there was nuffin' he could do. 81mph on the motorway! :taz:

As Jim said, take the punishment, but learn the lesson, drive fast when nobody is around! Or if you want to do it regularly, go on the track.

H
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by Xaccers »

CitroJim wrote:
Xac wrote:It must be sent within 14 days of the offence, with proof of postage such as registered or recorded delivery. It doesn't have to arrive within 14 days, or arrive at all as long as there is proof it was posted.
However, most of them are sent 1st or 2nd class to keep costs down, and they rely on people's lack of legal knowledge in order to get a confession.
So hold on one moment there Xac. In theory then unless THEY the coppers supply YOU proof of postage you can claim you never received it. So to carry on this line of thinking - if it arrives normal first or second class post you can just say it arrived after 14 days and that's it, end of?

So don't they send it recorded or signed-for as a matter of course then?

This is bizarre.
When Humberside police claimed I was doing 81mph towards Grimsby (like anyone would be speeding TO Grimsby!) the first I heard about it was a letter saying I hadn't responded to their NIP.
I replied I hadn't received it so could they please send proof it was posted. Instead they just sent me a new NIP. The new NIP was not a duplicate of the original, it was dated beyond the 14 day period. It also gave the option of admitting guilt and accepting 3 points and a £60 fine.
I told them that was nice, but I would not be legally required to complete the NIP unless they could give me the tracking number of the original NIP.
It went to court, the police weren't able to provide the evidence I had requested and it was dismissed.
The RTOA1988 (amended) allows for the NIP to be sent 1st class, but the actual section which states it is deemed as having been served does not include 1st class, it only mentioned registered and recorded when posted (they can address it to you and drop it through your door in person and it would be deemed as served because then you'd have a PC acting as a witness to it, likewise if they bumped into you in the pub and handed you it).
Otherwise the police/camera partnerships could just do a mass mail shot claiming people have been speeding without providing any evidence and rake in loads of £60 payments - oh wait that's what happens now due to people not knowing the law.

For speeding, points now stay on the licence for 4 years from the date of the offence. Once the time is up you must apply for a new licence. Don't forget also that depending on your licence, if it is a newer one then it is only valid for 10 years anyway.
Insurance companies can ask if you've had points in any period they like, and if you fib and they find out it can make your insurance invalid. Most only ask for the past 5 years, and some these days (Swindon I believe) only let it affect your premium if you have 6 or more points.
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by handyman »

XAC, is that four years now to allow for inflation?

One assumes Hengist Pod, he of the stone age cyclist, just got away with a flea in his ear. Couldn't get caught for speeding with square wheels anyway.

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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by Xaccers »

handyman wrote:XAC, is that four years now to allow for inflation?

One assumes Hengist Pod, he of the stone age cyclist, just got away with a flea in his ear. Couldn't get caught for speeding with square wheels anyway.

H
I think it was Labour's points escalator, like their fuel escalator which would have made diesel around something like 160ppl if they'd been in charge of the treasury.

I think the AA, the first anti-speed trap organisation, could have done more to reduce the number of cameras in the high revenue (and therefore safe to speed) areas, and had more in the low revenue but dangerous to speed places, or pushed to have road layouts changed to make them safer.

I've said before, if I had my way I'd make all motorways and suitable dual carriageways variable speed limit, setting it at a limit which was safe for the conditions at the time (weather, traffic, road layout etc), so on a straight patch with no other cars, why not increase the limit to 100mph, where as in fog set it down to 30/40mph or lower if really bad. Anyone flashed won't be done for speeding but for driving dangerously (in excess of a safe speed for the road conditions at the time).
Also have cameras to catch people tail gating!
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by Homer »

handyman wrote:XAC, is that four years now to allow for inflation?
They count towards totting up for 3 years but stay on your licence for 4.

AFAIK it's always been that way, at least it was in 1990 when I last got any points.
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Re: Got couaght speeding What happerns next

Post by DickieG »

Xac wrote:I've said before, if I had my way I'd make all motorways and suitable dual carriageways variable speed limit, setting it at a limit which was safe for the conditions at the time (weather, traffic, road layout etc), so on a straight patch with no other cars, why not increase the limit to 100mph, where as in fog set it down to 30/40mph or lower if really bad.
100mph you must be joking :shock: having sat next to and instructed/assessed what must be approaching 1,000 drivers I couldn't think of anything more foolhardy, speed limits have been lowered in an effort to reduce the number of collisions where drivers couldn't even cope at the previous higher limit.

Having taught high speed driving on public roads for many years I cannot for one moment even consider the thought that a 100mph limit to be safe as the vast majority of drivers have the forward vision of Mr Magoo making me suspect that they are looking at the windscreen rather than through it, that's even before I get into talking about anticipation with regards to lane displacement, oh and what about slower drivers having awareness of vehicles approaching them from behind at high speed?

Whatever the speed limit some drivers will always look to exceed the set limit then moan when they get caught so set a 100mph limit and those clowns will do 120 mph :roll:
Xac wrote:Also have cameras to catch people tail gating!
You need to think this argument through a lot more Xac as a camera only captures one brief moment and doesn't collect the whole picture, if you are setting up an overtake then in most circumstances you should move into a contact position (what some consider to be "Tailgating") in order to reduce the amount of time taken to execute the OT, if you happened to pass a "Tailgate" camera at that precise moment you'd suffer a penalty when in fact you could be driving perfectly safely, non-starter that idea.

The only way you can detect and then prosecute drivers around inconsiderate/dangerous driving is to increase the numbers of Traffic Police, however the present government cuts have and are continuing to reduce Officer numbers considerably as they view traffic offences as not having a victim so to speak and so therefore cannot produce what is called "Clear-ups" i.e. reported and solved crimes to tell the public how wonderful they are at doing more for less :roll:
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Post by addo »

In response to the OP, perjury is a good option if the offence really was a one-off. Get an elderly relative to wear the ping.
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