speeding fine? No Way!!!

[gem4]

I've just received a speeding fine through the post and its knocked me for a six. I'm a 54 yr old grandmother and I have to be the most annoyingly speed conscious driver on the roads. The one who drives at the speed limit then rants at people who pass me at twice the speed..lol

 

I'm the butt of the family jokes because I insist on driving within speed limits, but truth be told I just dont like to drive at speed cos I like to see whats going on around me and I like to save my petrol. Yes, i'm probably everyone's worst nightmare of a 'Sunday driver'.

 

On the day in question I took my daughter & son in law out for sunday lunch in the country and we were having a leisurely drive to find a national trust property in the area. We were on a quiet dual carriageway, through beautiful fields, looking for a right turn which would take us to the village we needed (dont have sat nav) and it was almost deserted so we were able to drive steadily enough to spot the turn without holding anyone up.

 

When I got the notification in the post I didnt recognise the area they had stated so looked it up on a map along with the date so that I could get my bearings. They said I was doing 58mph in a 50mph zone!!!

 

This was what immediately struck me as wrong because what is the point of driving faster than i'm comfortable with? My average speed is usually 40-45, except in a lower zone. The only time i'm likely to go over 50 is in a national speed zone, or on a motorway where I do 65 for fuel economy, I dont go over 70, my car doesnt like it.

 

I've had an immaculate driving record since i passed my test at 19 and have never been involved in an accident thank goodness. They have offered me a speed awareness course but they are not in my area because I was in unfamiliar territory when they said I was speeding. There aren't any in my area. The nearest would be over 15miles away.

 

I dont know anything about points on licences....would 3 points make my insurance higher? Or affect my daughters insurance as I'm a named driver? If so I'm going to have to try and find one of these courses, which will be a nightmare for me.

 

I understand that if they say I was doing 58 my speedo would be showing me 61? And THAT is what makes it even more unlikely. I am comfortable enough at 60 on a motorway but not out in the countryside where I'm enjoying the scenery, on a road that I dont know, whilst looking for a right turn.

 

I remember going past a parked police car and saying to my daughter that it was a nice place to park in the sunshine and I wondered if it was a long lunch break...........and I'm assuming that he was the one who said I was speeding.

He was most likely sat there waiting for a car to come along so he could play with his toy. Isnt that classed as victimisation? Are they allowed to aim their thing and any passing motorists, or only ones who look like they are speeding?

 

I'm very upset because I know something must be wrong but i'm at a loss as to what to do about it.....(and I can no longer travel at the speed limit and rant at people who pass me at almost twice my speed.....lol)

 

Can anyone offer any practical advice please? I'm getting a bit stressed over it.

[david1605red]

If they've offered you a speed awareness course, and you attend it, you won't get any points on your licence.

 

If you wish to contest the whole thing, you decline their offer of a SAC, or any fixed penalty, and when they issue a court summons plead Not Guilty.

 

The police / prosecution will then have to supply you with a copy of the evidence they will rely on. As it was a parked police car, it may be just the officer's statement, or they may have a photographic record from some kind of device.

 

If you go down this route, post up a copy of what they send and we can advise if there's a viable defence. You should also try the forum at pepipoo.com, where they specialise in such matters.

[gem4]

I feel I must disagree with their allegation that I was speeding, because its like admitting to being guilty when i'm not.

I'm just not comfortable travelling at 58mph so I know that I wouldnt have been going that speed.

 

Thank you.

If I send the form back with a letter saying why i dispute it will it go to court? I cant afford a solicitor, but cant afford the fine either.

 

The green form they sent doesnt have a tick box for me to say why I am disputing it. The only options are for

1) having too many points,

2) not driving it, or

3) disputing that it was my vehicle.

 

It was my car, it was me driving but I am more likely to be charged with driving to slow than too fast.

So which box do i need to tick? Or can I just not tick any of them?

 

The notice is dated 19th April so have a bit of time, but it says that enquiries dont change the 28 day deadline.

Is it worth phoning them to enquire what i have to do?

[dx100uk]

cutting away all the waffle for the minute.

 

have you got a friend with a satnav?

 

ight be an idea to go for a drive with it in and check your speedo.

it is very rare for them to under read, typically they over -read by 5-10MPH

 

just a thought.

 

dx

[david1605red]

The green form they sent doesnt have a tick box for me to say why I am disputing it. The only options are for

1) having too many points,

2) not driving it, or

3) disputing that it was my vehicle.

i'm not sure what form this is.

 

You say they've already offered you a SAC - does this mean you already sent back the s172 form confirming you were the driver, or is this SAC offer combined with the request for driver's identity?

 

In any case, if you're going to contest it, there's no need to tick their boxes as any dispute is handled by the courts, not the police. If you don't accept the SAC, and don't respond to a fixed penalty offer, it's up to them to summons you within 6 months of the offence if they want to take it further.

 

So just send back the form nominating the driver (if not already done) at the end of the 28 day deadline, and perhaps their usual inefficiency may mean they fail to get the summons out in time.

[gem4]

Thanks.

No i dont know anyone with a sat nav but can ask around. The green form is a notice of intended prosecution which includes a reply to notice form, a payment of fixed penalty form and an application for speed awareness form. I have to send back one of the forms, either the fixed penalty/speed awareness or the notice to dispute it. I havent accepted the speed awareness or the course, and as yet i've only written a covering letter full of waffle to support my dispute.

I will try to find someone with a sat nav though, thanks.

[NailPost]

Don't know which police force area you live in but if you decline their offer of a speed course and opt for the court you'll be told you risk a £1,000 fine and a ban. Complete rubbish. Its down to the magustrates and the most they would do over a 58 in a 50 is a £60 + costs + a ridiculous £15 victim surcharge. The police would also have to provide the evidence and in my particular area that isn't always available and is often an officer's word against another's - and while courts tend to favour the boys in blue they don't always.

[lamma]

take the SAC. no points.

[gem4]

But surely if i'm going to get fined £60 by the courts + costs + £15 that amounts to more money than just paying up the £60 fine in the first place and attending the course. Is there any point in fighting this if the end result will cost me more?

What about if I just write to them and ask them to look at their equipment again in the hope that they will drop it.

[mightymouse_69]

But surely if i'm going to get fined £60 by the courts + costs + £15 that amounts to more money than just paying up the £60 fine in the first place and attending the course. Is there any point in fighting this if the end result will cost me more?

 

If you believe you were not guilty, then yes, it is worth it.

 

However, being realistic, a defence of "i honestly don't think i was driving that fast" almost certainly will not work.

 

I think your best option at this stage is to go for the SAC. Costs £60 and you have to spend a day with the 17 year old Fiesta drivers, but its better than having points.

[lamma]

the SAC is an alternative to points and the fine. its not both. the device is type approved, they will ignore your letter and just issue a summons. if the SAC is still available I would take it. you save a quarter of your licence. your money, your choice.

[Al27]

When I got the notification in the post I didnt recognise the area they had stated so looked it up on a map along with the date so that I could get my bearings. They said I was doing 58mph in a 50mph zone!!!

 

Sure you weren't on a 60 road that reduced 50 for a stretch?

[NailPost]

An SAC course is normally half a day tops, more like a couple of hours. Take you longer to get there.

[diskmandave]

 

I've had an immaculate driving record....

Not any more you don't. You were caught driving

at 58mph in a 50mph zone..

I dont know anything about points on licences....would 3 points make my insurance higher?

More than likely yes... Your Daughter's too if you're a

named driver on her policy!

 

Take the Speed Awareness Course! Ignore this advice at your cost/peril..

[diskmandave]

Sure you weren't on a 60 road that reduced 50 for a stretch?

 

Can you post the *exact* location, we might

be able to look on Street View...?

[mightymouse_69]

If its a temp' 50 zone in a NSL area, streetview may not be up to date enough to show this.

 

Mindyou, street view images would be interesting...

[diskmandave]

If its a temp' 50 zone in a NSL area, streetview may not be up to date enough to show this.

 

Mind you, street view images would be interesting...

 

My thoughts too..

 

If you phone the Camera Partnership telephone number, they are

in my experience VERY helpful, ask them what the problem is, and

they will usually tell you... Come back for more advice..

[crem]

3 points on your licence does not necessarily have a noticeable effect on your insurance. Points are so easy for the vast majority of people to pick up nowadays that insurance companies often "ignore" the first speeding offence.

[lamma]

but a second one then becomes a problem. SAC is better than points.

[asmodeus]

What about if I just write to them and ask them to look at their equipment again in the hope that they will drop it

 

This is the big problem with this type of camera, specs and the new speedspike as unlike the Gatsos with the road markings there is no way of checking their accuracy

 

Only defence is that the camera was out of test and inaccurate and request to see the log book entry for it but whether they will be forthcoming with this is doubtful unless it goes to court and they have to prove that it was OK

 

The speed awareness course is the better option as it comes without points