Speeding Question

[Stanky]

To begin, I am 99% sure that I was caught by a hand-held laser camera mounted to a WPC earlier. I take full responsibility for my actions and am happy to take whatever comes my way. I am an irresponsible driver and will face the wrath of the law as a result. 

 

I was doing about 35mph in a 30 zone, the speedo was probably a bit on the optimistic side but I suspect that I was going sufficiently over to be receiving a letter in the next few days with photographic evidence of my crime.

 

My question is around the speed awareness course. I was caught doing 66 in a 50 zone 4 years and 358 days ago, for which I received 3 points and a £60 fine, which I took like a man. Having read up on whether the speed awareness course might be offered to me this time around, I have received conflicting information. Some places say that it is only offered to first-time offenders (which I am obviously not) and some places say you cannot do more than one course in 3 years, but that multiple attendances are possible.

 

I would prefer to do the course, if offered, but am unsure whether it will be offered as I am now a serial offender and hanging is too good for people like me etc etc.

 

Can anyone suggest anything in the way of advise? To re-iterate, I take full responsibility for my actions, should have been driving slower and will take my punishment like a man. I was NOT doing 132mph in a golf on the M4 and am not looking to get away scot free, just understand what my options might be. 

[eddyramrod]

I was offered a speed-awareness course last year... 6 years after my first (and previously only) speeding conviction. So you might be offered, I think it's at someone's discretion but don't ask me who! 35 in a 30? Frighteningly easy to do, I forgive you.

[fordperv]

you can take the course every 3 years so if you have been caught you will get offered it, i can tell you this is the case because i was following a fellow member off here on a quiet empty 40mph dual carriageway at 50 ish mph on easter sunday, the speed camera van got him but not me as i saw it before he did and got on the middle pedal sharpish, any way im veering away from what i was onabout, he received a ticket for 52 in a 40 and got offered a speed awareness course and he did a speed awareness course 3 years previous 

 

at 35mph you weren't going to slay any nuns or kittens

 

[Parky]

If the speedo was showing 35', allowing for a bit of margin you were probably doing a true 32 and I doubt they will bother. If however you were doing an indicated 38' then that's probably a true 35 so speed awareness is probably going to be the offered option.

 

It looks like you can get another shot at it provided it is more than three years since your last offence:

 

http://www.driver-improvement.co.uk/index.php/home/speed-awareness-scheme/nsac-faqs

 

So as your last was over four years ago I would hope/suspect that you will be offered another. It all depends on the true speed you were clocked at of course......

[EssDeeWon]

Do you already have points? If not then just take the 3 points, my licence is now clean but the only time I have ever had points when I was about 25 driving a BMW 323i Coupe my following insurance premium fell by £50   (and yes I did inform the insurance company) apparently having a few points slows you down and makes you think more about speeding ('Apparently')

[willswitchengage]

I did a SAC with Staffordshire rozzers in 2011 and they said it'd be points if I got caught again within two years. It's all down to the individual fuzz, my motorbike instructor last week said he'd done several recently in different counties as they don't share information.

[tooSavvy]

OoooH! Course offered to me... 'Crystal Clear Virgin, Mludd' - doing 61 in a 50, works van.

 

Don't think I'm offered such an expensive - but anonymous - 'Get Out of Jail Free' card within 3 years.....

 

.. the law has been changed.... IF you are not asked, directly, have you had a speeding 'altercation'?.... your insurance/employer doesn't need to know. In my case, of course, the Fedds will have chased the reg thru rental - renter - driver... so my bosses likely know of my misdemeanour - when I do the annual 'present your licence' shizz, there will be no points 

 

 

TS

[Jikovron]

The awareness course is given out to minor speeders who admit guilt and send the bumpf back filled in properly and promptly and the discretion to give you one is renewed every 2 years I believe

 

i went on such a course and it was fine, the usual revelations that 1 person doing 60 past a school is worse than 50 people doing 33 past the same school , and that the course leader once managed to incorrectly read the speed limit by doing 10mph less etc was bandied about 

 

i tell the insurers about the awareness course but they disregard it as needless info 

[Stanky]

Thanks for the information all, It was a new hidey-hole for the police on that particular stretch but as I said before, I should have been paying attention more closely and then I'd not be asking about this in the first place!

 

I saw the WPC with the laser gun thing and hit the middle pedal, deffo too late but didn't have time to check the speedo closely before applying the brakes. I intend to complete the paperwork and return it tout suite, and hope for the best re a course. Only the other day I thought to myself that in 2 weeks time I won't have to tell anyone about the last offence! I've just renewed my insurance and the 4.95 year old ticket made no difference to the final price I paid. I suspect it'll add £10-£20 to the next renewal and the one after that, so if I can do the course for less than £100 its a saving in the long run.

 

I'll keep my eyes peeled for the notice in the post early next week. Silly waste of £60 either way - I am chastised. 

 

I wasn't offered the course last time (first time offence, had my licence for ~6 years) and assumed that by doing 16mph over the limit they considered me to be a total maniac and incapable of gleaning any kind of useful information from doing the course so just had to take my points and fine. 

[brickwall]

To begin, I am 99% sure that I was caught by a hand-held laser camera mounted to a WPC earlier. I take full responsibility for my actions and am happy to take whatever comes my way. I am an irresponsible driver and will face the wrath of the law as a result. 

 

I was doing about 35mph in a 30 zone,

 

 

You make the Nazzi war crimes seem irrelevant. You big evil man you.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Hang on, I thought they didn't prosecute unless you're doing the limit + 10% of the limit + 2MPH ?

[CortinaDave]

I think you'll be fine. As said above. Indicated 35 is probably 32-33 and only the most miserable plod would book you.

 

If you do get points the minimum has now gone up to 3 points and a £100 fine rather than 60.

 

I got done last year doing 62 in a 50 on a deserted dual carriageway at 1am, that's what they gave me.

[Hendry]

Don't they need to pull you over at the time to issue a ticket if its a handheld which catches you as you approach it?

 

On Wednesday I passed cops with a handheld doing more than 35 on the speedo of the car I was driving, didn't pull me over, but 15mins later I passed going in the opposite direction and they had 2 cars pulled over, this says to me if you don't get pulled over at the time you'll be ok

[406V6]

They might not have been chasing speeders - could have been looking for uninsured, no MOT etc.

[Stanky]

Ah, an interesting development, they might have been checking for no insurance or somesuch. There was a police car in the cul-de-sac that the WPC was stood at the end of, so they might have been clocking drivers with no insurance then sending the car out after them. 

 

I did see a police car coming back the other way a couple of minutes later so they might have been coming back from pulling someone. I wasn't sure whether the laser thing captured my number plate as well as the speed. It probably read my mind as well, since I had forgotten to bring my tin-foil helmet with me when leaving the house.

 

Sigmund, I also got mixed responses about that, I too thought it was a limit + 10% +2mph thing but some people said this was an urban myth and they can do you for being clocked at 0.00000000000000000000000000000001mph over the legal limit if they are in the mood. 

 

Its hardly the worst thing in the world if they do send me a letter, but would be nice if they don't. I shall be driving at 15mph EVERYWHERE from now on. 

[brickwall]

Yep, but I'd go to court on that one. In order for it to stick they'd have to have a margin.

[Angrydicky]

I got caught by a copper with a hand-held speed gun and he pulled me over. As you didn't get pulled I'd be surprised if you hear any more.

[AnthonyG]

I would have thought they will offer you a course, if they prosecute at all. I notice insurers have started asking if you have attended speed awareness courses, however it would probably affect your premium by about 5p.

 

Insurers only start caring about speeding offences/points if you have more than one, as it shows 'you haven't learnt your lesson'.

[Richard]

My colleague got five or six speeding tickets before he was banned and he's had two more since he got his licence back, and another for using the phone. He hasn't learned his lesson.

[dollywobbler]

I got caught by a copper with a hand-held speed gun and he pulled me over. As you didn't get pulled I'd be surprised if you hear any more.

 

This. Well, it's what happened to my mate anyway. Wave the hairdryer, point at where to park.

[Parky]

Do they have hand held ANPR's these days?

[overrun]

To begin, I am 99% sure that I was caught by a hand-held laser camera mounted to a WPC earlier. I take full responsibility for my actions and am happy to take whatever comes my way. I am an irresponsible driver and will face the wrath of the law as a result. 

 

I was doing about 35mph in a 30 zone, the speedo was probably a bit on the optimistic side but I suspect that I was going sufficiently over to be receiving a letter in the next few days with photographic evidence of my crime.

 

My question is around the speed awareness course. I was caught doing 66 in a 50 zone 4 years and 358 days ago, for which I received 3 points and a £60 fine, which I took like a man. Having read up on whether the speed awareness course might be offered to me this time around, I have received conflicting information. Some places say that it is only offered to first-time offenders (which I am obviously not) and some places say you cannot do more than one course in 3 years, but that multiple attendances are possible.

 

I would prefer to do the course, if offered, but am unsure whether it will be offered as I am now a serial offender and hanging is too good for people like me etc etc.

 

Can anyone suggest anything in the way of advise? To re-iterate, I take full responsibility for my actions, should have been driving slower and will take my punishment like a man. I was NOT doing 132mph in a golf on the M4 and am not looking to get away scot free, just understand what my options might be.

 

Killer SCUM attempting to weasel out of it!

[sierraman]

You'll find this one a sickener then. Had the misfortune to be driving through the M1 junction at Rotherham, a chav in a Citroen c1 nearly ran in to the back of the (now deceased) Mondeo mk2, progressing round the junction through the lights I had to endure the bombardment of a pair of morons chomping at the bit to cut me up. Got to the link road to go into Rotherham and I let them know what 115 glorious ford horse powers meant and cogged it down. Unfortunately Plod was sat on the roundabout and saw my red mist, and decided to pull us both over at the layby near the cement works, I was staring a clear fine of either speeding or some other fine, when the plod pulled us over, I couldn't dispute it for a minute. As it goes, my get out of jail came in the form of a Lafarge employee who told the plod he had found a package that the third party had thrown out during pulling over. Plod comes over see's package which was basically a bag of weed, tells me to go.... Im like whaa... staring a good £60 in the face!!

[maxpower]

Or you could always go to the local cemetary find someone who died in 1895 and say he was driving.... it will be a helluva long search for him

[gordonbennet]

Much depends on area, and this is from about 9 years ago when i picked up a speeding ticket in West Mercia area.

 

Open A road, NSL, was caught doing 46mph when limit for lorry is 40, no leeway, nicked, West Mercia at the time apparently didn't offer awareness courses, well not to drivers of killer juggernauts intent of wiping children/kittens/nuns carrying baskets of puppies from a deserted wide country A road anyhow.

 

Nice pic of the lorry though.

[rover420]

About 18 months ago I was driving from work to the dentists and was going to be late for my appointment so decided I'd put my foot down on the A12 and grab a bit of time back.

 

As I was approaching a bridge that goes over the A12 I looked up and saw a police officer pointing a hand held speed gun at me, I was doing an indicated 110mph at the time so probably a genuine 100mph or so.

 

I never heard a thing from the police ! has made me much more aware of my speed though

[oldford]

That WPC must be very good at estimating the speed of approaching vehicles.  I may have got this wrong, but I think that they must have a reasonable suspicion of you breaking the speed limit, before they confirm it with their measuring equipment.

 

I suspect that the WPC was fishing, by pinging everything in sight with the speed gun and not following procedure.

[Cavcraft]

Hang on, I thought they didn't prosecute unless you're doing the limit + 10% of the limit + 2MPH ?

 

 

Has bee said that he police can 'do' you at 31mph in a 30mph if they want, it's all discretionary. I'd be surprised if they did lift someone for anything under 35mph, but that's up to them.

[EssDeeWon]

I got caught by a copper with a hand-held speed gun and he pulled me over. As you didn't get pulled I'd be surprised if you hear any more.

 

Yes this^^

 

I was caught with one of those speed guns, the copper jumped in his Mondeo and stopped me a mile up the road, you'll be fine Stanky if they let you drive on without a word.

[af1]

I can't believe people are still using the term WPC!! That rank/title became obsolete in 1999!

Oh well I suppose this is autoshite lol