Hi everyone,
Just thought l'd share the deflowering of my driving licence with you. A47 westwards, saw a perculiar blue van sitting on a bridge from about a mile off but didn't want to break the flow of traffic. (was in overtaking convoy in outside lane). Got a ticket from the mobile speed safety team god bless 'em.
Sent off the l was driving at time of alleged offence bit. According to the bumf, what 'normally' happens next is they will make conditional offer of £60 fine and 3 points. I just hope its not 6....
thing is, l can only get 6 points in my first 2 years of driving and l get an automatic ban. If its 6, its off to court l go and 3 means l spend the next 18 months crawling around as one slip and l'm !
For this reason l can't risk the court route and it was a fair cop guv'. But just out of curiosity does anyone have any info on mobile speed camera accuracies (you'd think it would be less than static) or previous cases should they want the pleasure of my company at court?
Thanks for reading,
dan
|
A good source of information on the topic is available at:
www.speed-trap.co.uk/
Dan
|
Dan J,
Here is one closer to your home.
www.speedlimit.org.uk/
Dan,
And for a copy of the ACPO guidelines see:
www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/frames.htm Look at the site index on the left of your screen.
Problem is, they will say they are only guidelines, not law.
In case anyone does not know, ACPO is the Association of Chief Police Officers.
They say static traps must not be operated from inside a vehicle.
The speed measuring device must have it's own power supply and not be connected to the vehicle power source.
Officers must be in full view of the target vehicle and the general public. The target vehicle should be in isolation and not near other vehicles which could affect the readings etc. etc. etc.
Well worth a read but I see these guidelines being broken all the time.
|
|
|
|
|
Should point out, Dan, that it's not an automatic ban you get if you get six points in the first two years of driving. Your licence reverts to provisional, and you have to take the whole lot again, theory test included. I would buy a moped and suffer that till the two years are up.
|
|
|
Don't want to be patronising but it is a good rule for new drivers. IMHO it should be reduced that if you get any points you should revert to a prov license.
There are 2 many young drivers getting hurt spedding and thinking back to when I 1st started I did some incredibly stupid things that I would never consider doing now.
|
|
|
Maybe it would be better to penalise people doing stupid things that they would never consider doing now?
And let's not forget it isn't too late for you to voluntarily surrender your license and start again as punishment for your earlier 'crimes' if you feel that way about it.
Or should this law only apply to others?
|
|
only to others. I have seen the error of my ways and am an angelic driver.
|
|
|
Dave wrote:
>
> Maybe it would be better to penalise people doing stupid
> things that they would never consider doing now?
>
>
Like bouncing over islands going for an impossible overtake? ;-)
Sorry Dave below the belt I know.
|
|
|
|
|
Why damage your vehicle by bouncing over an island when you can adopt The London Method and just go the wrong side of it?
|
|
|
When working properly very accure but when things go wrong, and they do, a tree can be doing 70mph. or it can be a differnt vehicle
Ask for the evidence including proof of correct (and legally necessary calibration checks. Insist
Idris
|
|
|
FIF: "Like bouncing over islands going for an impossible overtake? ;-)
Sorry Dave below the belt I know."
LOL!
|
|
|
I'm interested in this bit :
"saw a perculiar blue van sitting on a bridge from about a mile off but didn't want to break the flow of traffic. "
What do you mean by not wanting to break the flow of traffic ? Was there loads of traffic in the inside lane being overtaken ?
|
Yes, lots of traffic no gap to pull in from the overtake until well under the van's bridge.
Stupidly l sussed it was the mobile chaps from ages away but didn't slow as much as l should have as l felt it would be more dangerous to sit in the outside lane doing the same speed as the inside or worse allow the inside lane to start undertaking me. (They were doing over 70)
How foolish in retrospect. I tried to maintain some consistency and not aggravate other drivers rather than slow down suddenly for what would have seemed to be no reason.
dan
|
|
|
|
By "crawling around" do you mean keeping to speed limits?
What a TERRIBLE punishment to inflict on somebody!!
|
Haha,
I agree with your sarcastic comment entirely.
I was talking about bordeline cases, 40 zone dual carraigeways with bad signing...etc. IOW l'll have to err on the slower side of caution, and as far as l'm concerned 70 in good weather on a motorway is already deleted. (At least l didn't use any asterisks!)
regards,
dan
|
"as far as l'm concerned 70 in good weather on a motorway is already deleted"
That's a REALLY grown-up attitude for somebody who has been driving for as long as you.
May I commend to you Chapter1 of Roadcraft.
(Oh, sorry, you already have nothing to learn)
|
I'm sorry l don't understand your apparent hostility. (Emails can often be misread)
I agreed with your initial statement which WAS also sarcastic. I have no problem with what you wrote and I intended no aggression.
You have a problem with my appraisal of the 70 limit? Seems that in a majority of cars this limit requires speedometer checking as you can tend to wander towards 80 in good conditions...you know the 85th percentile and all that. The word 'already' shouldn't be in there as it seems to indicate "Yeah l've done 70 now l want to go faster"
Don't assume l'm young because l've only had my licence for a short while. I could even be older than you, although on reflection this seems unlikely as the tendency to patronise increases with age, (exponentially so once over 30...) ;-)
I have actually been meaning to read roadcraft for some time, any chance of an online url?
regards,
dan
|
Apologies for (seeming) personal slur -
I was hoping you were NOT going to be another of the "It is against my civil rights to stop me driving at a speed I think is reasonable".
Actually, I agree, the motorway speed limit should be raised to 80mph (that being same as most of Europe, and our politicians are fond of using "EU regs" as excuse for NOT doing things).
"I have actually been meaning to read Roadcraft for some time"
I am ALMOST impressed.
Unfortunately, I have not found Roadcraft on-line.
You may however, like to checkout
www.iam.org.uk as a starter.
|
Thanks,
I am happy you agree with the motorway limit comment. I am entirely FOR strict urban speed limits (and as my previous mails indicated am happy to accept the punishment for 'allegedly' speeding).
I actually think that speeding in urban areas would be less of a problem if there was a less resticted motorway limit (or is this idealistic ignorance?)
regards,
dan
|
No sorry, it does not work like that.
A significant proportion of drivers want to drive at 40 in 30 limits, then 50 on dual carriageways.
Because that's the speed they feel "comfortable" at.
|
|
|
|
Trevor Potter wrote:
> "as far as l'm concerned 70 in good weather on a motorway is
> already deleted"
>
> That's a REALLY grown-up attitude for somebody who has been
> driving for as long as you.
>
> May I commend to you Chapter1 of Roadcraft.
>
> (Oh, sorry, you already have nothing to learn)
He also wrote:
> ....... I have been an advanced driving instructor for 15 years ........
> (Oh, sorry, you already have nothing to learn)
Not to mention:
> 2 seconds in a 30 is nearly 5 (yes FIVE) car lengths. (88ft)
> 3 car lengths is enough.
> Make it 4 in a 40 - and 2 seconds from there on up.
I said not to mention:
> 2 seconds in a 30 is nearly 5 (yes FIVE) car lengths. (88ft)
> 3 car lengths is enough.
> Make it 4 in a 40 - and 2 seconds from there on up.
Anyone got a copy of the Highway Code?
Clearly my mate Trevor isn't one of these Potty guys who think that they can pick and choose what rules to obey, and which to ignore.
And decide for themselves what is safe and what isn't.
As though he was some kind of non-driving minister or councillor.
Not like us mere mortals.
|
|
|
|
|
>By "crawling around" do you mean keeping to speed limits?
Why are speed limits so absurdly low? ok, 30 & 40 round town = good,
but why not 90 on dual carriage ways, and derestricted on m-ways?
A. Driver
|
|
|
