Speeding Ticket - Worth Contesting?

[Tory Boy]

I've heard on the rumour mill that it's often worth taking it to court as the Police generally don't turn up and therefore the prosecution is quashed.

Big risk.

If you don't take the fixed penalty the fine will be based on your income.

If you earn £350 a week, then the fine will be (if convicted) £175, plus costs in the region of £50, plus £15 victim surcharge.

Do you feel lucky?

TB

 

[drew]

If you take the course, I think you'll realise that's not the case. If the course can influence even half of the attendees to give some consideration to their speed and driving, then ultimately our roads will be safer. 3 points does not change someone's driving habits in real terms, however the educational aspect and it's presentation of the course will.

To an intelligent person surely the accumulation of points will act as a deterrent to speeding when you know once you get to 12 that a ban is an almost certainty.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the course, quite the opposite, I think it should be compulsory for all offenders. It's actually "getting out" of having a 3 pt endorsement that I'm a little uneasy about, seeing as someone who cannot afford the £60, would have the penalty applied, but because I can afford £60, I don't.

As the saying goes, if you can't do the time (or in this case pay the fine) don't do the crime. Poverty is not an excuse for speeding!

 

[Mileoakman]

Very unusual. Did you tell them straight away or at renewal? I believe that whilst it is considered a material fact, you are only legally obliged to declare it at your next renewal. If they put your premiums up they you should shop around as it is odds on that you would get a cheaper quote elsewhere even with the new insurer aware of the conviction.

Yes your right that your only obliged to tell them at renewal, (which unfortunately was about 3 weeks after the offence), but you do stand the risk that if you have a claim for something else and you haven't told them they can declare your insurance void. Could be pricey if you run over a bunch of brain surgeons!

 

[Giraffe]

Driver awareness course is well worth attending. I did one only a couple of weeks ago and haven't been caught since!

It's 30 for a reason.

 

[Pat McCrotch]

Mr Loophole

 

[Rambo]

I have just had one through the post too, looks like they have been busy drumming up revenue this month in Sussex. 49 in a 40, tbh I dont really have the time for a course, I have no points at the moment so will probably take the hit.

 

[Giraffe]

I dont really have the time for a course

Do you have time to attend court for dangerous driving? And then possibly a year in prison?

When you've killed a child, try telling their parents you didn't have time for the course.

Take the course.

 

[Rambo]

Do you have time to attend court for dangerous driving? And then possibly a year in prison?

When you've killed a child, try telling their parents you didn't have time for the course.

Take the course.

ok then

 

[Bold Seagull]

I have just had one through the post too, looks like they have been busy drumming up revenue this month in Sussex. 49 in a 40, tbh I dont really have the time for a course, I have no points at the moment so will probably take the hit.

To an intelligent person surely the accumulation of points will act as a deterrent to speeding when you know once you get to 12 that a ban is an almost certainty.

Maybe Drew you should have a conversation with Rambo.

Rambo is probably typical of the attitude of a lot of people, his being caught only doing 49 in a 40 is simply a revenue collecting exercise and he has been unlucky getting caught. There is very little chance a simple 3 points on his license is going to have any impact on his driving whatsoever.

The point that you missed, is that if Rambo attended a course, there is a chance that he would leave there with even some thought that could change his attitude in some way for the better.

If we are talking about intelligent people for a second, who on earth would given the choice, take the option to 1) raise their insurance premium for 3 years and 2) be one step closer to an outright ban than they were before, rather than simply go on a course for a morning!?

 

[Mackenzie]

I got a ticket today from 'the filth' 35mph in a 30 apparently. I'll do the course if its offered.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

"should I just quit whining and take the course as a consequence of being guilty of speeding, regardless of the severity?"

You are guilty. You have admitted your guilt. Your mitigating circumstances are completely irrelevant. Take the course (its less risky than the points in case you get caught again later)

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Mr Loophole

Apparently he looses far more than he wins.

But those cases don't get any publicity

 

[Rambo]

Right, I drive a company car so it doesn't affect my insurance, plus I don't need a course to make me 'speed aware' thanks for the concern peeps but exactly as you said, I see this as a money making scheme and nothing else.

I got caught and will pay the penalty, I was speeding, not by much and the road in which it happened is not known for pedestrians crossing it, so I don't feel I was drastically putting anyone at risk.

I spend my life on the road, I see the most complete dick heads every day of the week, all of which should attend one of these courses.

This was a one off for me and iam going to treat it as such.

 

[drew]

Maybe Drew you should have a conversation with Rambo.

Rambo is probably typical of the attitude of a lot of people, his being caught only doing 49 in a 40 is simply a revenue collecting exercise and he has been unlucky getting caught. There is very little chance a simple 3 points on his license is going to have any impact on his driving whatsoever.

The point that you missed, is that if Rambo attended a course, there is a chance that he would leave there with even some thought that could change his attitude in some way for the better.

If we are talking about intelligent people for a second, who on earth would given the choice, take the option to 1) raise their insurance premium for 3 years and 2) be one step closer to an outright ban than they were before, rather than simply go on a course for a morning!?

As you accumulate points you get closer to a ban. One speeding fine and pts might not do it but the next one, if speeding is not checked would likely take you to 6pts and so. An intelligent person would start to suss that they are heading for a ban.

With regard to being given a choice, one speeding penalty on an otherwise impecable experience is very unlikley, in my experience as a driver and as having worked in insurance, to have an adverse effect on premiums.

 

[Mr Burns]

Some speed limits are crap anyway.

Take the seafront past King Alfred, its dual carriageway and its a 30 limit!! Dual carriageways should be 40 minimum, or just close it down to one lane ( not that half the drivers along the seafront manage to be able to drive single file where it is one lane). Its almost encouraging you to break the limit.

But on the same line, housing estates should have a 20 limit, and not 30. I have never gone above 20 on houing estates. I work on the principal if I hit a child that runs into the road between parked cars at 20mph, a> they will probably live, and b> I may have a chance of living with myself if they dont. where as if I was speeding and killed someone how could you.

But while 20 is a fair limit on narrow roads with parked cars close either side, having a 30 limit on a dual carriageway, and a 70 on motorways is crazy. Drive up the M1, and see how many people stick to the limit...... I would have a 85 or 90 limit on motorways with all cars driven in the UK fitted with limiters so you cant go over that speed.

 

[sod1]

Ask to see the documentary proof of when the speed camera was last calibrated, if they are produced with out any problem, then you have no choice but to accept the fine or the course. I know someone who asked the same question when caught by a mobile speed camera and the policeman told him to be more careful in the future and let him go

 

[Bold Seagull]

As you accumulate points you get closer to a ban. One speeding fine and pts might not do it but the next one, if speeding is not checked would likely take you to 6pts and so. An intelligent person would start to suss that they are heading for a ban.

With regard to being given a choice, one speeding penalty on an otherwise impecable experience is very unlikley, in my experience as a driver and as having worked in insurance, to have an adverse effect on premiums.

So basically you are agreeing that for first offenders the choice between a course and points will mean that the course is more likely to have an effect on their driving given you are stating above that it would probably be the 2nd fine / points that actually changes their driving rather than the first. That is all that has been said.

 

[brunswick]

grow a pair and contest it....ive got away with loads.

people in the uk are so lame...big lads drinking ...hard......"oh i got a speeding ticket.....im so scared"

lame.


it doesnt depend on law it depends on principles and balls.

 

[brunswick]

Driver awareness course is well worth attending. I did one only a couple of weeks ago and haven't been caught since!

It's 30 for a reason.

 

[sten_super]

Some speed limits are crap anyway.

Take the seafront past King Alfred, its dual carriageway and its a 30 limit!! Dual carriageways should be 40 minimum, or just close it down to one lane ( not that half the drivers along the seafront manage to be able to drive single file where it is one lane). Its almost encouraging you to break the limit.

But on the same line, housing estates should have a 20 limit, and not 30. I have never gone above 20 on houing estates. I work on the principal if I hit a child that runs into the road between parked cars at 20mph, a> they will probably live, and b> I may have a chance of living with myself if they dont. where as if I was speeding and killed someone how could you.

But while 20 is a fair limit on narrow roads with parked cars close either side, having a 30 limit on a dual carriageway, and a 70 on motorways is crazy. Drive up the M1, and see how many people stick to the limit...... I would have a 85 or 90 limit on motorways with all cars driven in the UK fitted with limiters so you cant go over that speed.

But that road is dual carriageway for traffic management reasons (i.e. so they can fit more cars on that stretch of road) rather than because it's a big open road, which is why the limit is still 30. I agree that there definitely are a lot of silly limits in place; increasingly I've noticed the creeping of 50 limits onto country roads that lead into towns that have no good reason not to be national speed limit (60).

grow a pair and contest it....ive got away with loads.

people in the uk are so lame...big lads drinking ...hard......"oh i got a speeding ticket.....im so scared"

lame.


it doesnt depend on law it depends on principles and balls.

Your entire lookout on life seems to be 'if you can get away with it, do it'. When you obtain a driving license and drive on the roads you are agreeing to adhere to the rules. If you don't do that you are bang to rights, and IMO deserve a punishment. I'd like to think I'd never shirk away from something I deserved just because there's a way of getting out of it.