This has never happened to me before, so I was wondering what would be the best option in order to have least amount of hassle/fines/points. I've been driving over 12 years and never had a speeding (or even a parking) ticket before, and consider myself to be a fairly safe & observant driver. On the way to volunteer at a local fete, I passed a speed camera at 37mph in a 30mph area. I fully accept that this happened as I was on an unfamiliar road in a convoy of 4 vehicles, so was concentrating on where they were ahead/behind me and didn't notice the speed camera warning until I passed it(yes, this does seem to contradict the 'observant' boast previously). I seemed to be doing the same speed as the rest of the road traffic, but accept that I was exceeding the speed limit - therefore guilty of speeding.
My query is this. Given my previous good record, and the 'unwritten' rule of generally being allowed to speed 10% + 2mph (therefore, 35mph in a 30mph zone), this puts me 2mph over the limit and therefore open to prosecution.
My options are:
a) Speed Awareness Course for £90 and no fine/points.
b) £30 fine and 3 points
c) Take it to court due to mitigating circumstances
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. I'd feel a bit foolish at a Speed Awareness Course full of boy racers who race around at 110mph, for doing 37mph in a 30 zone, given my previous good record. I certainly dont want any points on my licence. So it's option A or C. Anyone have any experience in this matter, or should I just quit whining and take the course as a consequence of being guilty of speeding, regardless of the severity?
My query is this. Given my previous good record, and the 'unwritten' rule of generally being allowed to speed 10% + 2mph (therefore, 35mph in a 30mph zone), this puts me 2mph over the limit and therefore open to prosecution.
My options are:
a) Speed Awareness Course for £90 and no fine/points.
b) £30 fine and 3 points
c) Take it to court due to mitigating circumstances
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. I'd feel a bit foolish at a Speed Awareness Course full of boy racers who race around at 110mph, for doing 37mph in a 30 zone, given my previous good record. I certainly dont want any points on my licence. So it's option A or C. Anyone have any experience in this matter, or should I just quit whining and take the course as a consequence of being guilty of speeding, regardless of the severity?