Speeding ticket advice.

Camera van in a 40 mph dual carriage clocked me doing supposedly 55 on my bike.
Don't reckon I was doing more than 50 mph. You can do the speed awareness course for 53 mph!
Told them I'd been cut up on my inside by a car forcing me wide into the outside lane. I needed to turn left so decided it safer to overtake the car and pull in infront of it before turning rather than try to squeeze myself into a line of traffic.
Any advice (apart from stay within the limit) would be appreciated. I've had a clean licence for over 20 years.

If choice do speed awareness course! Cheapest option and no points! If you contest in court it would cost more than the £85 for course and unlikely to win, also wont have option of speed course later Thats what i was told.

It's all down to a judge on the day and how you present your evidence and if they believe its a true course of event. If you do not accept liability the payments office can only refer your dispute to a court. They have no decision making rights unfortunately. It's either pay up or challenge the fine and points in court. Hope this helps

The other factor you need to consider is if it ends up in court and you lose, you are likely to be hit with a greater fine and the possibility of more points.

Despite me telling them what happened they have issued me a £100 fine and 3 points letter.
Didn't know if there was any margin of error on these cameras? Don't honestly beleive I was doing over 50 anyway. Fecking 200 mph bike and get nicked in traffic.

The other factor you need to consider is if it ends up in court and you lose, you are likely to be hit with a greater fine and the possibility of more points.

£1000 and 6 points !
Pack of bastards.

You wont beat them. Your best option is to write a letter explaining your exemplary record and ask for a speed awareness course. Its cheaper than a fine and you get 0 points. Ive just been on one and its nothing like i expected. Its 4 hours long with a private tutor(no profits go to the rozzers) and a class of about 40. You just have to try and enjoy it.....after all, its saving you 3 points.
Some of it is quite interesting.

done the time pay the fine... trying to worm your way out of it on a technicality isnt right

done the time pay the fine... trying to worm your way out of it on a technicality isnt right

No worming involved mate.
As an experienced rider/driver I did the safest manoeuvre for both myself and other road users around me.
It was either overtake him or try to force myself into an already busy lane. Not a great idea when on 2 wheels.

Despite me telling them what happened they have issued me a £100 fine and 3 points letter.
Didn't know if there was any margin of error on these cameras? Don't honestly beleive I was doing over 50 anyway. Fecking 200 mph bike and get nicked in traffic.

Fella, I'm a keen biker myself and I learned a long time ago that speeding law is fundamentally there to raise finances rather than deal with the real issues of 'inappropriate' speed and basic poor driving, so (sad to say) the best thing you can do now is pay up and move on

If you believe you have overshot the prescribed speed limit by more that the 'allowance' (which is NOT fixed in law) of 10% +2mph (a generous margin of camera error in all honesty) then you won't have a chance in Court unless there are circumstances so unusual that it necessitated your speed to avoid danger. Sadly, overtaking "to get past the other guy" simply won't hack it!

It's hard to know what has happened so far, but it sounds like a "Speed Awareness" course is not in the offing IF you have been told 3 points and £100 already; although that MIGHT occur once you have accepted liability and it is your best option (if offered) by far!

Different cameras can be set at different 'trip' speeds, depending on the road and at the discretion of the operator. I have seen people 'done' for 31/32mph in a 30mph area, whilst on a motorway it is unusual to see under 84mph (or at least it was last time I looked into it in this area)

PS: Not an expert or particularly ITK, but just someone who (in my younger days) may have fractured the odd traffic law and learned the hard way

You're a criminal...
You must pay for your crimes...

Despite me telling them what happened they have issued me a £100 fine and 3 points letter.
Didn't know if there was any margin of error on these cameras? Don't honestly beleive I was doing over 50 anyway. Fecking 200 mph bike and get nicked in traffic.

Fella, I'm a keen biker myself and I learned a long time ago that speeding law is fundamentally there to raise finances rather than deal with the real issues of 'inappropriate' speed and basic poor driving, so (sad to say) the best thing you can do now is pay up and move on

If you believe you have overshot the prescribed speed limit by more that the 'allowance' (which is NOT fixed in law) of 10% +2mph (a generous margin of camera error in all honesty) then you won't have a chance in Court unless there are circumstances so unusual that it necessitated your speed to avoid danger. Sadly, overtaking "to get past the other guy" simply won't hack it!

It's hard to know what has happened so far, but it sounds like a "Speed Awareness" course is not in the offing IF you have been told 3 points and £100 already; although that MIGHT occur once you have accepted liability and it is your best option (if offered) by far!

Different cameras can be set at different 'trip' speeds, depending on the road and at the discretion of the operator. I have seen people 'done' for 31/32mph in a 30mph area, whilst on a motorway it is unusual to see under 84mph (or at least it was last time I looked into it in this area)

PS: Not an expert or particularly ITK, but just someone who (in my younger days) may have fractured the odd traffic law and learned the hard way

Sven

Cheers for the constructive response. You're obviously a gent and a scholar.
I salute you.

Camera van in a 40 mph dual carriage clocked me doing supposedly 55 on my bike.
Don't reckon I was doing more than 50 mph. You can do the speed awareness course for 53 mph!
Told them I'd been cut up on my inside by a car forcing me wide into the outside lane. I needed to turn left so decided it safer to overtake the car and pull in infront of it before turning rather than try to squeeze myself into a line of traffic.
Any advice (apart from stay within the limit) would be appreciated. I've had a clean licence for over 20 years.

You must have strong legs, I can only just get above 30 on mine and that's down a small hill !!

You wont beat them. Your best option is to write a letter explaining your exemplary record and ask for a speed awareness course. Its cheaper than a fine and you get 0 points. Ive just been on one and its nothing like i expected. Its 4 hours long with a private tutor(no profits go to the rozzers) and a class of about 40. You just have to try and enjoy it.....after all, its saving you 3 points.
Some of it is quite interesting.

This guy is right.
They have thousands contesting speed fines all the time (rightly or wrongly) so you won't beat them.
Just get on with it.

Camera van in a 40 mph dual carriage clocked me doing supposedly 55 on my bike.
Don't reckon I was doing more than 50 mph. You can do the speed awareness course for 53 mph!
Told them I'd been cut up on my inside by a car forcing me wide into the outside lane. I needed to turn left so decided it safer to overtake the car and pull in infront of it before turning rather than try to squeeze myself into a line of traffic.
Any advice (apart from stay within the limit) would be appreciated. I've had a clean licence for over 20 years.

Speed awareness courses are only available to anyone caught doing under whatever speed limit there is +10%+2mph. In your case that means under 46mph.

Just pay up and take the points

Camera van in a 40 mph dual carriage clocked me doing supposedly 55 on my bike.
Don't reckon I was doing more than 50 mph. You can do the speed awareness course for 53 mph!
Told them I'd been cut up on my inside by a car forcing me wide into the outside lane. I needed to turn left so decided it safer to overtake the car and pull in infront of it before turning rather than try to squeeze myself into a line of traffic.
Any advice (apart from stay within the limit) would be appreciated. I've had a clean licence for over 20 years.

Speed awareness courses are only available to anyone caught doing under whatever speed limit there is +10%+2mph. In your case that means under 46mph.

Just pay up and take the points

That's interesting, didn't know that.
I guess it stops the loony's doing 100mph & getting away with lesser fines & points etc.

I got clocked at 36 in a 30 and had the course offered to me. The course was more than the fine by about £20 but worth every penny to avoid points. The course was in a hotel in Cardiff and really enjoyed it. It changed my attitude to speed and covered things like fuel economy and the social cost of knocking a pedestrian over.

The one thing they kept reinforcing was that it is an offence to break the speed limit, whatever the circumstances (keeping safe breaking distances from other road users). You may well disagree but that's the law and they won't discuss it on the course.

The 10%+2 rule is a bit of a an urban myth (30+3+2=35) or I wouldn't have been offered the course. You may be lucky on that basis. Good luck mate!

Despite me telling them what happened they have issued me a £100 fine and 3 points letter.
Didn't know if there was any margin of error on these cameras? Don't honestly beleive I was doing over 50 anyway. Fecking 200 mph bike and get nicked in traffic.

Fella, I'm a keen biker myself and I learned a long time ago that speeding law is fundamentally there to raise finances rather than deal with the real issues of 'inappropriate' speed and basic poor driving, so (sad to say) the best thing you can do now is pay up and move on

If you believe you have overshot the prescribed speed limit by more that the 'allowance' (which is NOT fixed in law) of 10% +2mph (a generous margin of camera error in all honesty) then you won't have a chance in Court unless there are circumstances so unusual that it necessitated your speed to avoid danger. Sadly, overtaking "to get past the other guy" simply won't hack it!

It's hard to know what has happened so far, but it sounds like a "Speed Awareness" course is not in the offing IF you have been told 3 points and £100 already; although that MIGHT occur once you have accepted liability and it is your best option (if offered) by far!

Different cameras can be set at different 'trip' speeds, depending on the road and at the discretion of the operator. I have seen people 'done' for 31/32mph in a 30mph area, whilst on a motorway it is unusual to see under 84mph (or at least it was last time I looked into it in this area)

PS: Not an expert or particularly ITK, but just someone who (in my younger days) may have fractured the odd traffic law and learned the hard way

Sven

Cheers for the constructive response. You're obviously a gent and a scholar.
I salute you.

Thanks, fella

Sadly, all down to experience of that system, I'm afraid

I think the member who quoted "Speed awareness courses are only available to anyone caught doing under whatever speed limit there is +10%+2mph. In your case that means under 46mph" is likely to be on the money with that statement

Not brilliant news for you, but better not fight this one, as they appear to have you "bang to rights" and points/fines tend to increase when unsuccessfully challenged

the main problem if fight case is that you will have to explain why you could not avoid going over limit? eg they would say you shouldnt have been in that positon in 1st place so not taking care of traffic positions, simple fact is regardless of what you think they will believe you were in wrong unless you have witness who says another driver forced you into making such manouver and you did it to avoid accident.

Camera van in a 40 mph dual carriage clocked me doing supposedly 55 on my bike.
Don't reckon I was doing more than 50 mph. You can do the speed awareness course for 53 mph!
Told them I'd been cut up on my inside by a car forcing me wide into the outside lane. I needed to turn left so decided it safer to overtake the car and pull in infront of it before turning rather than try to squeeze myself into a line of traffic.
Any advice (apart from stay within the limit) would be appreciated. I've had a clean licence for over 20 years.

Speed awareness courses are only available to anyone caught doing under whatever speed limit there is +10%+2mph. In your case that means under 46mph.

Just pay up and take the points

I got caught doing 37 in a 30 and did a speed awareness course

Paid off the 100 quid and sent away my licence. They firm stated that if I'd have been doing 2 mph less (53) I could have had the speed awareness course and kept my clean licence intact.
That's the annoying thing as I do not think I was travelling at 55 in the first place.
It's all bollocks.

Those traps are there for one thing to make money. We all know it isn't to slow drivers down otherwise they would have a sign warning drivers of a camera ahead. The decision you made was common sence unfortunately they are not interested in that.
Sometimes using speed can get you out of a dangerous situation but in the eyes of the law that is no excuse. It sucks but you saying to a judge I thought it was better to excelerate to get into a position where I put myself out of harms way will cut no ice.
But if your name is Sir Fergie and you tell em you have the shits and a good solicitor that may. Do it.

Paid off the 100 quid and sent away my licence. They firm stated that if I'd have been doing 2 mph less (53) I could have had the speed awareness course and kept my clean licence intact.
That's the annoying thing as I do not think I was travelling at 55 in the first place.
It's all bollocks.

Your last sentence sums up the whole system

I think you did the right thing in the end