Help! Speeding but I wasn't!

[pickledandpuzzled]

Anyone know anything about ‘notice of intended prosecution’ for speeding? My black box says I wasn’t!

I was surprised as I’m careful. How do I dispute?

I've never had one before, in 35 years driving. How does it work?

I had points for just being a couple of miles over the speed limit when I had a car. One reason to use public transport, if that is an option

Thank you. Thank you all.

If I had a gratitude button on the app, I'd use it!

I don't have a black box so could be wrong, but is it possible that the speed limit changed in the area recently and the black box hasn't updated its info yet? My Sat nav will often have the speed limit showing as 40 when it's really 30 in any places where it's changed (even when the Sat nav was up to date, it still gave occasional incorrect speed limits)

It depends. I've been on two speed awareness courses about 10 and 20 years ago.

Obviously both in person, one was about half an hour away, the other about 2 hours away but you had to go on one run by the relevant police force in the area where you were caught. But you didn't have to do a course you could just pay the fine and take the points, which obviously might affect your insurance, especially if you get caught again.

I don't know if they're still online post covid, that would depend on whether they think its effective training as it will be much harder to make people engage and actually learn something.

DP did one during covid online and had to have his camera on and answer questions and was told that if they weren't happy he was taking part he would have been deemed to have failed the course and be given the points instead.

But I'm sure some similar 'speed awareness' information and videos will be online that you could watch independently if you're not offered a course or decide not to trek 4 hours to Northumberland.

In my area, the best source of information for any local traffic enforcement (LTNs, cameras, speed limits, bus lanes) is the local neighbourhood app. So much energy and time dedicated to this. That's probably your best bet for more information on when the limit changed and if others are contesting the fines.

Nextdoor UK, Love Your Neighbourhood and I'm sure there are others

Most likely outcome will be an online course, as they still seem to be doing them, if it is in person though, it will be locally, depending where you live could be 10-20 miles away. Hopefully you will just get the online course which you don't generally have to tell your insurance but check because there is one provider that you did have to tell but that may have changed now.

I did a speech awareness course two weeks ago and it was online. There was a big ficus on thirty zones and how going been a mile over thirty can have such a big affect on an accident. Particularly stopping distances.

Ten miles over in a thirty is a lot though so you might nit be offer

🙄....offered the course. I thought it was good.

I agree that you must have thought it was a 40 if you are always so aware of your speed. Ten miles over is a lot otherwise.

A lot of people follow the satnav for the speed limit and get caught out, seem like you did similar with your black box, best to follow the signs

It was probably somewhere that had recently changed speed limit, was it the outskirts of a town as they are generally where they change them from 40 to 30

I had the same thing happen and like you I was shocked as "I don't speed".
I was on holiday at the time too and I think that's how it happened, the unfamiliarity of the roads and limits in that area.
I was doing 37 in a 30 and did the course.

Just do the course

The difference between a 40 and 30 isn’t always obvious, there are a couple of 30 zones round me which really feel like 40s, and consequently have a big speeding issue.

Honestly OP I think the big thing is to not let it knock your confidence. You’re clearly a decent driver, but you’re sounding increasingly anxious in your posts and that’s not going to positively impact your driving. Send the letter back, deal with the consequences, keep driving well. One mistake does not make you a bad person.

I wasn’t offered it.

courses generally if you only very slight over

the op was 1/3 over the limit

My guess is it had switched from 40 to 30 and you didn't realise. Like a PP says, the fact it's exactly 40 suggests that you were watching your speed, just the wrong speed. This happened to my DM. It was frankly hilarious because she's the slowest driver ever

The OP needs to wait to be given the option to take a speed awareness course based on set criteria. They cant just automatically sign up for it.

In the UK, the criteria for being eligible to attend a speed awareness course typically include:

1. You must have committed a minor speeding offense within a specific speed limit threshold.
2. You must not have attended a speed awareness course within the last three years.
3. You must hold a valid UK driving license or a foreign license that is recognized in the UK.
4. The offense must not involve any other serious violations or criminal activity.
5. You must be offered the option to attend a course by the police as an alternative to receiving penalty points on your license.
6. You should be willing to pay for the course, as there is usually a fee involved.

Keep in mind that the eligibility criteria and rules may change over time, so it's essential to check with the relevant authorities or your local police force for the most up-to-date information

OP go on to Google Street View and retrace the journey. You’ll probably see the 30 limit sign on there.

As it was a holiday destination (so you would not be revealing your own location) you could also tell this thread what your route was and someone else can take a look for you.

Ooh yeah good point if you were doing 40 in a 30 then it's probably points.

Guidelines for speed awareness is up to 42mph in 30

The two indicators of a 30 zone are lamp posts relatively close together and lack of speed limit signs on side roads although the latter will be less common as 20 zones increase.

In an unfamiliar area, there is also the option to assume the limit is 30 until signs indicate otherwise.

Sat navs frequently indicate the wrong limit so its unwise to rely on them.

Do the course if offered. Don't dispute the ticket.

I did a course about 6 years ago. I was caught speeding - was doing 40 in a 30, thinking it was a 40.

The offence was about 2 hours from home but I was able to choose where I did my course and chose one near home. Entirely different police forces for both.

I'm glad to hear from some posters that speed awareness courses may be offered for up to 42 in a 30 zone. I had at least 2, possibly 3, tickets over a few years when I was first in the UK, all when I'd thought I was in a 40 zone on an unfamiliar road and should have been doing 30.

I finally got offered a speed awareness course after a ticket on a dual carriageway. OP - I was able to request to do the course locally not in the original area. Anyway, that was well over 10 years ago and no speeding tickets since, my understanding and awareness of how UK speed limits worked improved a lot.

(however, I still think that not enough is done to alert non-UK drivers to the sources of information when they start driving in the UK. The place I hired a car on a visit before moving, only hired cars as part of packages booked internationally - it would have made sense for them to have a one or two page "guide to driving in the UK" eg roundabout rules and basic speed limits. When I exchanged my overseas licence for a UK one it was straightforward - great - but no-one ever told me "buy a copy of the highway code and read it". I didn't know "the highway code" was a book you could buy for several years.)

Thank you that's all reassuring. I was having visions of having to go to court in Northumberland.

If the information about the penalty had been on the letter I might not have wound myself up so far.

Also, I couldn't find something in a cupboard despite it being right there, so momentarily convinced myself I might have dementia.

I'm happy to do a course and pay a fine. Less happy to have points.

And still a bit confused about how it happened.

Questions you've raised-
Google maps shows it's a 30.
I don't use my satnav for speed as it's v old and not up to date. I use the signs.
The 30 zone starts very near the petrol station I pulled into, which makes it even less likely I was doing 40 there.

But life is too short and stressful to argue it out.

I was surprised I'd been speeding. Extra surprised when my black box appeared to back me up.

I'll wait for the next letter and take it on the chin.

I did wonder about ringing my insurance, but that's a new can of worms isn't it.

I shall channel Elsa and stop fretting.

Don't ring your insurance as if you do get a course you probably won't need to tell them but check the small print to make sure. You do have to tell them about points. If it was a speed van they are often very near the speed limit sign to catch people not slowing down to the lower speed, that is probably what happened, if the speed limit changed recently, the maps apps probably haven't updated yet.

There was someone on my speed awareness course who persisted with a similar narrative, that there'd been a mistake and she wasn't like the rest of us and the course leader was extremely unimpressed and frustrated with her.

So it's definitely worth eating humble pie before your course accepting your error and going in the spirit of learning.