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Original poster

I might have been speeding. Worried

33 replies

Moseyjosey · 07/03/2024 16:33

A country road near me is limited to 50mph. Turns to 40mph about a mile down. I was turning onto the 50 bit of the road and a car going the other way flashed me twice.

A few hundred yards up the road there was a large van in a layby on my side that had the reflective stripes on the back, but definitely wasn’t a police van. I’m hoping it was this that he mistook for a police speed van.

About a mile down the road, I reached the point where it turns to 40. Glanced in my rear view mirror and there was another larger white van, tucked away though in another lay by so no idea if that was police or not !!

Speedo was reading around 45-48. I think it’s a few mph out.

Will I be okay? Feel so stupid, I never speed and have never had any points

OP posts:
JustOneFootInFrontOfTheOther · 07/03/2024 17:20

We have vans like that, white with reflective strips on the back. I thought they were from the ‘arrive alive’ campaign or something like that, and are more to deter speeders than issue fines.

VeniVidiWeeWee · 07/03/2024 17:51

"Speedo was reading around 45-48. I think it’s a few mph out.

Will I be okay? Feel so stupid, I never speed".

Well, except this time, obviously.

Almost certainly will be OK. There is a convention that a prosecution won't happen if the overspeed is less than 10% plus 2mph.

MuggedByReality · 07/03/2024 18:01

If it was a speed camera van, and you were doing 48 in a 40 zone, you are looking at a fixed penalty of around £100 & 3 points on your license. If it’s a first offence you will almost certainly be offered a ‘speed awareness course’ as an alternative. This takes half a day of your life, usually on a weekday, and also costs around £100 but you don’t get the points on your license.

These speeding fines are an unfortunate fact of modern life. Most people who drive a lot of miles have been caught at least once. It’s a massive revenue raising scam for the government, basically. Just another tax on driving.

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Driving & parking
mitogoshi · 07/03/2024 18:11

If your first time, do the speed awareness course which was actually pretty helpful, very friendly bunch of people taking it too, and the instructor had done it himself! No point worrying at this point, just slow down from now on

SomersetTart · 07/03/2024 18:14

It’s a massive revenue raising scam for the government, basically. Just another tax on driving.

Alternatively, it's a way of making people stick to the speed limits that are there for safety's sake.

Shade17 · 07/03/2024 18:16

At an indicated 45-48mph you’re most likely below the threshold for any action, even if you are you’ll be offered a course. I wouldn’t even give it another thought, as long as you’re the registered keeper you’ll know either way within 14 days.

autumn1610 · 07/03/2024 18:20

VeniVidiWeeWee · 07/03/2024 17:51

"Speedo was reading around 45-48. I think it’s a few mph out.

Will I be okay? Feel so stupid, I never speed".

Well, except this time, obviously.

Almost certainly will be OK. There is a convention that a prosecution won't happen if the overspeed is less than 10% plus 2mph.

Definitely not the case on my speed awareness course there were quite a few people who were under 35mph the guy was said it’s not true maybe it’s discretionary I don’t know but I remember being surprised by it. I on the other hand still thought I was in a 40 so was clearly speeding

Mumteedum · 07/03/2024 18:21

VeniVidiWeeWee · 07/03/2024 17:51

"Speedo was reading around 45-48. I think it’s a few mph out.

Will I be okay? Feel so stupid, I never speed".

Well, except this time, obviously.

Almost certainly will be OK. There is a convention that a prosecution won't happen if the overspeed is less than 10% plus 2mph.

Nope. Don't count on that. I've always heard that and I recently got my first ever ticket and heard others within that threshold being caught out too.

@Moseyjosey if you are 'done', then it's £90 for a speed awareness course and then you don't get the points. It's annoying when you don't usually do it and get caught out by a lapse in concentration or whatever but it'll be ok.

MuggedByReality · 07/03/2024 18:22

SomersetTart · 07/03/2024 18:14

It’s a massive revenue raising scam for the government, basically. Just another tax on driving.

Alternatively, it's a way of making people stick to the speed limits that are there for safety's sake.

What charming naivety.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 07/03/2024 18:22

I've been caught speeding twice and both times I knew immediately I'd been caught as it was a police man on a motorcycle, also on roads like you described.

There's nothing you can do accept wait and see.

They definitely do do you for even going slightly over, I was done for driving at 34mph in a 30 zone!

I did the speed awareness course and actually found it really interesting, definitely made me slow down (even though im definitely not a speed demon and drive a tiny car!

amylou8 · 07/03/2024 18:29

Most forces use 10% + 2, so in a 40 you should be ok up to 46. If you were using your cars speedo then they read a little over too. My old corsa reads 2-4 mph faster than the GPS speed. The brand new hire car I'm driving at the moment reads 1-2 mph faster than the GPS speed.
So if you were doing 45/48 you should be ok. And it might not have even been a camera van.

shoppingshamed · 07/03/2024 18:34

MuggedByReality · 07/03/2024 18:01

If it was a speed camera van, and you were doing 48 in a 40 zone, you are looking at a fixed penalty of around £100 & 3 points on your license. If it’s a first offence you will almost certainly be offered a ‘speed awareness course’ as an alternative. This takes half a day of your life, usually on a weekday, and also costs around £100 but you don’t get the points on your license.

These speeding fines are an unfortunate fact of modern life. Most people who drive a lot of miles have been caught at least once. It’s a massive revenue raising scam for the government, basically. Just another tax on driving.

Edited

In what way is finding drivers who break the law a scam?

Do you not understand speed limits or do you not know what scam means

I'm not an MN perfect driver who never speeds and if I was caught I'd have no excuse or reason to be annoyed

ShowOfHands · 07/03/2024 19:50

How the heck is it a scam? A scam is a fraudulent act. Unless you think the police are somehow forcing people to break the speed limit or tricking them into it or sneaking about changing the signs, you aren't a victim of a scam. You speed either through choice or carelessness and there's a penalty for it. Nobody is dishonestly tempting you into speeding.

suburburban · 07/03/2024 19:53

It is becoming quite punitive though. I do stick to speed limits but can understand a lapse in concentration

The roads are so awful anyway, full of potholes and not fit to drive on half the time

Geebray · 07/03/2024 19:54

Feel so stupid, I never speed

Yeah, you do though.

Andnowshesatoddler · 07/03/2024 19:59

You'll be fine upto 46. Prosecution starts at 10%+2 as a general rule of thumb however some counties have opted out of it and one county at least doesn't reveal there thresholds.

Goforitagainandagain · 07/03/2024 20:12

Are you in England, if so even if were speeding at that speed and you say you haven't done it before, if it registered as over the limit and if it was a van, you will almost certainly get invited for a speed awareness course and no points. Cost is similar to the fine.

Goforitagainandagain · 07/03/2024 20:16

The speed vans in our county have took to being incognito dull green to blend with the hedges.

SomersetTart · 07/03/2024 20:37

MuggedByReality · 07/03/2024 18:22

What charming naivety.

Show quote history

The opposite of charming naivety really I'm afraid.

My friend is a fire officer and his son a police officer.

They first hand have to deal with the aftermath of people who have speeding.
Many many tragic stories.
On one occasion he attended a call to find his best friend dead. He'd been doing 100mph in a 60 zone on a motorbike.

But you go on believing speeding fines are all a scam. Easy to be cynical when you don't have to be first on the scene.

suburburban · 07/03/2024 20:38

Yes but that is 40 mph over the limit and breaking national speed limit

SomersetTart · 07/03/2024 20:43

suburburban · 07/03/2024 20:38

Yes but that is 40 mph over the limit and breaking national speed limit

You seem to have spectacularly missed the point of my post.

Even in a 30 zone for every mile you do over that the chances of killing a person you hit increase.

suburburban · 07/03/2024 20:48

there is quite a difference doing 100 in a 60 zone and say 35 in a 30 especially when it used to be 40 mph

Yes I take on board it could be a more built up area

MustBeNapTime · 07/03/2024 20:49

@MuggedByReality
It’s a massive revenue raising scam for the government, basically. Just another tax on driving.

What an utter pile of rubbish.
Having worked in the accident recording department of a large force area and having seen the utter, heartbreaking devastation caused by speeding and spoken to the broken families of the deceased and had to look at the scene photos of the results of speeding, any attempt to reduce speeding is to be applauded not scorned and belittled as a "revenue raising scam"!

uhOhOP · 07/03/2024 20:49

suburburban · 07/03/2024 19:53

It is becoming quite punitive though. I do stick to speed limits but can understand a lapse in concentration

The roads are so awful anyway, full of potholes and not fit to drive on half the time

Is it not actually literally punitive? The fine is a punishment for speeding, for breaking the law. Nothing wrong with that.

uhOhOP · 07/03/2024 20:52

suburburban · 07/03/2024 20:48

there is quite a difference doing 100 in a 60 zone and say 35 in a 30 especially when it used to be 40 mph

Yes I take on board it could be a more built up area

For all you know, a road's speed limit might have been changed from 40 mph to 30 mph based on something where it actually matters that the speed is lower. Maybe it turned out there were a lot of crashes or near-misses on that road, or maybe there's an increase in the number of pedestrians or cyclists. So what if the speed limit used to be higher? Now it's not.

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