Caught doing 87 on an A road - stupid - what will happen?

[Speeding87stupid]

We were on holiday, road was empty and we were rushing to get to a check in.

Just got home and received a scary letter in the post from the police.

I know it was monumentally stupid. Will write back immediately saying yes it was me.

I’ve never had a speeding fine - can’t believe I was so stupid, I never usually speed.

What will they do - will I lose my licence?

It will definitely not go to court, not unless someone is stupid enough to not accept the penalty and argue about mitigating circumstances etc

I think 42 in a 30mph would still be band A. 51mph or over for a Band B.

I wouldn't want to risk it though!

They have to use standard UK court sentencing guidelines which are certainly online somewhere.

No where did she say "probably not" in the first line either

I THINK you only lose your licence (for speeding) if it's over 100mph @Speeding87stupid 87 in a 70 zone is a bit much, but it's not like it was 70 in a 30 zone.

You sound very contrite and know you've done wrong. Many people have done it. (I haven't because I'm a bit of a cautious driver, never done more than 70 -ever.) But my DH has done 85-90 on the motorway before (way in the past - 35+ years ago - before we had kids and he was a more reckless 20-something!) Not cool but some people do it! It's reckless and silly of course, (and they shouldn't do it!) but you're not alone.

Just say you're really sorry (sounds like you are!) and you may be fortunate enough to get a speed awareness course. Although, some sources on the internet suggest the speed you were doing may be too fast to get that. So you may get 3 points on your licence and a 3 figure sum fine. (Fixed penalty notice.) And stick to the speed limit from now on - pref slightly less than. (It's a limit not a target!)

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Given you were driving at 87 miles an hour in a 70 zone you will not be offered the option of a speed awareness course

Is there a set limit where they don't offer the option @LeicesterDad ? I knew they were discretionary, but it never occurred to me there might be a limit.

Shame in way, as it's the fuckers driving way over the limit that most need them.

The A64 is a dangerous road. There's fatalities on an almost weekly basis. I drive it several times a week and have no idea where you managed a speed like that. It's also renowned for having several mobile speed cameras on each carriageway, up to 3 on each side. You might have other tickets coming...

@LeicesterDad

Ours wouldn't let us share however they gave us a scenario and said if you killed the person in the other car who would that affect? The thought of all the people from relatives, witnesses, first responders, the family of the other car etc etc it was quite unnerving.

A driver doing 87 on a good road is probably safer than one of the ditherers doing 45! I'm not defending the OP though I've done it but I would like to see some drivers off the road who can't chose a lane and stick to it when they're not overtaking and think that whatever the speed limit is it's safer to drive 10mph below it, whatever the conditions. There's also the Norfolk speed limit, 40mph whatever the signs say, they seem to work on averages.

It really is very easy to do especially if the rest of the traffic is at a high speed & you are overtaking.
I doubt OP did her whole journey at that speed!

Speeding definitely isn't acceptable & OP knows that & has learned from it - it's hardly the same as deliberately flouting laws or the knob heads that think they can go faster because they are 'better drivers'

3 points and a Band A fine if it goes to court

I think it's the 10% plus three rule. What they actually said was that nobody doing more than 10 mph above the limit would be offered a course (which makes sense as 10% of 70 plus three equals 10).

There are two sections with 70 signs instead of national speed limit signs on parts of the A55 between Llanddulas and Conwy due to those sections being built under different legislation than the rest and they can’t legally use a national speed limit sign for some reason or another.

Good grief there are some sanctimonious cows on this thread!

@Shitmonger @Iceandfire92

I'm not a pearl clutcher and can't say I haven't, very occasionally, driven up to 5mph over the speed limit, certainly on the motorway, in the old days without cruise control. However, I have NEVER driven SEVENTEEN miles over the limit! That's inexcusable, unnecessary and 100% avoidable. My beautiful 20 year old cousin, with their entire life ahead of them, had that stolen from them by someone who thought their journey necessitated them speeding. That was 39 years ago and my aunt and uncle have never recovered from their loss. So your "pearl clutching" derision of people who have scorn for the OP is frankly tasteless.

I’m aware of someone who was doing a very similar speed on a dual carriageway and got 5 points and a £500 fine!!

The 3 points ‘standard’ is usually if you’re up to 10% over e.g. 33 in a 30, 55 in a 50 or 77 in a 70.

87 in a 70 is a lot over and some stretches of that road have had a temporary 50 limit this spring due to roadworks.

I know the A64 and driving at that speed on it is REALLY bloody dangerous.
I think most of it is 70 but bits are 50 and doing almost 90 on it is pretty bad.

I got caught doing similar in a 70 and got a 70 quid fine but I wasn't driving on my UK license so there wasn't much else they could do.

I remembered it was something to do with legislation but couldn't remember the exact reason. We always find nobody is going as fast as 70 anyway yet round the side of Conwy when it drops to 30 everybody speeds through it. Hello sheer drop to the left people.....

You could kill someone every single time you go out in your car. You could kill someone going at 10mph. A fact everyone - including the OP - is I’m sure aware of and doesn’t answer her original question.

I know it was daft but 87 really isn't that fast on a dual carriageway in a safe modern car. Not excusing it at all but OP realises her mistake. I hope all those who judge never do anything wrong.

A lot of the A64 is dual carriageway so the speed limit is 70 mph.

If you aren’t being offered the option of a speed awareness course or fixed penalty (points and a fine), your best option is likely to be to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity and include whatever mitigating factors that the magistrates can take into consideration when deciding the outcome.

About 20 years ago, I was caught speeding on the M4 (doing about the same speed as you) by a camera van on an overpass. Because of the speed, I wasn’t offered a fixed penalty, it was going to Magistrates Court. I pled guilty straight away and in my statement I pointed to my previous unblemished driving record and explained the reliance I had on my car for the job I did, which at the time involved regular travel across the UK. Whilst being clear I knew this was not a justification, I also shared that the reason I was hurrying that day was because I was rushing to get from Cardiff (where I’d spent the day working) to Liverpool, as I’d received a call from my Mum telling me my Nanna had been rushed to hospital with sepsis and it wasn’t looking good. She died early hours of the following day but thankfully I was able to see her and say goodbye before she passed.

I received 5 points and a £350 fine and I learned my lesson.

I kind of agree, but the law disagrees. If it was OK, (to do 87mph on a dual carriageway,) the speed limit would be 90mph. Have to agree that some people are being a bit sanctimonious on this thread though, like they have never done anything wrong.

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There are motoring solicitors who can help prepare a case for not losing your licence. Obviously there’s a cost to that so depends on your finances and attitude to risk.

I’ve only been caught speeding once nearly 30 years ago, it was a huge shock. I genuinely hadn’t realised there was a temporary lower limit and there were no other cars on the road. I am more careful as a result, the penalties work. This was well before speed awareness courses.

Yes we should always observe the speed limit but it’s easy to slip when something seems urgent. Given the percentages of drivers caught speeding and knowing no one is caught everytime they speed it’s strange to have so many posters here who have clearly never ever gone over the speed limit at anytime..

Am wondering what the responses from.. mnet would've been if it was ex was stopped doing nearly 20 miles over the speed.limit....are our dc safe with him....