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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to not want to go on a speed awareness course?

87 replies

suecy · 13/07/2010 16:05

OK I know I'm going to get flamed but never mind.

Recently got notice of speeding - doing 57 in a 50. I know speeding is wrong, but let's face it, we've all done it and it was a wide open road with nothing going on.

Have today had the chance to go on this course which costs the ssame as the fine but will allow me to avoid the 3 points (1st I've ever had in 25 years of driving).

I don't want to go! Common sense says I should but I just think it'll be loads of presching and telling us off and frankly I left school a quarter of a century ago.

AIBU to live with the points instead?

OP posts:
Ladyanonymous · 13/07/2010 22:28

I do not want to go into them on an internet forum as I may well be identified which I don't want to be.

It was the middle of the night and he was on his way to hospital.

If you feel that strongly about it then do something to make a difference. Be a part of that descision making process?

Don't have a go at me about a descicion I didn't take. What was he going to do say "please ban me so I can't drive 300 miles to see my kids before I'm deployed?".

And yes its important to me - having just been through a messy divorce.

IFancyKevinELevin · 13/07/2010 22:42

Apologies have been doing my family duties.

Yes we were all speeding tossers.

The boy racers however, do it with intent, they speed for enjoyment, for risk and for thrills and because they can.

They don't do it just because they passed their test in 1950 and are confused with a road marking.

They don't do it just because they are trying to get to their mothers deathbed.

They don't do it because the road markings have been moved or are covered with foliage on country lanes.

They don't do it accidentally.

They don't do it because their toddler is screaming distracting them whilst moving into a slower zone.

Before I went on the course I wasn't aware that it was only for people with a previous clean licence (on my course) snapped for breaking the limit by a few miles an hour.

I thought I'd be on a course with people doing 30, 40, 50 over the limit, intentionally dangerous drivers. It wasn't made clear to me. I made the assumption that I was grouped with boy racing tossers because I thought I was being just like one for doing 33 mph in the first 100 yrds of a road following National Speed Limit. I was expecting a bloody dressing down and bllcking and I'm sure other posters on here were expecting that too.

If all drivers were intentional speeding tossers there wouldn't be a SAW would there? There'd be no feeling from the police that, some people make stupid mistakes and misjudged errors and can be reducated into safer drivers.

They'd just slap the fine and points or ban and that'd be that.

Everyone walked away, at least on that day, with a lot of new view points. They are successful. Only one individual walked off thinking he had done no wrong and would continue to drive as he liked.

EmmaBemma · 14/07/2010 07:49

"Don't have a go at me about a descicion I didn't take."

I'm not having a go at you, ladyanonymous - in fact, I've explicitly said otherwise in my posts.

LadyintheRadiator · 14/07/2010 08:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Ladyanonymous · 14/07/2010 09:10

You brought up you friends death as a reason for your views, which made me feel a bit defensive - I wasn't behind the wheel of that car and neither was my partner.

I am saying yes he was a twat at that moment - but there are reasons behind my feelings about what he did as there were other reasons too. Life isn't black and white.

He isn't a cock LITR and you cannot judge someone and their entire being on one split second momentary lapse of reason .

Maybe if we didn't have such nonsical speed restrictions in this country people would adhere to them.

mayorquimby · 14/07/2010 12:15

"Well they can say it - but its not a provable fact is it?"

Well no but that's because you can't prove a negative so the burden of proof is not on them to prove they don't speed, it's on you to prove that they have.

"MajorQ - do you really think that everyone has a responsibility to adher to the law no matter what? Surely the responsiblity is to do what you think is ethically right rather than focusing on the law."

Off the top of my head I can't think of any situation where someone does not have a responsibility to adhere to the law. Can you?
And no I don't think it is a matter of what is ethically right being paramount as that would make the law meaningless due to the subjectivity and individual nature what each person considers ethically right and so could justify any transgression based on their own code.
I'd be interested to hear examples of when you believe it would be ethically justified for someone to intentionally break the law though.

piprabbit · 14/07/2010 12:27

There was a very interesting item in the Sunday Times this week, about people who were caught speeding outside a school being given the option to take the points or be interviewed by 10yo pupils.

Apparently the children pull no punches and the offenders find it a difficult and embarrasing experience - what can you say to a 10yo who asks you why you think it is OK to endanger the lives of themselves and their friends?

ChippingIn · 14/07/2010 23:13

I would take the course over the points, no thinking required - being interviewed by 10 year olds... not so sure!!

I think they should use this as part of their advertisng campaign to stop speeding!!

I have to say though, I do agree with the poster (sorry, I can't remember your name) who said our speed limits need looking at - they are not consistent and in some places are not reasonable - some should go down (outside schools for one) and many should go up - maybe if they were reviewed and made reasonable, more people would respect them and keep to them.

WarrenPeace · 14/07/2010 23:17

IfancyKevinelevin
is wrong

Ladyanonymous · 15/07/2010 09:00

mayorquimby

Still haven't answered the question though have you as to whether you have ever broken the speed limit.

Its ok though because you can judge those of us who have been caught can't you.

mayorquimby · 15/07/2010 10:54

I answered it in my post on tuesday at 21:10:39
nope

SirBoobAlot · 15/07/2010 11:10

Don't speed if you don't want to suffer the consequences.

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