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Original poster

Think I've been caught doing 60mph in a 30... what will happen

255 replies

Shouldhavenotdonethat · 22/02/2019 20:30

So I'm likely to get flamed for this I know

I've been driving for 15 years. No convictions, no crashes. I'm generally very careful and a considerate road user

Today i was driving down a country lane that leads to the edge of a town. They are in the process of building a housing estate on the edge of the town and have now made it an immediate 30mph from a 60 as you come towards the edge of this new estate. I went through the 30 sign at 60, slowing down as I was going along. Then spotted a police van with a camera pointing out of the back of it Sad just up the road

How much trouble am I in?

I was slowing down before I hit the urban bit, but I Definately was still doing 60 as I went through the 30 limit sign.

I'm so stressed i feel sick with worry.

If i lose my license i lose my job

OP posts:
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taxiforme · 22/02/2019 22:06

If you have been caught it will be a short ban. 28 days. But it will bugger up your insurance.

If you can afford it, get a good traffic lawyer who might get the magistrates to stick 6 points on instead.

GreasyFryUp · 22/02/2019 22:09

I got a months ban and a fine for something similar.

Lifecraft · 22/02/2019 22:10

If they've recently changed the speed limit you may be able to appeal it.

^This is complete bullshit.

Well technically it isn't. OP may appeal if she chooses to. Of course, she won't get anywhere, because the defence of "The speed limit may have changed but I don't think I should have to deal with it until I've had a few months to get used to it" will have them falling about laughing. Because it's utterly ludicrous and has no basis in law.

But she never said "you may be able to appeal it and you might win". She just said "you may be able to appeal." Which is true!

BoringPerson · 22/02/2019 22:12

OP, I think you should try not to worry about this until you get something in the post. I think there is a significant chance that you won’t get anything at all so all the worrying will be pointless. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, Also, even if you do get something I may not be as bad as you think.

In some ways the most important thing is that you are going to be extra extra careful not to speed in future.

I’ve had a speed awareness course in the past and found it a huge help. I’m extremely careful not to speed but sometimes find the road markings/signs confusing especially on semi rural A roads which constantly switch speed limits.

LifeImplosionImminent · 22/02/2019 22:12

How are you supposed to go from 60 to 30 without slamming your brakes on?!!! What idiot civil servant thought that was a good idea?

I have never been done for speeding but I think you have 14 days to get a Notice of Intended Prosecution, after that time you won't get one at all.... I have spent a few nailbiting days waiting for the post before but I think my car dash speedo overestimates my speed. *still cringe at the time when I thought the speed limit was a 40 and I practically posed for the mobile van camera as I sailed past in a 30 mph zone Blush

NataliaOsipova · 22/02/2019 22:13

I went through the 30 sign at 60, slowing down as I was going along. Then spotted a police van with a camera pointing out of the back of it sad just up the road

Am I being really dopey here.....or does this sound like the camera was pointing at the other side of the road? You get caught if the camera takes a picture of the back of your car as you speed past it? From the OP’s description, doesn’t sound like she has a problem unless she drove past another camera van beforehand?

Mumofaprinny · 22/02/2019 22:14

Calm down. Do you have a log book or ownership book for your car?

Mumofaprinny · 22/02/2019 22:15

Also, was the van on your side of the road or the other side?

Lifecraft · 22/02/2019 22:15

Dont they usually have 300, 200, 100 yard warning signs for a drop from 60 to 30?

No.

HTH

Original poster
Shouldhavenotdonethat · 22/02/2019 22:18

Van was on my side of the road, camera pointing out of the back of the van at the cars coming towards them. So the front of my car would have been clocked.

Yes I have a log book it's all in my name.

OP posts:
Lifecraft · 22/02/2019 22:21

How are you supposed to go from 60 to 30 without slamming your brakes on?!!! What idiot civil servant thought that was a good idea?

Well here's the thing. It's illegal to do more than 30 in a 30, but remarkably, it's perfectly legal to do less than 60 in a 60. Clever stuff eh?

So, you're driving in a 60, and ahead you see a 30 sign. You then start to apply gentle pressure to the brake pedal so as to gradually slow the vehicle, masking sure you are doing no more than 30 when you get to the 30 zone.

It's sounds really tricky but it's actually quite easy. They'll teach you how to do it when you learn to drive. Grin

MereDintofPandiculation · 22/02/2019 22:30

How are you supposed to go from 60 to 30 without slamming your brakes on?!!! What idiot civil servant thought that was a good idea?

The national speed limit was introduced in 1965. And at that time there were very few limits other than 30. So it was the norm to slow from possibly 70 or 80 down to 30 as you entered a town.

Bumblebeezy · 22/02/2019 22:34

That diagram is brilliant Grin

Mumofaprinny · 22/02/2019 22:37

Hypothetically, if you really didn’t want to get any bad news in the post, you could get your log book and put it into somebody else’s name example; John smith and put your address on it. Obviously put the date on it as maybe last week so it seems less suspicious.😐 then when the fine comes to your house it will be for John smith and not you! Change the log book back and problem solved! This is hypothetical but I can vouch that it works. Good luck.👍

IHopeYouUnderstandWeArePuppets · 22/02/2019 22:38

Maybe I’m wrong but I think the police camera needs to be “watching you go” rather than pointing towards the front of your car?

Anyway I came on to say that if they do write to you, it might be worth contacting a solicitor? I worked for a solicitor years ago and one of his friends was caught speeding. Solicitor wrote a very contrite letter on friends behalf, explaining that he was in a new vehicle, didn’t know it’s power, he would never do it again and indicated how a ban would severely impact him. He got away with just points. Remember the solicitor emphasising to friend in no uncertain terms that he must avoid this happening again and no further help would be given should he get into more bother. I think with the new 30 zone, you could argue for a reduced penalty as long as you are very contrite.

Bumblebeezy · 22/02/2019 22:41

I was driving towards the police van that caught me so sadly I can verify that they can indeed catch you in that direction.

PosiePerkinandPootle · 22/02/2019 22:41

I'm in Scotland, not sure if rest of UK is the same, but according to my dad (retired road engineer) that wouldn't be enforceable as there is too much variation in the speeds. So there should be either a 40 or 50 "buffer zone" before the 30. Tbh I take a lot of what he says with a pinch of salt but might be worth checking out? How far into the 30 zone were you? Would you have risked anyone going into the back of you if you'd slammed the brakes on?

LifeImplosionImminent · 22/02/2019 22:44

@lifecraft That civil servant must have thought it was a good idea, like you thought a snarky answer would make you look clever....

ContinuityError · 22/02/2019 22:44

Mumofaprinny hypothetically speaking, of course, that sounds just a tad on the dodgy side of legal?

Sycamoretrees · 22/02/2019 22:49

Any chance it was a car tax camera not a speed camera?

Mumofaprinny · 22/02/2019 22:50

Yes, hypothetically it would be!😉

JaniceBattersby · 22/02/2019 22:53

There’s some shite advice here.

If you get a court summons, then go to court. Dress nicely, stand up straight and when they ask you if you have any mitigation, apologise profusely, tell them it was a genuine error, the limit has recently changed, it was not deliberate, you don’t make a habit of speeding, have never had points before and if you do lose your licence you could lose your job. Despite what others are saying about, all these things can be used in mitigation but you must get across that you hold your hands up and are not trying to excuse your crime.

I’ve sat through hundreds of these cases at mags. You don’t need a fancy lawyer, you just need to be contrite. I doubt they’ll ban you for long but I have seen people banned for that kind of speeding.

We all make mistakes. I’m sure you won’t be doing it again.

Lifecraft · 22/02/2019 22:53

Hypothetically, if you really didn’t want to get any bad news in the post, you could get your log book and put it into somebody else’s name example; John smith and put your address on it. Obviously put the date on it as maybe last week so it seems less suspicious.😐 then when the fine comes to your house it will be for John smith and not you! Change the log book back and problem solved! This is hypothetical but I can vouch that it works. Good luck

Baldrick, I think I've spotted a few of flaws in your cunning plan.

  1. The NIP (notice of intended prosecution) is sent to the person who was the registered keeper on the day of the offence. Not the registered keeper on the day they send out the NIP.
  1. Your vehicle will end up with 2 extra former keepers as shown on the logbook. So if you bought the car new, it currently shows 0 former keepers. When you change it to John Smith, it'll show 1 former keeper(you), and when you change it back to you, it'll show 2 former keepers (you followed by John Smith). This will effect the resale value.
  1. The plan won't work anyway, because you were the keeper on the day of the offence, but if DVLA get suspicious about these ownership changes in quick succession, in or around the time of a speeding offence, and decide to investigate, you could end up being charged with an attempting to PCOJ charge, which almost certainly will mean jail time. You'll lose your job, your house, your husband will shag your sister whilst you are in prison and you'll end up homeless and broke, sleeping in a shop doorway, selling pencils from a cup.

But apart form those 3 minor issues, it's and absolutely brilliant strategy. Well done you.

Applesaregreenandred · 22/02/2019 22:54

My DH was caught doing nearly 60 in. 40 zone and had a huge fine - I can’t remember how much but it was a few hundred and we had to cancel our half term holiday break to pay for it.

The speed awareness course is only available if you are slightly over the limit - and it is actually a really useful course. I had to go on one and I learned quite a bit. For those questioning the speed limit changing from a 60 to a 30, we were taught things to look out for as a warning that a 30 mph was coming up and to slow down accordingly,

Original poster
Shouldhavenotdonethat · 22/02/2019 22:54

I think if I get altering my log book I'll actually go into full on stressed out criminal mode so may just sit and await my post. But thank you for the suggestion. It made me smile if nothing else!

@Posie I checked and there was nothing at all behind me, so no way I could use that as a reason unfortunately :(

OP posts: