Bloody police - merry sodding Christmas

[NThound]

More than 2 months ago I made a bloody stupid error and just slipped through a red light in queuing traffic though I had actually noticed that a police car was a few cars behind - I don't make a habit of breaking the law, but it does make it even more stupid. He pulled me over a bit up the road (which was horrible - never happened to me before in 15 years of driving) and I admitted my error of judgement and apologised. In my defense (I didn't say this to him as I didn't want to make excuses) it was awful traffic - we had been stuck there for ages and I was visiting an elderly relative who I rarely see and had to nip out for something and felt guilty and stressed at how long it was taking). It was my fault though I know.

Police man said he had written it up and would send it off but 'hopefully' I would hear nothing back in the light of my apology and clean license. He also checked my tyres as he said they were currently focussing on them but he then made no comment on them.

I had my MOT done two weeks later and it failed on one of the tyres, which I thought was odd but never mind. Weeks went by and I heard nothing then on Christmas fucking Eve came the letter. FFS. I have just logged on to try and book a course and I have less than two months to book it because this has taken more than two months to come through. In order to get it done in time I have a choice of two courses that are within 30 miles of me - I live in a central location between two biggish cities. It's ridiculous - I'm going to have to try and get time off but don't want to risk a refusal as then I'd be stuffed so may decide to call in sick, which is not something 'I want to do.

AIBU to think this is shit? If police think you have made an honest fuck-up they shouldn't 'write it up' and if they do it shouldn't be near enough impossible to book a course you have been offered because they have sat on it for more than 2 months?

Errr! She absolutely did notice it. She admits she deliberately went through it to avoid sitting in traffic.

Bloody hell, that's even worse then.
She's clearly stupid and uncaring as well as arrogant.

OP, ignore all the Mrs Grundys. You have admitted you were at fault and your complaint seems to be mostly about the delay in notifying you of the penalty.
So phone the number on the letter as soon as you can, explain about the two month delay between the date of the incident and receiving the penalty notification and tell them that due to this lack of notice you are not able to book a course within the specified time frame.
Ask if it is possible to extend the time period so that you will be able to book and attend the course.
It may not be allowed, in which case you'll have to suck it up, but you won't know if you don't ask.

You should book a day off, not dump the consequences onto your employer

I'm sick of seeing people jumping red lights. see it all the time.

Just to add, pedestrians cross the road when lights go red for drivers. Even you edging forward was incredibly dangerous and could have caused a nasty accident.

Take responsibility please.

Haha, poor diddums breaks the law and cries about it on social media

C'mon, just take the points and don't run any more red lights.

My DH jumped a red light , which was very hard to see (not a deliberate act) at an unfamiliar (and Google tells me notorious) roundabout on the day before his DH's funeral. His inattention to lights/ not noticing them was forgivable in those circumstances. he wrote to the police who did not agree the light was not very visible (it has been moved since, mind!) but they did send sincere condolences on his loss and were kind in their wording. Shit happens but , in your case, you did something deliberately and because you were in a fit of impatience.

I think the pattern OP is meant to be your use of passive voice...
Actually I meant the pattern was it always being someone or something else's fault.

Driving through a red light with an illegal tyre is the Police's fault, for example.

You're drivibg through red lights with bald tyres. How on earth can you try and shift the blame on to the police and the garage? You're lucky the only consequence was being sent on a course. Your 'genuine mistake' could have cost lives. Take the festive period to take a long hard look at yourself op.

Just take the points OP.
If you're usually a good driver they'll just expire over time.It doesn't increase insurance.
I've been on one of these courses,booking was incredibly tricky and frankly I learned nothing.I was expecting it to be useful.

Yes hinge that' what I meant which was auto corrected is passive voice : ie 'someone else did it guv'

The sequence of events does seem odd, but suck it up and go on the course, or take the points. I’ve been stopped for going through a red light too- similar situation, a police car wasn’t far behind! I was hugely apologetic and got away with it. You weren’t so lucky, but it’s not the end of the world. A nudge to be more careful in future.

YABVU of course, we’ll done to the ‘bloody police’.
I seriously doubt you’re a ‘good driver’ at all.

You jumped a red light deliberately because you were pissed off and you think the police should just have taken your word for it that you normally drive better?

Everyone says that

You're lucky you're not in Scotland - we can't do a course, just have to take the points and pay a fine.
When I was in England I did the course and actually found it useful. It was a 1 to 1 lesson with a driving instructor. I actually learned some useful driving tips from him. Made me think that a driving lesson every now and then would be worth it as a refresher.

TBH I am more worried that you say you drive up and down the motorway each day (so presumably at speed, in the winter) and hadn't thought to pay attention to the depth of tread on your tyres.

I see so many people sail through pedestrian crossings, where thankfully the pedestrians are so used to it that they double check before venturing out, I am pleased to see that there are at least a few police on traffic duty somewhere in England(?).

Do the course or take the points.

So you've been driving for 15 years. Doesn't mean you have been driving well for 15 years. The law still applies to you no matter how long you've been driving. You broke the law knowingly. You got caught. Suck it up. Take a days unpaid leave.

Driving through a red light with an illegal tyre is the Police's fault, for example.

I have at no point said either of these things are the police's fault. They were my fault but I wondered why the policeman didn't mention the tyre, why the letter took so long to come, and why there are so few courses available.

Piggy auto-correct is a thing. I've missed some capital letters on this thread though, for which I take full responsibility.

I'm fed up but venting here has helped. I'll do the course and I'm sure I'll learn something. I'm not taking a day's unpaid leave though - that wouldn't be a simple 'Ok, fine' so not an option.

OP...you're not getting away with this. I'm not a perfect driver. I speed and go through or amber and beep at cunts other drivers when they cut me up and occasionally I cut them up. We've all driven badly at some point. But none of us were daft enough to knowingly run a red light because we were in a hurry, completely aware of the police car behind us. Call in sick and book the course or suck it up and take the points. You took your chances and it didn't pay off, the late notice is a red herring. Its irrelevant. You did it, you got caught, just accept the consequences and take it as a lesson learned.

Idiotic and dangerous driver.

'Innocent fuck-ups' still takes lives.

Tbh I think giving people the option of a course or points is a problem. I don’t mean just the OP here btw- but I think it lessens the seriousness of what they’ve done and people don’t see it as a punishment because they can choose what happens. Then they get foot stampy and outraged when they’re inconvenienced by it (again- not just the OP- I’ve seen it IRL too) i think it should be a court appearance, a plea, an opportunity to apologise and then points and a course.

@NThound I think people are really being mean to you - it's like you're the only person on God's green earth to ever make an ill-judged mistake! You've accepted you were in the wrong and hopefully won't do it again.
If it was me I'd ask for unpaid leave - it's shit and inconvenient for you but sadly it's looking like this is your only option. I've done a speed awareness course before and it was really interesting to be honest, so hopefully you'll learn a few things from the course.
You seem to have learned your lesson and I think you've been punished enough! Hopefully you'll get the course sorted.

Btw I know the above isn’t likely to ever happen. Resources, time etc. But I think it should. Oh and the Person should have to pay all the costs of the above too.

Sorry OP, you know you've f**ked up. You can't get annoyed at the police for enforcing laws.

If I remember correctly you could always take the points if you don't want to do the course? I can understand how you feel unlucky about being caught but if you did nothing wrong in the first place then there wouldn't be anything to worry about. If the police didn't do things like this then everyone would be running red lights. One of those things you just have to take responsibility for and get on with.