To be worried…speeding

[Dibble135]

Received letter today for last weekend. 73 in a 50. I thought I was still on motorway but it seems the relevant bit was a dual carriageway. It was early morning and quiet so did not have other cars to compare to.

No cameras either. Caught by a mobile van but didn’t see it.

Sent my details off but feel awfully guilty and worried for what happens next.

So come on vipers. Give me both barrels. I deserve it.

Just because nothing bad happened doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous.

I have never (thankfully) required a seat belt to save me from being propelled through a windscreen; that doesn't mean it's not dangerous to not wear one and I can merrily go about my business without a seatbelt.

Speeding is the same. Just because actions didn't cause an accident does not mean the actions weren't dangerous.

Road near me was derestricted (60)... then they made it a dual carriageway and at the same time reduced it to 50. So you now come off a motorway onto a dual, and the speed limit reduces. They've now started having speed guns on the bridge over the road to spot you, too.
But... there are signs at both ends of the road (and repeater signs) so if you are over 50, you can't say you didn't know.

On reflection, I suspect I missed the first sign and the person with the gun was between that and the next one when I did slow to 50mph. So I didn’t know at the point my car was zapped

Dual carriage ways are 70mph limit. That's what I was told in my very recent speed awareness course. Can you go back to the road and take a photo showing it's a dual carriage way with a clear central reservation?

You didn't pay much attention at the course then. Have you thought about handing on your license?

*handing in...

Unless marked otherwise is the issue, which this one was. As I said I think looking back there must have been an earlier sign reducing the limit which I didn’t see…

Lots of cars now have the speed limit on the display or on the satnav. Or if you use google maps, it usually tells you (although not alway up to date)

But they're wrong so often that they can't be relied upon. I had one tell me the speed limit was 80 mph on a part of the M1 (or the A1) I can't remember which) not so long ago.

Plus we have motorways here that have standard (not temporary for road works) speed limits of 40 and 50 mph.

There's no substitute for understanding how speed limits are set and notified and how to read the road to determine what they are.

I drive a lot of hire cars and the amount of technology some of them contain is ridiculous. People will become reliant on it and then if it fails and they have accidents or get caught speeding, they'll come up with excuses about how X indicator should have told me the car was there and it didn't, or Y indicator told me the speed limit was Z mph and it wasn't.

I have just done a speed awareness course.

It was helpful, informative and - to my astonishment- enjoyable.

It wasn't cheap (why should it be?) but unless I re-offend within 3 years there will be no penalty points.

Don't beat yourself up OP. We all make mistakes and the course certainly helps to avoid repetition.

It only goes into the % of wages if you dispute that you were speeding and take it to court and lose or we're going fast enough for prosecution. There are well known limits of acceptance and "punishment" for speeding and in almost all instances it it £100 fine and 3 points.

I trust the person who says it was part of their job (based on my experience in this sector) than someone blindly googling articles.

73 will be too fast for speed awareness and is close to prosecution but you're safe.

www.e-database.co.uk/speeding-fines/

This one isn't as easy to read www.highwaysindustry.com/police-error-meant-speeding-motorists-paid-fines-never-exceeded-limit/amp/

This thread is a perfect example of why I have lost my love for driving in the last few years. Most people have no idea how to drive correctly.

Don't worry @Dibble135 I got caught twice in 2 weeks (in the exact same spot) by a Police man with a speed gun - genuinely, hand on heart, thought it was a 40, but it was a 30 - I was doing 36 and 38

They let me do the speed awareness course for the first offence, and gave me a fine and 3 points for the second

You are over the threshold for a speed awareness course (its up to and including 64 in a 50 zone) so you'll more than likely get a straight points and fine

I have started to display my speed in numbers on my dash, so I can see exactly what I'm doing. And I'm being much more observant of signage and such - as I really don't want another fine/points!!

Thanks I appreciate your help

Thanks that’s helpful

This depends on the insurer. Some (eg admiral group iirc) explicitly ask about speed awareness courses when quoting you.

Yes, exactly as I've posted already multiple times on this thread.

57 to 75mph in a 50 is a 3pt £100 fixed penalty.

You have indeed and I really appreciate the time you taken to reassure me

That's ok, I wasn't waiting for you to thank me. 😄

Just annoying that so many people have gone out of their way to post totally misleading info and probably cause you undue worry.

We have loads of dual carriageways round here that are 50 due to smart motorway works. Won't always tell you if your car/satnav lets you know the speed (mine still thinks you can go 70 on the average speed check 50 section). That's why satnavs have a disclaimer when you turn them on. 73 is still speeding though, technically?

That only applies in court. The OP will be given 3 points/£100 fine.

@Shade17 as explained previously, due the band the service can refer to the Court or issue a FPN. Therefore the option of Court is a possibility. See other explanation in more details.

@BlueSpark me of those links is 5 years old and the link re prosecution guidelines is absolutely not the case as evidenced by some of the people’s responses on here.

A really stupid link to out on and absolutely services do not only prosecute over certain percentages such as 35 in a 30 🤣

@SofiaSoFar where dos you get your 57 - 75 info from ?

Oh and it was part of my job for many years. It was also not unheard of for the defendant stating ‘oh I thought you only prosecuted 10% over’ it was almost as often as ‘god is my insurance’

Normally a summons will only be issued for 76mph and above in a 50mph limit. I’d bet money on the OP being offered a fixed penalty.

God help you if this truly was your job.

I get the 57 to 75 from the actual facts of the matter rather than quoting incorrect, out of context, info like a lot of people are doing (you included).

Every force (in England) currently follows the same (formerly ACPO) guidelines.

The guidelines state for 50mph limits:
57 to 64 = SAC if appropriate (i.e no course already taken in past 3 yrs)
57 to 75 = FPN if accepted
76+ = SJPN (court)

Have a look at something like www.counsel.direct if you still think you're correct. That's the website of top motoring barrister AG Thompson.

And no one is ever penalised for less than [10% +2mph] over the limit. AGT himself has - multiple times - previously challenged anyone who claims otherwise to provide documentary evidence of it, and no one ever has because it never happens.

I prefer to trust someone like Thompson, whose professional career is this stuff, than people who don't understand what they're actually snipping and posting. Screenshots with annotation mean absolutely zero when taken out of context.

www.counsel.direct/news/2015/3/25/speeding-sentencing-guidelines