To be terrified I'll lose my license

[PepsiMaxx0]

I have a clean driving license. Driving for over 40 years with no incidents. Like many others I sometimes go over the limit on motorways if I consider it safe to do so....
I was travelling back from Manchester airport on the m62 during the early hours of this morning. Almost empty motorway. Doing about 80mph average I would say. Occasionally crept to 85. I noticed a camera flash on the gantry. No limits were lit up. I assumed it was from the other side and carried on. Several miles later it did it again and yes for a 3rd time which is when I thought this is too much of a coincidence it must be me! I've just woken and have that sick feeling. The only defence I can offer is motorway was empty, it was between 4 - 5 am this happened and I do not think I was driving dangerously. I just wanted to get home to bed after a late night flight. What will be the penalty for this?

Some can't get the facts right even when they display a chart, have you missed that first offence is generally a SAC @TesticularHeft so SAC and then 6 points

First offence isn't speed awareness just because it's the first offence. It still has to fit within the table posted.

I can't see if your said that you saw the flashes in front of you or in your rear view mirror, which was it?

In future use a maps app or say nav that shows you where the cameras are as an extra reminder to keep to the speed linit

Christ.

Stop driving so fast. You have no excuse. Motorways have more accidents overnight, probably partly because of people like you.

The only person i know who got excused from speeding was on his way to his dad who was having a heart attack, and sent in the death certificate.

A colleague of mine was offered a speed awareness course after being caught doing 80, but was caught doing 80 again before her course so automatically got points.

I’d recommend always staying within 10% of the speed limit. 85 is ridiculous.

According to what OP has posted it does, maybe you didn't read the OP.

I've been flashed a few times and nothing has ever come of it. Sometimes I think they aren't even recording, it's just a deterrent, so I wouldn't overly stress about it.However, after the first flash I would have adjusted speed.

OP a quick google tells me that if it’s in one journey the ‘offences’ can be counted as one.

So if you get multiple fines/ points I would suggest you contact a solicitor for advice.

You’d only get one if a police officer had been following you for several miles after all.

This kind of attitude is why I'm terrified of driving round Manchester although I'm going to have to grit my teeth and do it very shortly. This part of England recently voted THEMSELVES the worst drivers in the country. I honestly don't understand why the driving style here is so bad, but having lived in several other parts of the UK (including Belfast) you literally take your life in your hands. I dated an Italian a few years ago and he reckoned he'd seen safer driving in Rome and Milan.... I have met a lot of automatic car drivers up here so maybe people don't realise it's not the dodgems????

If you do get multiple tickets, your best bet is probably to go to court and argue the case that the incident was one infraction on a single journey, rather than three. You won’t lose your licence.
People get really hung up on speed limits, imo, but turn a blind eye to other, frankly far more dangerous driving practices.

I know,someone recently who passed a speed camera one way, turned ro7nd five miles up the road and got caught again by the same camera in the opposite direction. He wrote in once his fines comes through and they dropped it down to one offence as it was felt to be the same speeding rather than two separate offences. Might be worth a try.

Dh thought it was okay to do 34 miles an hour on a wide empty multi laned road in Cambridge early on a Sunday morning (didn't see a speed sign but assumed it was 40). It wasn't! Luckily we only had to pay £100 for a speed awareness course.

@BobnLen I'm not sure what you're saying. I have read and reread the OP and her following posts. From what I see, and I am open to missing things, she does not mention a speed awareness course at all or being allowed to go on one as it is a first offence. The entire point of the post is to ask, and I quote "What will be the penalty for this?" So she has not received the NIP yet so would not know.

My hubby is an ex prosecutor and current solicitor. He says once you get the notices (within 14 days) respond to them admitting your driver. Speak to a solicitor, you will need to pay fines, there is an argument as it’s one continuous journey the court can limit the offence to a single speeding offence.

worst case scenario - 3 separate fines and 9 penalty points. Fines will be based on your relevant weekly income, starting point it band a (50% of regular weekly income) minimum court accepts for weekly income is £120. Guilty plea gives you credit, which can be minimum fine plus costs for each offence.

his best advice if you get 3 letter is to speak to solicitor as you might get speed awareness for one, but then you have two others.

also use your local firm not an internet advertised saying specialist as they will take your eyes out.

we are all human and can make mistakes, don’t beat yourself up too much. No one was hurt and you will hopefully never do it again.

They are average speed cameras 🙄

This should close the thread really. Excellent advice without the ridiculous hyperbole.

Honestly, the number of moving traffic offences you see on a daily basis would see half the bloody country in jail based on the reactions of some of you.

People saying that OP deserves to lose her license are bonkers, yes speeding is illegal and the OP shouldn’t have done it but this is a one off offence on a quiet motorway ffs. I’m sure OP will pay the fine and learn the lesson but if everyone were to get a ban for a similar offence there’d be no one on the road.

The allowance would be 79. That's 70 plus 2 plus 10%
The camera was activated so technically you should expect to receive an NIP / Summons.

Again technically that's the same for each offence so expect 3 separate notifications.

I would take advice from a solicitor specialising in driving offences as technically you could ask the courts forgiveness and have the three consecutive instances considered as one continuous offence.

Take care though as you may fall fould if driving without due care and attention!!

That's a bit harsh, would you say that to her face or are you just a keyboard warrior? It's not as if she was driving through the streets at that speed. She will have learnt her lesson now, don't be mean.

Did it flash in front of you, or from behind you?

In fairness somebody who continued to purposefully drive well over the limit when they already believed that they’d been flashed by a speed camera obviously didn’t learn their lesson the first time.

I'm staggered that a motoring solicitor would advise OP to go to court for 3 x minor exceeding posted limit offences.

If she currently has a clean licence and hasn't done an MAC (not SAC) in past 3 years, she's looking at worst case 1 x MAC and 2 x 3pts.

The banded fines ONLY come into it if you choose to go to court. Your DH must know that, surely?

And why would she choose to go to court in this case? Court would be highly unlikely to see her come out with a better result than the 2 x SP50s

The top motoring defence barrister AG Thompson who's mentioned earlier in the thread, would definitely not advise choosing court for this - he frequently posts advising against it in straightforward cases like this.

You will get offered a course for the first time, then possibly 6 points

'Like many others...'

I'm reminded of my nan. 'If your mates told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?' Sorry, I don't have much sympathy for people who speed. Hopefully this will frighten you enough that you don't do it again if you're lucky enough not to lose it.

I would love to say you will loose your license but you will get 9 points and i really hope your insurance goes through the roof.

If you have been caught you will probably get a speed awareness course