Court summons for mobile phone driving

[Onlyme234]

Hi all
I was caught sending a text on my phone in standstill traffic in March last year. Silly of me but a police officer was walking past and caught me. I got issued an FPN and received a letter in the post with a £200 fine and then details of how to surrender my license details online. I didn't realise that I also had to send off my license, fill out a form and send that off too. I honestly just didn't read the form properly.
I paid the fine and did it online but didn't send the form off. In September, I received a refund of the £200 and a court summons.
I'm due to go to court on the 23rd and was wondering if anybody had any advice?
I want to just go in and be super honest and say it was human error and I didn't read the form properly. Has anyone ever had this before and received more points or a larger fine?
Do they just reissue the same as on the FPN or am I at risk for more?
Any advice valued please

That is a disproportionate response

Knocked off your bike by a stationary car?

Well luckily you don't get to make that decision!
Don't worry about court, @Onlyme234 .
It will be a small affair, not like a murder trial thing on TV.

You know you did wrong, you don't need anymore bashing.

Don't be a 🌵 about my (now) 7 year old child being hit by a car.
She was with me at a crossing, driver was texting and not paying attention. My child got hit and hurt.
Happy now?

So funny🤣

I teach on a professional programme (not nursing but similar). Our university would require students to disclose this. Our policy specifically states any conviction including motoring offences. THe OP should check with her programme.

Following another thread, they could always change careers and be an MP.

Nope, totally get that.

I'm talking about when I literally put the car in Park and turn off the engine because traffic really isn't going anywhere for quite some time. This may not be what happened here, but accidents shut down roads all the time. Including this week twice about a mile from here.

Don't dish it out if you can't take it comes to mind...

Can dish it out but can’t take it, eh? 😂

Diddums🥹

What makes you think that isn't still illegal though? Because it is.

I got that "idea" from reading and interpreting the words you posted which said "matters outside their control" - for example, a disability (maybe, say, blindness) or a postal issue (I am knowledgeable about how the postal rule works in courts). They were examples.

The situation was 100% within the control of the OP. It was within her control to read the letter that she received.

A JP has posted on the thread. They have said they've made complaints because the letters are not clear (fair enough, I've had speeding lettes and agree they are complex with lots of stuff in boxes and big letters) but they didn't mention any discretion if the person didn't read it properly due to that being "out of their control".

In summary, the section you posted is entirely irrelevant.

OP was at the wheel of her car and using her phone. She does not deserve one jot of sympathy

She could be a nurse, refuse collector or the Mayor of Liechtenstein. The level of sympathy is the same.

@Jabbabong Your reaction is disproportionate, you are acting like the OP has killed someone.

God forbid you ever make a mistake, perhaps those around you won’t be able to offer you a thimble of empathy much like you have here.

Kinda hard to knock somebody off their bike while stationary in traffic lol.

I see why the law is such that you need to be stationary with engine off as otherwise it's too open to abuse, but in reality is it really that different to searching for a radio station or rummaging through the glovebox looking a lighter?

I remember an article about a woman being ticketed for sipping a bottle of water whilst stationary at the lights. 🙄

It’s irrelevant what your job is. You broke the law and need to do what they require. 🤷‍♀️

Wjy do some of you come on just to lash OP, sje knows she did wrong and is asking for advice, why the need to state the obvious, one nasty post going as far as she hopes she loses her job, seriously wtf is wrong with some of you, I bet you're the same little few that go onto every post just to argue, pathetic

If she was not using behind the wheel then she would not be in this predicament. The fact this time she did not kill anybody is not the point, that is a very obtuse viewpoint to have. Next time the general public might not be so lucky.

There is very gradual drift between texting when stationary, to texting when creeping at 5mph, at 10mph etc. We only have OPs word that she was not moving at the time. The phrase pinch of salt comes to mind.

Or maybe it's that there's a school of thought that some drivers don't take the mobile phone issue seriously enough and posters take the opportunity to hammer it home when an opportunity arises?

No, just women being bitches

@Jabbabong None of my post is obtuse. You are making up hypothetical scenarios. I am taking the OP at face value as I see no point in catastrophising imaginary scenarios. You are massively reaching to suggest that the OP sending a text message whilst stationary in standstill traffic serves as a gateway into reckless behaviour on the road.

Sometimes a simple mistake is just that. Assuming you never make mistakes, of course.

I think you'll find yours is a misogynist post and less than charming.

Right so the anxiety of a court appearance, high fine, points on their license and likely having to disclose this to their emplpyer isn't enough to "drive it home" to OP, but a bunch of anonymous internet trolls slagging them off is whats going to make all the difference?

a driving offence is NOT a criminal offence.

Ffs what an absolute reach

First of all, if you're going to start doubting the accuracy of every OP then the whole point of MN and any other Internet forum is defunct. We can only ever know the OPs side of the story and base responses on that, if you start casting doubt on that just to promote your own agenda what's the point of replying to anything? Every single post on here could be completely fictional

Secondly there is even less point in OP amending what actually happened than normal, because they are specificallyasking for advice. changing what happened to make themselves look better not only wouldn't benefit them in any feasible way (because, you know, its an anonymous forum, its not like anyone knows OP to judge them in real life) but would actually be of detriment to them, if people gave them advice on something that didn't happen.

What on earth would OP saying they were stationary if they weren't possible achieve?