12pts in a week - driving ban

[Jarofgoodness]

I can't believe that this is happening.

I am normally such a careful driver. I hate speeding, always use the speed limiter on my car and have never had even 3pts on my licence in almost 30 years of driving.

Last month I worked away from home for a week, and on the way to my temporary workplace there was a road which I thought was a 30mph road but which was actually a 20. I got caught speeding (high 20s) every single day, and yesterday received four speeding fines in the post at once. £400 in fines but also 12pts which means a mandatory six month driving ban!

I simply cannot believe that this is happening. I know that it is my responsibility to know the speed limit, and that I shouldn't break it. But this punishment seems wildly excessive and unfair to me. I have 30 years of spotless driving, and have not suddenly become dangerous in a week. Surely someone can see the pattern here and note that it was multiple times making the same simple mistake in exactly the same place? I didn't even have time to reflect on one speeding ticket and change my driving behaviour because they all arrived at once, after I had left the area!

What can i do? I am not expecting sympathy as I know I am only receiving the punishment due to me. But I may well lose my job. The form says that I can plead 'exceptional hardship' in court but that losing employment doesn't count.

I see boy racers all the time and yet I am getting banned! It just seems such an unfairness.

Might just be our area - we seem to use roundabout lanes differently too (signs tell you which lane but different to the Highway Code). And we have multiple traffic lights on really small roundabout because no one was using them correctly.

Can you take the speed awareness course for 1, and take the 9point hit for the rest?

@Jarofgoodness Presumably you were in Wales, where the default urban limit is now 20, so there may not have been been any signs. Streetlights? Y = 20, unless told otherwise….

How much difference a few miles an hour makes is exactly what they teach you on the speed awareness course actually. And the answer is….a big difference. Your post almost sounds like a joke it’s such a caricature of what a speeder would say. The level of injury between a child being hit at 20 and 27 would be significant.

How on earth can they show that anyone knowingly meant to break the speed limit? That cannot be true. If that was the case, everybody would just plead ignorance! (And isn't ignorance of the law no defence?)

It has to be shown you knowingly ment to break the speed limit

It really doesn’t.

While I have some sympathy with the OP, one thing I’d be interested to know is what device has been used to catch her. Because ime, where the GATSO cameras are used, there is always a warning sign which consists of a camera symbol and, crucially, the speed limit written underneath. If that’s the case here, then it means the OP wasn’t paying much attention to not notice. Then again, maybe it was obscured by trees or something (although not so likely in the winter).

I’ve not read the whole thread but doesn’t the speed limit show on your dashboard screen?

That comment could be considered a bit braggy 😉

Not all cars have a screen showing the speed limit and, if they do, how accurate are they if the data hasn’t been updated ?

That’s called perverting the course of justice and carries a mandatory prison sentence!
Do not do this especially if you intend to sleep with your secretary 🤣

As @ItsOkItsDarkChocolatesuggedted, take the speed awareness course for the first one and as for court for the others.

I wouldn’t even involve a barrister. Much better self represent so the magistrate is obliged to ensure you get a fair hearing.

Start by Apologising for taking the courts time with this matter, explain fine speed awareness fit first one, others incurred before you had the benefit of speed awareness and ask for courts leniency.

Even if they don’t let you off, it will only be nine points. Good luck

p.s. don’t be surprised if it takes done time for your heating. Many courts are overloaded and non drink driving non fatal accident traffic offences are not prioritised

if you are really lucky, the advent years will run out and your won’t even have to answer to the court.

don’t ask me how I know.

Google says the threshold for a course is 31mph in a 20.

How far is your commute?
Bike, electric bike, electric moped (or would you be banned from that too? I have no idea)? I know these may not be possible. My DD now uses a folding electric bike to get into work (hospital, fairly big city) where driving in a few miles and parking is an absolute nightmare - she uses the bike to avoid a 40min walk which is what she was doing but not ideal for night shifts and strange hours she sometimes has to do.

I sympathise but best to face up and accept the worst possible outcome ASAP and start planning.

Ouch, are you suggesting a magistrate wouldn’t give a fair hearing to a defendant represented by a barrister ?

Maybe pop back to the OP’s OP and check where she said she was working away from home before suggesting solutions to a situation which doesn’t exist ?

@grumpygrape

hi, absolutely not my intention, though reading it back I can see how it could be read like that. Thank you for pointing it out.

it was more that imo barristers are only needed to find really tricky loopholes

Understood but I'm not a fan of tricky loopholes.

There were signs or there weren't signs, there was speeding or there wasn't.

I've tried to give impartial advice about three miles upthread.... 😊

Go back to same stretch of road and see how many signs it has saying 20 if any

didn’t help you now but if driving in new places I use my phone as sat na and google maps as it cleverly knows the speed limit and changes on bottom left corner and if speeding shows your speed in red

ifs great in London or near Blackwall tunnel as that changes 50 to 40 to 30 bak to 50

Not in every car - mine doesn't even have a dashboard screen. And car satnavs often have outdated information. Even my Satnav (I use Google maps on my phone so it's as up to date as possible) isn't always aware of new speed limits.

I think you should find out what day your local magistrates court holds their traffic court and go along. You’ll then discover that this:
It has to be shown you knowingly ment to break the speeding limit.
is a load of nonsense.

Police officer here, a friend of mine got in touch a couple of years ago panicking she'd been caught speeding twice in one day. I spoke to a colleague who used to work in the ticketing office. She said write a letter to explain and if you're lucky you'll get a speed awareness to cover the two.

I can't promise this'll be the same, but it could be worth asking.

Wont u be alloqwd to do a drivwra awarenes courae for the first one? Id seen legak advuce and fight it as courta may symaothy for u

I cannot believe how many people are pointing out you should have seen the speed signs etc. This happened to me. I tied myself up in knots worrying about court and losing my job. I did exceptional circs statement. I spoke openly and honestly at court. They were lovely to me. I spoke about knowing the risks of speeding. I spoke about the impact losing my license will have on me and people I care for. I did not get a ban. Just a reasonable fine and I have not had a speed fine since !

What dashboard screen? 🫣 my car is a decade old and doesn’t even have Bluetooth, let alone a fancy screen 🤣

My 15yr old car speedo only shows speeds in 20 mph increments. I've found it incredibly stressful to drive.
Getting a new car this year and the priority will be a digital speedo that shows the actual speed.

Perhaps pay the first fine and appeal the rest, explaining the circumstances. You may get a sympathetic hearing if you admit to the first one?