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.

It is harsh. There will be worse drivers still on the road with 9 points on their licence. Have you looked at the road on Google street to see the signage?

OP did the same journey multiple times and got multiple fines.

My opinion on 20mph speed limits is that they should require more than just signs, the road design should slow you down. Speed cushions for example.

Saying what about everyone else doesn't change the fact that you were going too fast OP

Definitely go back and check the signage. Take photos.

Otherwise, if it is adequately signed then it is extremely worrying that you didn't notice and shows a massive lack of awareness.

As far as I can remember, repeater signs are part of the highway code and not obligatory by law.
Might be wrong about this

Take them one at a time
Start with the lowest speed and hope you get a speed awareness course for that one
take the others then for the nine points
if you go to court it’s very difficult to prove hardship, it’s not about hardship for you it’s about hardship for others ie do you have sick parents who rely on you
good luck

Were you in Wales by any chance?

It catches a lot of English people out that they don't realise the default speed limit is 20mph in built up areas rather than 30. There won't necessarily be regular signs telling you either.

Yes, just googled and checked, they were removed as mandatory in 2016

Can you not choose to do a speed awareness course for the first one? I’ve just had to do one as was driving at 36mph in what I thought was a 40mph, but it had changed last august to a 30mph. It was a road I used to drive really regularly but hadn’t done so for 6 months. Totally my fault as was driving with ‘muscle memory’ but also with the flow of the traffic.

Depends how fast she was going - not all areas will offer speed awareness courses.

Hopefully you can do a speed awareness course for one of them and points for the others, giving 9 points, then drive carefully for the next 3 years. Go over to https://www.ftla.uk/ for advice, read the stickies as the advice is good but they can be a bit harsh

Yeah I get that, I was just illustrating the unsuitability and inflexibility of the system.

I am due my punishment. I just wish that punishments could take into account the offending pattern rather than just the number of offenses. Am I a persistent speeder deserving a ban? No. I haven't driven at excessive speed before or since. I just made an error on one road multiple times in quick succession.

Coming here to echo this. It's unusual that you didn't spot the signs several days in a row. Worth checking / getting some legal advice about whether there was adequate signage.

Speeding is an absolute offence, thay dont take into account past history. They could also say if you didn't see the signs over 4 days you were driving without due care and attention

You really have my sympathy. Enormous bad luck.

Again, evidence please

It’s worth using Waze when your driving op, even if you don’t need it for directions it’ll warn you if you speed then. It is worth noting though that you do still need to pay attention to signs, especially on to motorway - last week the M40 was down to 60mph on the signs on a clear, dry and bright midweek afternoon and there were police on the bridges at Warwick with handheld cameras! No-one can persuade me that that is anything other than a revenue stream for them.

Drivers do that all the time, in the one way street my grandchildren live in. It's getting more and more and it'll take an accident for it to stop. Just go back to reading road signs. That's what it boils down to, complacency. It's a big cause of accidents and road rage incidents eg not bothering to single anymore.

Sympathies @Jarofgoodness.

I have been driving since 1977. Except for once, all my fines points have been in the last five years. I don't think the signs are as clear as they should be and I think there is significant memory muscle vis a vis driving at a safe speed for the road conditions when the limits have just changed 40 to 30, done for 35; 30 to 20, done for 24. Both on clear, empty roads. It's about cameras and revenue rather than safe driving.

Definitely get specialist legal advice and go to court. The court are a check and balance on the automatic penalties. It may also be worth asking on local facebook or via foi to local council if any issues re inadequate signage.

You can ask the police to take it into consideration, if both were in the same force area they will take it into consideration, sometimes a yes sometimes a no

Can you take a speed awareness course to reduce the number of points down to 9

If you can afford it get a good lawyer who specialises in this area e.g. Nick Freeman

I’d go back and look at where the signs are. If there aren’t any that’s ridiculous! You could seek legal advice if you can definitely say there were no signs. Go back and take pictures of video of the road. Good luck xx