Advice on asking for a speeding fine to be waived

[CorsicaDreaming]

Last Thursday I received a speeding fine for travelling at exactly 80 mph on a 70 mph limit dual carriageway. I have not had a speeding fine for years so I'm unsure of the process but think it is a strict liability offence and my DH has said that when he had one recently there didn't seem to be any online possibility to give an explanation.

The reason for driving at 80mph (and still leaving a big gap from the car in front, etc) was because my sister-in-law had phoned to tell us the hospital had phoned to say my father-in-law had suddenly taken a serious turn for the worst on an end of life ward. We arrived there at 11:45 am and he died just over an hour later.

I'm not sure whether I need to accept the points and fine and just pay it/go on the speeding awareness course, or whether there is any possibility of appealing it and asking for it to be waived in the circumstances. If the only possibility for doing that is to go to the Magistrates Court for a full hearing on it, I don't think I would put myself through that stress at this stage – as you can imagine there is enough else at the moment – but wondered if anyone knew anything and could advise further on this?
With thanks.

I'm sorry to hear about your fil but I really don't think they will waive the fine in this or any other circumstance. To be honest, they must hear reasons like this all the time.

Sorry about your FIL bit you just take the fine / points.

Sorry about your FIL but that doesn't give you the right to speed and you'll need to take the points.

Surely you realise that the law is the law and you don't just get to break it when you feel it's necessary? The roads would be chaos if that were the case. In fact society as a whole.

I'm sorry for your family's loss.

Is there a facility for "explaining"? I didn't know that. The trouble is everyone thinks they had a legitimate reason for their speeding (myself included 😳).

I would put it down to experience and do the course meaning you avoid the points and it doesn't affect your insurance.

I'm sorry for your loss.

They won't waive the fine for that so you would be better to do the course or take the points.

I'm so sorry for your loss. As others have said and you suspected, it's an offence of strict liability. The only time circumstances are sometimes taken into account at all is if you already had lots of points and they were considering disqualification. Hopefully you get the speed awareness course as an option - I've actually heard a lot of good things about it.

Sorry for your loss but I think pleading guilty with mitigation, which I think you'd need to do, involves going to court. You may get what want but equally you might get a fine larger than the fixed penalty.

If there's a reasonable prospect of a Speed Awareness Course I'd suggest accepting that. They're actually a good piece of driver education.

Write to the issuing force. We would have cancelled in the circs you describe. Good luck

No chance of appealing it. If you’re in England you’re well within the realms of a course so just accept that.

Some years ago I used to work in a speeding / red light camera department in the north of England (in the days when you could ring and speak to a person). Whilst we had literally every sympathy for often quite distressed people ringing in with this very excuse, we did not, could not, waive the fine. This is because quite simply, there is a reason for the speed limit, and it doesn't matter whether you are speeding for a "good" reason, as you were, or because you are just an arse. Accidents happen due to speeding. Irrespective of the reason.

You could go to court, but I don't think your chances are good to be honest. I'm afraid you chose to speed, (and I genuinely do understand why you would do it and would probably do the same in your circumstances) therefore you chose the possible consequences. I would just accept the fine and the points, or hopefully the speed awareness course and just accept it was the price you paid for being able to spend that time with your father-in-law.

Thank you to everyone for their kind words and useful advice.

@Cattery - thanks, I will try writing to the Devon & Cornwall force.

Otherwise, yes I agree that speed limits are there for a reason and I will go on the course, if it's available for me. Previous points I've accrued are entirely spent by now as it was over a decade since my last speeding fine, and I was only marginally over 10% over the speed limit, so hopefully that will be offered.

The irony is, I used to indeed drive like a hair-raising arse, as a PP put it, and would have richly deserved them, but age has mellowed me and made me realise the importance of careful driving. If I hadn't been driving my DH against the clock to see his lovely father for the last time, I certainly wouldn't have been driving at that speed - and my heart was in my mouth. But I'm so glad we got there in time to see him for one last time.

I don't think there is any harm done in writing in with the circumstances in their and including his death certificate if you can access it easily. I think it's unlikely a prosecution will be stopped but it might mean you get a course if you're borderline

Something similar happened to my uncle, he was driving to the hospital to see my grandma who was being taken in on blue lights unlikely to survive….he appealed and the fine was waived as they were able to prove the 999 call and hospital admission and the speed camera showed the ambulance going through a few mins before my uncle. So not completely the same situation but some similarities and it is possible to get it waived

While a sad situation, it does not excuse the crime

I expect you'll get an offer of a course rather than points and a fine if you've not done a course before/for over 3 years, it is just over the margin, but the course works better for the offender so you can hopefully be offered this.