Speeding ticket

[Bayleaf]

Yes go on the course. it used to be about £90.00 and you don't get points. The first time I got caught, a good few years ago I was doing 40 in a 30 zone, so I couldn't go on the course, it increased my insurance premium by £100.00 Having said that I think the course was cheaper back then.

 

[190]

Story in the Sunday times that the discretionary limit before prosecution of 10% above the limit + 3mph has been dropped to 10% + 2mph. And that small change of 1mph has increased prosecutions by 259% ! Seems a surprising result but those are the figures from the Met for the first 6 months of this year compared with the previous 6 months. No more 80 mph on the motorway with impunity, you can now only do 79mph. Yes I know you can only legally do 70mph.

Thousands snared after stealth drop in speed ‘limit’ by 1mph

 

[st13phil]

Story in the Sunday times that the discretionary limit before prosecution of 10% above the limit + 3mph has been dropped to 10% + 2mph.

I can't read the story due to the paywall, but it sounds like a "non-story" based on a common misunderstanding.

The original ACPO guidelines were that the speed threshold for a driver to be reported for the offence of exceeding the speed limit was posted limit + 10% + 2mph. So in the case of a 70mph limit that would be at 79mph. The threshold was always intended to the be start point at which a driver would be reported, not the maximum value above which a driver would be reported.

 

[Charliecloud]

I did my course last week. There were 7 of us in total inc the trainer. You all sign in individually, so the trainer can check your ID. You need a photo licence or the old green one with a passport or other photo ID. Once that's done the trainer introduces himself to everybody and you all appear with your first name on the same screen. Our trainer was not judgemental or patronising. You all need to participate and thats monitored. On of the ladies (there were 3) on our course was wandering around her house at the beginning, like something from 'Through the Keyhole' She was asked to park it. We were asked to affirm things with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. There was on our course an interesting video on road signage and limits, as in 40 is not a target etc. At the end we did a one to one for 60secs with the trainer and then it was over. Within 24hrs I had an email to confirm my attendance and that was the conclusion of the offence. By email you are asked to complete a course survey and advised that the details of your course attendance will be on file for 3.5 years. A week on and my abiding memory is the difference that each 1 mph makes on impact damage in relationship to the human body.

 

[clk320x]

I did my course last week. There were 7 of us in total inc the trainer. You all sign in individually, so the trainer can check your ID. You need a photo licence or the old green one with a passport or other photo ID. Once that's done the trainer introduces himself to everybody and you all appear with your first name on the same screen. Our trainer was not judgemental or patronising. You all need to participate and thats monitored. On of the ladies (there were 3) on our course was wandering around her house at the beginning, like something from 'Through the Keyhole' She was asked to park it. We were asked to affirm things with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. There was on our course an interesting video on road signage and limits, as in 40 is not a target etc. At the end we did a one to one for 60secs with the trainer and then it was over. Within 24hrs I had an email to confirm my attendance and that was the conclusion of the offence. By email you are asked to complete a course survey and advised that the details of your course attendance will be on file for 3.5 years. A week on and my abiding memory is the difference that each 1 mph makes on impact damage in relationship to the human body.

That sounds like torture. I think I’d get an insurance quote with an SP30 first and if it was only a few quid difference take the points instead of such agony.

 

[oldguy57]

I did my course last week. There were 7 of us in total inc the trainer. You all sign in individually, so the trainer can check your ID. You need a photo licence or the old green one with a passport or other photo ID. Once that's done the trainer introduces himself to everybody and you all appear with your first name on the same screen. Our trainer was not judgemental or patronising. You all need to participate and thats monitored. On of the ladies (there were 3) on our course was wandering around her house at the beginning, like something from 'Through the Keyhole' She was asked to park it. We were asked to affirm things with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. There was on our course an interesting video on road signage and limits, as in 40 is not a target etc. At the end we did a one to one for 60secs with the trainer and then it was over. Within 24hrs I had an email to confirm my attendance and that was the conclusion of the offence. By email you are asked to complete a course survey and advised that the details of your course attendance will be on file for 3.5 years. A week on and my abiding memory is the difference that each 1 mph makes on impact damage in relationship to the human body.

Glad it's over! In the grim north west where I am it's common to come across drivers doing 10 to 20 mph below the speed limit even on dry quiet days, oblivious to the queues they are causing. Overtaking is hazardous on most roads locally and the area is jammed with mobile and static cameras (ordinary and average speed on A roads). Question of gritting teeth and accepting it unfortunately.

 

[MEMERC7]

That sounds like torture. I think I’d get an insurance quote with an SP30 first and if it was only a few quid difference take the points instead of such agony.

Torture? What utter rubbish. Should I ever have to attend such a course I'd swallow any semblance of silly childish shallow male pride & grin & bear it. Better than spoiling a clean licence, paying a fine & the extra insurance premium, all of which impact for several following years.

 

[ALFAitalia]

You wont pay any extra insurance for one SP30....with most insurance companies you wont pay any extra for 2....they are very much aware of how easy it is to get one these days. My insurance company stated this in my policy....not that I've had any speeding tickets since my one and only one in 1989!!!
I too would rather take the points than be spoken down to like a naughty child for half a day by some condescending person who probably speeds all the time like the rest of us!! My workshop manager took the SAC.....he also would not again now he's done it!

 

[clk320x]

Torture? What utter rubbish. Should I ever have to attend such a course I'd swallow any semblance of silly childish shallow male pride & grin & bear it. Better than spoiling a clean licence, paying a fine & the extra insurance premium, all of which impact for several following years.

The fine is pretty much the same price as the course… hence I said if the insurance premium isn’t affected much why bother….

 

[StMarks]

That sounds like torture. I think I’d get an insurance quote with an SP30 first and if it was only a few quid difference take the points instead of such agony.

Torture? What utter rubbish. Should I ever have to attend such a course I'd swallow any semblance of silly childish shallow male pride & grin & bear it. Better than spoiling a clean licence, paying a fine & the extra insurance premium, all of which impact for several following years.

You wont pay any extra insurance for one SP30....with most insurance companies you wont pay any extra for 2....they are very much aware of how easy it is to get one these days. My insurance company stated this in my policy....not that I've had any speeding tickets since my one and only one in 1989!!!
I too would rather take the points than be spoken down to like a naughty child for half a day by some condescending person who probably speeds all the time like the rest of us!! My workshop manager took the SAC.....he also would not again now he's done it!

Fwiw I would also elect for "the course" if I was ever given the option (last time I was caught speeding was back in 1985).
Rather than being irked at "being lectured to by some condescending,," , I would choose to seek out any valid advice and detail that may genuinely improve my understanding or application.
I grew up from "knowing everything" some time ago.
The unnerving conviction of "knowing it all", and "not needing to be told" anything, are qualities reserved for the young or stupid imho.
The older you get, the more you realise how little you know...

 

[Dippo]

The fine is pretty much the same price as the course… hence I said if the insurance premium isn’t affected much why bother….

The points?

 

[JHS]

You wont pay any extra insurance for one SP30....with most insurance companies you wont pay any extra for 2....they are very much aware of how easy it is to get one these days. My insurance company stated this in my policy....not that I've had any speeding tickets since my one and only one in 1989!!!
I too would rather take the points than be spoken down to like a naughty child for half a day by some condescending person who probably speeds all the time like the rest of us!! My workshop manager took the SAC.....he also would not again now he's done it!

Wrong!
Had an SP30 a month before renewal. Renewal quote was the same as last year until I declared the SP30, whereupon it shot up about £100.
Shopping around made no difference.

 

[ALFAitalia]

I must just be lucky!

 

[SmartAmg]

The fine is pretty much the same price as the course… hence I said if the insurance premium isn’t affected much why bother….

The 3 points, that's why, then if your unlucky enough to be caught again, it'll be 6 points on your licence instead of 3. The price of the course/fine (course £90 fine £100) is neither here nor there, as is the insurance premium not going up, it's the 3 points you don't want, and to be honest the course Is quite interesting, although I'd sooner not have been on it, in the first place, obviously.

 

[BTB 500]

As mentioned it always used to be the case that one (or even two) speeding convictions didn't affect your insurance, but that's typically not the case now (same goes for no fault accidents/claims with some companies).

I recently did an online 'motorway awareness course' (smart motorway, 6AM, 50 limit) - it cost £87, so a better option than £100 plus points IMHO. It was actually OK, the civilian instructor was ex RAF police and quite reasonable. I did learn one or two things e.g. approaching a gantry with a lower speed limit shown over lanes 1 & 2 but nothing over lane 3 (outside lane) ... what's the limit there? Answer, same as lanes 1 & 2 - in the UK (unlike many European countries) the same speed limit always applies to all lanes. The other thing was that a lower speed limit is automatically activated on smart motorways if traffic is travelling too close together (based on data from pressure pads in the road surface).

 

[Petrol Pete]

'Taking the points rather than being spoken down to....'

How about this one . A bloke I know walked out of his 'awareness' course half way through giving the lecturer a mouthful on his way out. He had been done for drunk driving and the course would have knocked 8 months off his long (well deserved) ban . But he is hot headed bloke who climbs mountains during his time off , lived on a Kibbutz in Israel , drove an ancient Mitsubishi Pajero overland from UK to India set up a bar/restaurant in Goa , after a while he got fed up with the police bribes he had to pay constantly increasing had a fight with the main cop , jumped into his Pajero in the middle of the night and drove it back to the UK ! That kind of bloke.

He is a builder and needs his license so drink driving was dumb and I am glad he got stopped , but at the same time stubborn Bastards like him are everywhere and no amount of awareness courses will change them.

Hid elderly dad (also a builder) drives him to jobs most times.

 

[Bayleaf]

Torture? What utter rubbish. Should I ever have to attend such a course I'd swallow any semblance of silly childish shallow male pride & grin & bear it. Better than spoiling a clean licence, paying a fine & the extra insurance premium, all of which impact for several following years.

That's exactly what I did.

 

[Bayleaf]

Wrong!
Had an SP30 a month before renewal. Renewal quote was the same as last year until I declared the SP30, whereupon it shot up about £100.
Shopping around made no difference.

That's exactly what happened in my case.

 

[Bayleaf]

'Taking the points rather than being spoken down to....'

How about this one . A bloke I know walked out of his 'awareness' course half way through giving the lecturer a mouthful on his way out. He had been done for drunk driving and the course would have knocked 8 months off his long (well deserved) ban . But he is hot headed bloke who climbs mountains during his time off , lived on a Kibbutz in Israel , drove an ancient Mitsubishi Pajero overland from UK to India set up a bar/restaurant in Goa , after a while he got fed up with the police bribes he had to pay constantly increasing had a fight with the main cop , jumped into his Pajero in the middle of the night and drove it back to the UK ! That kind of bloke.

He is a builder and needs his license so drink driving was dumb and I am glad he got stopped , but at the same time stubborn Bastards like him are everywhere and no amount of awareness courses will change them.

Hid elderly dad (also a builder) drives him to jobs most times.

Surely you can't go on an awareness course for drink driving.

 

[E55BOF]

As mentioned it always used to be the case that one (or even two) speeding convictions didn't affect your insurance, but that's typically not the case now (same goes for no fault accidents/claims with some companies).

I recently did an online 'motorway awareness course' (smart motorway, 6AM, 50 limit) - it cost £87, so a better option than £100 plus points IMHO. It was actually OK, the civilian instructor was ex RAF police and quite reasonable. I did learn one or two things e.g. approaching a gantry with a lower speed limit shown over lanes 1 & 2 but nothing over lane 3 (outside lane) ... what's the limit there? Answer, same as lanes 1 & 2 - in the UK (unlike many European countries) the same speed limit always applies to all lanes. The other thing was that a lower speed limit is automatically activated on smart motorways if traffic is travelling too close together (based on data from pressure pads in the road surface).

I've seen different limits over different lanes on the M25 occasionally. I wonder how that works if what the instructor said was correct?