Speeding tickets for my car. But it wasn't me.

[TDE1]

Hi all

A bit of advice would be appreciated.

I keep my other car at an old friend's due to lack of space, and the fact I don't need it often. My friend is approaching 70, likes cars (has had some corkers in his younger years), washes it every week and turns the engine over, bless him. *He doesn't have one of his own as everything he and his buggy-bound wife need is on their doorstep, but has been considering getting back behind the wheel for days out and hospital visits.

A while back he asked if he could be added to the insurance to take it for a spin. Done, but he couldn't work the electric windows etc so only went a mile or so and went home.

Three or four weeks ago I warned him that I'd be coming to get it, as MOT was due. Didn't want him flapping, thinking it had been pinched. He said he'd run it around the block to make sure battery etc were ok. Thanked him muchly.

The day before my recent holiday, I received 4 speeding letters from West Mercia. He'd gone round the block twice (total journey is under a mile) and gone through two speeding cameras twice at over 30mph (not much, but enough). Anyone who knows Worcester - Tybridge St, New Road and back. It was fairly early hours, as he gets up at the crack of dawn.

I felt (and still do) sick to the stomach. I told him today and he was visibly shaken. Over the six months it's been there he has covered two or three miles, looked after it for me, and has accepted, reluctantly, just the occasional pint.

Can anyone offer any advice as to how I / we can approach the authorities for leniency? I will, of course, cover any fines. If it's a case that he will inevitably lose his licence, then I've been considering taking the hit myself so that he can fulfil his hope of getting behind the wheel again. Yes, I do know the implications of attempting this. He's not a poor driver, not doddery, the roads are triple carriageways and my BM doesn't have a 30mph speed on the clock - it goes from 20 to 40mph.

Apologies for prattling on, but I want to do what I can. This thread may sound like I've been abusing an old fellas good nature by parking there - please don't think that. We've been friends since I was in my twenties.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

[LTD]

Get in touch with the police as soon as you can and ask their advice.

You might get them on a good day ...

 

[Dieselman]

He needs to see a Solicitor and go to court.

I suspect a reasonable magistrate would see this as a single speeding offense.

 

[trapperjohn]

This could be a blessing in disguise for him Tim. A decent shot across the bows before he gets behind the wheel again. You might be able to get the tickets rolled into one and he may get away with a speed awareness course for the lot.

Not a clue how you do it but ask the local traffic police inspector if he can constructively help in this case.

 

[brucemillar]

As above. Plead for leniency. Just be sure that before you do so that your friend has no other little bombs awaiting detonation on your doorstep.

Good luck.

 

[Crespo]

If it's only a bit over 30 say 36 or so a driving awareness course should be on offer even if the offence was committed four times. It would probably be in your friends interest to go to court and hope for a lenient magistrate who will wave a couple of the nip's. Given your friends age it will be obvious he is not a nutter who flys about everywhere.
Pop over to pepepoo.com for better advice.

I am sure given the circumstances a sensible solution can be found.

 

[wilsodg]

You are in a hole - stop digging. Don't "take the hit" - it gets you into even more trouble. As others have said, probbaly could be rolled into one or two tickets. Not worth getting a criminal record for, even if to do so gives your friend the chance to drive for a while longer. Sadly, there is no forgiveness these days, and asking the local police (unless you know them and it's really off the record) is unlikely to help. A solicitor is the only place you'll get sensible advice. (imho)

 

[davidjpowell]

My simplistic understanding is that you can't be done for a single offence more than once. Therefore, logically I think it can be argued that this was a single offence caught four times. Maybe.

Pepipoo with a look I would have thought

 

[trapperjohn]

Update on my post (My "edit" time has expired)

Just had a word with a non traffic bobby in Lancashire. He says contact the Central Processing Office where the NIPs were issued tomorrow and he did say tomorrow! Explain as you have to us and see how they go. Decent lawyer when you go to court and ask for mitigation.
Not a lot a traffic inspector can do apparently.

Good Luck with it.

 

[TDE1]

Thanks fellas, wise words all round.

I'll go down to the local Station in the morning, and see how the land lies.

Was hoping to avoid the cost of a solicitor, but will do what's necessary.

I hadn't considered they might roll it into one offence. There's a glimmer of light appearing here - thank you all again.

 

[Mercy1]

Sad story and hope the court is lenient. Don't even think about taking the hit yourself...you have already put the truth of the matter into the public domain...who knows who reads this Forum...?!

 

[TDE1]

Update on my post (My "edit" time has expired)

Just had a word with a non traffic bobby in Lancashire. He says contact the Central Processing Office where the NIPs were issued tomorrow and he did say tomorrow! Explain as you have to us and see how they go. Decent lawyer when you go to court and ask for mitigation.
Not a lot a traffic inspector can do apparently.

Good Luck with it.

Thanks John.

Am unfamiliar with the terminology - is a traffic inspector a type of police officer? I was concerned that by calling the number on the notices and telling them what happened, they may think I was trying to wriggle out of offences that I'd committed and make things even worse!

Now that I've told my friend, his reaction (he was so very disappointed in himself, and has never, ever been lost for words) might help in court. Hoping it won't go that far.

Thanks again, will update with devs.

(Still secretly thanking God that I remembered to put him on the insurance!!!)

Tim

 

[tippandy]

Strangley enough i was having a conversation earlier tonight with a group of people about this very subject and one chap whom i believe was talking from personal experience was saying that if the numerous offences were in a very short space of time on a stretch of road with more than one camera then they were generally treated as one offence.Either way good luck with the outcome.

 

[trapperjohn]

Yes, Traffic Inspector is a Police Officer.

The Central Processing Office will be used to this type of call. They will soon sus out you are a regular guy and so is your driver.

Let us know how you get on, in broad terms of course.

 

[TDE1]

Let us know how you get on, in broad terms of course.

Cheers, yes will do and shall try and keep it succinct! Glad they don't issue rambling-on-forever tickets. I'd have been banned years ago

Tim

 

[gbjeppm]

Just as an aside, i got done doing 34 by that very camera, last year, they offered me speed awareness. Hope it works out for him.

 

[TDE1]

Just as an aside, i got done doing 34 by that very camera, last year, they offered me speed awareness. Hope it works out for him.

They are brutal round here! Hope it didn't ruin your experience of The Faithful City.

(We also have potholes occasionally filled in with what must be coco-pops, car parks on flood plains, and traffic wardens more numerous than our beloved poop-filled pigeons, but who get up earlier.)

 

[ddavidm]

As suggested above....aim for one offence only.

If you head up the M1, driving at 80 constant and trigger every camera, you could accumulate sufficient points to lose your licence several times over. However, you've only comitted the offence of speeding once. Just that the single offence has been captured several times.

 

[martin_a]

Probably try www.pepipoo.com as you'll get more accurate advice I'd have thought.

m.

 

[Hi-Ho Silver]

One offence has been committed. Speeding. How many cameras were used to record the offence is not relevant because that amount is variable ie the local council could place a camera every hundred yards but just because someone drove through eight of them at the same speed, does not mean there were eight separate offences.

30mph is an arbitrary number which has been outdated for decades. The various ambiguous justifications used to enforce it began with "you would die from suffocation if you drove any faster" to "you could kill a person at 31mph" etc etc. To change the limit to anything higher would cost a fortune and would cause the anti-car lobbyists to self immolate.

As any sane person would say, speed does not kill, bad driving and accidents do. I hope this matter is resolved sensibly and without the need to patronise an otherwise good driver with a daft 'driving awareness' course.