Speed camera help!

[scotttait]

I was in a friends car, he was driving and drive by police holding a handheld speed gun. He thinks he was speeding. I thought if he was caught they would have waved him in?

Any knowledge on here?

[Jay-ZS+]

Believe the mobile units they can sent you a letter now. Sure smokey or Dan will confirm though.

Did you wave?

[ZS]

IIRC, the drive by units now send you a letter, and have 2 weeks in which to send it out.

But, if you can't pay the fine, don't do the crime :)

[Din]

Not the end of the world either way really, £60.00 three points normally, i got that for doing 86 in a 70 (camera van on a bridge) in sep 08.... just paid up and got on with it, made no difference to insurance or what have you.

In fact i still have the pic lol.

[talkingcars]

Letter in the post.............

[ZS]

Not the end of the world either way really, £60.00 three points normally, i got that for doing 86 in a 70 (camera van on a bridge) in sep 08.... just paid up and got on with it, made no difference to insurance or what have you.

In fact i still have the pic lol.

IF he is lucky he could be offered to go on a speed awareness course instead, still £60 fine (IIRC) but no points.. and from what I hear they are quite good and effective, if only for 6 months to a year after the course...

[Dan1971]

Here's the thing -

If they were actual officers using a camera, and you were over the limit, they have 14 days to inform you that you were over and commence proceedings.

However - very often these days, we're using it as a tactic to dissuade speeding. So we send poeple - support officers and even volunteers sometimes out in yellow jackets to point the gun at passers by. They don't know what the difference is and it has the impact of slowing cars down.

[Din]

IF he is lucky he could be offered to go on a speed awareness course instead, still £60 fine (IIRC) but no points.. and from what I hear they are quite good and effective, if only for 6 months to a year after the course...

Yup, my Mrs got a speed awareness course a few years back for doing 45 in a 40.

[petet16]

Are the speed awareness courses available everywhere now, got to be worth doing to avoid the points.

[Ritchy]

Last time i checked the awareness courses werent in scotland

[ZS]

Last time i checked the awareness courses werent in scotland

Quite correct, having just looked it up they are available in England Wales and parts of Ireland... but not in scotland.

Interestingly I also saw this while looking around...

Drivers who attend a speed awareness course instead of taking a fine and points on their licence may see their insurance premiums increase.

The BBC has learned that Admiral is treating it as if it were a conviction, even though the police do not.

The insurance group says its statistics show that drivers who have attended a course, pose a higher risk.

So might not be worth doing th course after all?? although... how the hell would they know if you did one or not?

[petet16]

Quite correct, having just looked it up they are available in England Wales and parts of Ireland... but not in scotland.

Interestingly I also saw this while looking around...



So might not be worth doing th course after all?? although... how the hell would they know if you did one or not?

I remember reading this as well, I found it odd that they had decided that attending a speed awareness course made you a higher risk, which surely flies in the face of the reason that the courses were introduced.

[scotttait]

Basically, he was behind a bus slowing down really early for a bus stop, so he climbed to 35-36 at most to get by and took foot off accelerator. He might be lucky. I have seen them walk in road and pull speeders in before.

[Yampiedog]

If he was clocked doing 35 mph then he should be fine within the guidelines of ACPO, that is ACPO advise allowing 10% + 2 so if in a 30 in theory they won't prosecute for 31-35 mph

Speed awareness courses I understand are currently about £90

Finally I don't see why insurance companies can increase a premium for a speed awareness course as you don't have to disclose that to them and it is not a conviction.

[ZS]

I don't see why insurance companies can increase a premium for a speed awareness course as you don't have to disclose that to them and it is not a conviction.

However, if they ask you and you lie or refuse to answer they can refuse insurance or invalidate it later... Not sure how they would check, but I guess there is a record you have been on a course...

[Noobrider]

Round here if a mobile speed camera unit catches you you get a warning letter if your speed wasnt excessive, no prosecution.

[idge2003]

Finally I don't see why insurance companies can increase a premium for a speed awareness course as you don't have to disclose that to them and it is not a conviction.

But surely you do as every insurance I've applied for in a good few years has asked about driving offences and as far as I'm aware speeding is one!

I think they are right about premiums being higher as with points on your licence your more likely to change your driving style not having the points means you still have the full 12 to lose!

Brett

[red robbo]

I got collard for doin' 90 on the M56 last August by
the Traffic Taliban of Wales.
The Officer told me his threshold was 90 mph, so in my head I was singing and dancing - 'til he asked if I had any points already on my license, I did, 3 for speeding (I know, I know, you'd of thought I'd of learned my lesson!!), at which point he suggested I may benefit from a Motorway Awareness Course .
£80 for the course, with no points.
Course taken at the Verdin Exchange in Winsford, Cheshire.
No longer the Police that do the course though, round my way at least, it's an outside company who do it on behalf of the Police.
I can't attend another one for 3 years, but I can attend a Speed Awareness Course, which apparently, is different.