Speeding 58mph in a 30mph but....

valiant23

Okay, I know.

This is what happened.

I was leaving Hull on the A63 last June. This road joins onto the end of the M62, and has the national speed limit (where exactly it starts I couldn't say, but I was caught near Welton).

Anyway as I left Hull I saw various roadwork signs including the one which illustrates 'lane ahead closed', the normal roadworks' sign, and 30mph. The thing is, there was no workmen, and the cones which I suppose would've closed the outside lane were placed in the central reservation (this is clearly shown on the photographic evidence).

I mistakenly thought the temporary restrictions were only 'active' when the roadworks were.

Does anyone out there know whether I am right or not? I have already pleaded guilty to the offence, so its not a case of trying to 'wheedle out of it', but I try as hard as anyone to stick to the speed limits, and the thought of doing nearly 60 in a 30 zone as it says in black and white is galling to me-I adhere to speed limits on 'local' roads and wouldn't dream of going at that speed down any suburban street, but as I said before, I truly believed I was on a national speed limit road.

Please, try and withold the 'you'll get what you deserve', I know that.:o

Sofa_Sogood

Oh oh oh .... you should have ....oops

I'll ask my neice. She lives there!

I know myself, from past experiences, that it is a bad road. Mention Clive Sullivan Way and the A63 in one breath and phew .... bad bad roads. That's before the M62! It's a nightmare alright.

By the way, you're not meant to leave Hull

I'll ask her, but I'm sure there's someone here that lives there and might know better.

Good luck.

andy88_2

I went to court in Newbury for speeding a few years ago. It was while the new bypass was being built with a 40mph limit. Most of the offenders were caught there (one doing 110 mph). They disqualified 37 of the 37 cases, even a cleric who was visiting a terminally ill person in a hospice at 0230 - no workmen then either. I'd say your licence is in jeopardy.

My offence was a bit further north. I was towing a large trailer at 94 mph; even the prosecuting solicitor did not believe it (I overheard her); it was impossible to get the policeman into court on 3 occasions (he went sick) to explain why he looked at the recording equipment and said Oh that's not right. Banned for 2 months; overturned on appeal. 70 mph in fact

andy88_2

Take a look in your local paper at the Orders for Temporary Restrictions. It doesn't say anything about whether there are people actually working or not; it's for the duration of the works.

paulherts

If you had pleaded not guilty
I am pretty sure you would have not been convicted.

You would have had to go through the hassle of a Magistrates Court hearing.

It does seem unfair and you have been dealt with harshly .

valiant23

Thanks for your replies everyone. It serves me right for leaving Hull(lucky 2-2 draw, btw )!

I am very concerned about being disqualified, and it's one of the reasons that I decided to plead guilty-I do feel a complete idiot for doing what I did, but I also hope(d) the circumstances would be useful for mitigating circumstances. The phrase I hate most is '30mph as indicated by streetlights spaced less than 200yds apart'-I mean, come on. Thats the case on 90% of the roads isn't it?

Now, wheres that bus timetable.....

wadewade

I doubt if you will be disqualified. In my part of the country you would get 6 penalty points instead. The amount of the fine will depend on your weekly take home pay.

Savvy_Sue

http://www.pepipoo.co.uk is the best place for advice on speeding. If you can't find the answer in the FAQ then you can register and post in the forums.

I don't think you can be disqualified unless you've been to court first, which gives you a chance to plead mitigation, but I'm not an expert. Might depend on your other points, of course. The people on Pepipoo will know!

andy88_2

Savvy_Sue wrote:

I don't think you can be disqualified unless you've been to court first, which gives you a chance to plead mitigation, but I'm not an expert.

This is true. If you've pleaded guilty by letter, and then receive a request to come to court, then you'll know it will be close.

Often the disqualification threshhold is 30 mph over the limit 100 in 70, 90 in 60 (like me), but I don't know if this goes all the way down to 30 limits or if it's proportional.

andy88_2

How good was the 30 mph sign? You might suggest that on your view of the road ahead you mistakenly thought it was a 50 limit, but that is very double-edged.

If you get the summons, you might do well to see a lawyer

YorkshireBoy

andy88 wrote:

Often the disqualification threshhold is 30 mph over the limit 100 in 70, 90 in 60 (like me), but I don't know if this goes all the way down to 30 limits or if it's proportional.

I'm sure I've been told by my "offending friends" that an automatic ban is *usually* given for:

1/ Twice the speed limit in force (60 in a 30, 80 in a 40, etc)

2/ Driving at more than 100 anywhere

However, people have been known to escape bans with "creative" mitigation. I know of someone who escaped a ban after driving at 106mph on the M4 in South Wales.