38 Mph - £60

protector

Fair point about it being fair cop if you break the limit - see my short story above though...
You can either stick up big yellow money boxes on top of poles - flash cars going "too fast", or take a better approach that does/will have a better effect for safety.
Really though, the cameras aren't about safety - they are about money - and that's another issue altogether.

The main point to be made, I think, is that speed is not inherently unsafe. Unsafe driving is inherently unsafe.

Put variable speed limits in place around motorway roadworks...
40mph for 2 miles is fine when there are workers on site...
...it is not when it is 3am and there's nothing but cones to hit...
Solution? 40mph during roadwork shifts, and lift the limit outside the shifts.

Over reliance on technology (cctv, speed ("road safety") cameras and so on) are causing an under-reliance on having live police officers, traffic or otherwise, on the roads and streets.
Detection rates of speeding motorists AT GIVEN LOCATIONS ONLY increases...
Detection of unregistered, bad, dangerous, drunk and even sleeping drivers however, are not improved by the big yellow money boxes.

Oh and on the cctv front - as someone who has been mugged and attacked in Manchester city centre (cctv capital of Europe) on at least 3 separate occasions (none of which did anyone come to my aid - and none of which was any useful cctv footage gained) - I would opt for uniformed (and plain clothes - had good experiences with those guys in the past) coppers on the street ANY time.

I object to fines from speed cameras not because I think people should be able to do what they want - but because they focus on entirely the wrong thing, in the wrong way - and at best don't make the roads safer - and at worst, make them more dangerous as too much focus is placed upon "not speeding" as opposed to "driving safely".

The difference when a copper gives someone a dressing down compared to a penalty notice coming through the door is huge. And for those it doesn't work on - well, let's be honest, points and disqualification don't exactly do much good for them either do they?

MoneyMiser

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if anyone thinks I have a case?

I was driving to work yesterday morning when I was pulled up for a "Routine Check". He saw that I was showing the wrong tax disc and fined me £60. Now I explained to him that it had been lost(long story) and that I had contacted the DVLA to report this.

He rang the DVLA and was told that this was correct but because it was over two weeks ago when I called and had plenty of time to get it sorted and it was my own fault. Our DVLA office is always jam packed with 2 hour waits so I would've had to take a day off work to get the new tax disc sorted. Surely the fact that my car is taxed, insured and completely legal I should've been given a slap on the wrist or something?

Told him I've never been pulled before, got any points or even had a bump but he didn't care and seemed to enjoy the fact he was giving me a ticket. I got really annoyed at this point and told him why didn't he try catching the real offenders like the speeders and the un-insured drivers then I drove off.

Surely I have a case with this one? :mad: :mad:

protector

I assure you, if he was amused before you told him to go catch real criminals, he was laughing his backside off after you left. They hear that kind of comment on a pretty much daily basis.


As I understand, failing to display your tax disc is a specific offence, quite apart from not paying the tax in the first place.


Maybe someone else could confirm or correct this one though.

tigtag02

protector wrote: »

I assure you, if he was amused before you told him to go catch real criminals, he was laughing his backside off after you left. They hear that kind of comment on a pretty much daily basis.


As I understand, failing to display your tax disc is a specific offence, quite apart from not paying the tax in the first place.


Maybe someone else could confirm or correct this one though.

I'm pretty sure this is right

rog2

MissKJ wrote: »

The policies relating to speed cameras have nothing to do with serving officers. Police get caught just the same if they speed, on (if not attending emergency calls) and off duty. Don't believe erveything you read in the papers.

But they often get away with it - not many motorists could use the 'excuse' that they were merely checking out the potential of a new unmarked 140 mph police car on a dual carriageway and get away with it.

immoral_angeluk

MoneyMiser wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if anyone thinks I have a case?

I was driving to work yesterday morning when I was pulled up for a "Routine Check". He saw that I was showing the wrong tax disc and fined me £60. Now I explained to him that it had been lost(long story) and that I had contacted the DVLA to report this.

He rang the DVLA and was told that this was correct but because it was over two weeks ago when I called and had plenty of time to get it sorted and it was my own fault. Our DVLA office is always jam packed with 2 hour waits so I would've had to take a day off work to get the new tax disc sorted. Surely the fact that my car is taxed, insured and completely legal I should've been given a slap on the wrist or something?

Told him I've never been pulled before, got any points or even had a bump but he didn't care and seemed to enjoy the fact he was giving me a ticket. I got really annoyed at this point and told him why didn't he try catching the real offenders like the speeders and the un-insured drivers then I drove off.

Surely I have a case with this one? :mad: :mad:

doubtful... it's a legal requirement that you DISPLAY a valid tax disc... doesn't matter whether you'vr bought one or not it has to be in your window if you're on a public road...

MoneyMiser

Yeah he probably was laughing his !!!! off, another ticket produced is an extra bit of bonus in the paycheck

Nah only kidding I no they don't work on commision. He even said if it was a week ago that you phoned the DVLA then he would've let me off but because it was more than two weeks....

protector

Ok, Money Miser...
If I'm right and non-display is a specific offence, (as seems to have been confirmed) there's something else to ask you... partly as a defence thing if you decide to plead your innocence and partly as a kick up the butt (in a good way I assure you - we all get things wrong sometimes )

Was there any other way you could get a tax disk?
Online? Post Office? Telephone? Snail Mail? If so - why don't you do that (and the butt-kick... why didn't you? )

Not intended as a dig though - hindsight and all that, so please don't take it the wrong way.
Now, so the post is not an intelligence-insulting exercise I'll carry on with this...

I'm sure you probably asked them if there was any other way and were told you had to go to the DVLA office in person (no way to send someone else for you? a parent/sibling/older child?) try this, and if so I can understand the problem, try this...
Get up at about 6am and be ready to leave the house by half past. Go to your local DVLA with a cup of coffee, breakfast (and if needs be - a waterproof coat) stand outside the door until it opens (probably 9am right?) and be the first to sort your tax disk out that day...

(I used to use this tactic to avoid the 2 hours of standing in line waiting to get up the mountain when I was a snowboarder living on a shoestring budget in the French Alps. You still stand for 2 hours, but it is less frustrating when you know you'll be the first to ride down the mountain on fresh snow - or in your case, to get your tax disk and not miss a day at work - maybe not as romantic, but the tactics are identical - haha)

Get back in the car and go to work a bit late. You could probably be on route at something like 9:30 or sooner - I can't imagine it would take that long to sort it out if you don't have 2 hours of standing in line to endure. If you've arranged this with the boss the day before you'll be fine (unless your boss is the world's biggest jerk that is)



Edit...
PS. Glad you can see a bit of humour in it now (with regards th the post you made as I was typing this reply)
That actually gives me a bit of confidence that you won't take this one the wrong way now

protector

Actually...
If you're online now (work hours right?) your boss can't be that bad! Haha!

Get the first couple of hours off tomorrow (or even bunk off early today and get in before they close) and get it sorted

BlondeHeadOn

tigtag02 wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your brother Blonde but kudos on your attitude

I'm sending *better luck dust* your way hope it all turns around soon.

Hugs
tigtag

This made me cry - admittedly I am a bit of a mess at the moment! Thank you so much for your words, it's so nice to feel the support. I love the idea of 'better luck dust' - I would like to distribute a few bucketloads of that on everyone on this site as well.

:T :T :T