Contesting a speeding ticket (variable speed limit).

waamo

EssexExile said:

waamo said:

You don't pay £100 take 3 points and do a course. If you are offered a course and take it then that's the end of it. No fine, no points and no record of a motoring conviction. 

If you take the fine and points you don't do a course. It's one of the other, not both.

To contest if you need to enter a plea and go to court where the case will be heard by magistrates. You don't get to see the evidence against you until you enter your plea. At that point the offer of a course is long gone, it's points and a fine or a not guilty.

You do of course pay for the course.

Don't do as Ditzy_Mitzy says and "...get on with life and never think about this again." If you listen during the course and "think about it again" you may save yourself a few bob, or your or someone else's life even.

Indeed. The usual cost for a course is circa £95

MinuteNoodles

Raffi2020 said:

Hi Guys,
Hoping for a little bit of advice and input on this issue. I've received a letter saying I've been caught speeding at the Jct19/20 variable speed limit section of the M5. It states I was doing 62mph and it alleges the speed limit was 50mph at the time.

However, I'm not sure it's accurate. I know the area well and am positive I never saw a 50mph speed limit where it usually is (there are big signs along the section). In addition, it was at 9pm, and I'm fairly sure that variable limit is only introduced at busy periods - and between the lockdown and it being 9pm, I know for a fact the road wasn't busy at that time, nor do I believe I saw any accident or workforce in or around the area.

I'm a truck driver on nights, one of my regular runs is to Portbury Docks and I've been doing it since long before any of that got put in. I can tell you with 100% certainty that they absolutely do operate at night. And just because there's no roadworks doesn't mean they don't do them, often they put them up beforw putting the roadworks on which the misery wagons start coning out around 9-10pm depending on what other coning out they have to do before that bit, and they'll tend to leave them up in the morning for a bit after the roadworks have been lifted.

Jumblebumble

EssexExile said:

waamo said:

You don't pay £100 take 3 points and do a course. If you are offered a course and take it then that's the end of it. No fine, no points and no record of a motoring conviction. 

If you take the fine and points you don't do a course. It's one of the other, not both.

To contest if you need to enter a plea and go to court where the case will be heard by magistrates. You don't get to see the evidence against you until you enter your plea. At that point the offer of a course is long gone, it's points and a fine or a not guilty.

You do of course pay for the course.

Don't do as Ditzy_Mitzy says and "...get on with life and never think about this again." If you listen during the course and "think about it again" you may save yourself a few bob, or your or someone else's life even.

Of course some one who have been driving for 40 years without an accident along the same road at 30 MPH in West London and has fallen foul of Sadik's  mass reductions and have been caught at 24 MPH might not be very interested in someone with less driving experience pontificating about how dangerous it now is.
I do understand that by and large the Met are not particularly keen on enforcing this outside the congestion zone which speaks volumes

Raffi2020

Supersonos said:

Raffi2020 said:

I've looked and, in fairness, it was a 50pmh speed limit.

What have you looked at to confirm to yourself that the 50mph limit was in force? 

They provided photographic evidence and it's pretty clear the 50mph speed limit was in force as the signs say so above. Just a pure oversight on my part. Frustrating as I've done that section countless times so I know full well to check, but on this occasion just didn't notice for some reason, so that's on me.

Raffi2020

AdrianC said:

Raffi2020 said:

...and I'm fairly sure that variable limit is only introduced at busy periods - and between the lockdown and it being 9pm, I know for a fact the road wasn't busy at that time, nor do I believe I saw any accident or workforce in or around the area.

Which may well be precisely because the variable limit was in operation...

Sometimes, a variable limit is used as a kind of "rolling roadblock" to hold traffic back - for example, debris collection or moving a disabled vehicle from the carriageway. No, it didn't work with you... But perhaps you simply didn't reach whatever the reason was in time to see it, even so.

There was an accident at the roundabout off the sliproad - I remember it now (thought it was a different day but must have got my wires crossed, as it would make sense it was the same event). There wasn't any congestion on the M4, only a little bit on the sliproad down to the roundabout at 19, but like you say, it was obviously in place in anticipation of the congestion increasing. I was caught on the cameras about 2 miles back I believe. Annoyed I didn't see it - must have been concentrating on something else as there's a lot of weaving around at that section.

NameUnavailable

Raffi2020 said:

Supersonos said:

Raffi2020 said:

I've looked and, in fairness, it was a 50pmh speed limit.

What have you looked at to confirm to yourself that the 50mph limit was in force? 

They provided photographic evidence and it's pretty clear the 50mph speed limit was in force as the signs say so above. Just a pure oversight on my part. Frustrating as I've done that section countless times so I know full well to check, but on this occasion just didn't notice for some reason, so that's on me.

So not only were you speeding you were also not paying due care and attention by not noticing the signs!

Keep your head down and do the awareness course.