Caught speeding again - seeking advice on challenging it

LightningBolt

I have just been caught speeding for a fourth time on a particular stretch of road where it is notoriously easy to do so.  This is a main road where the speed limit used to be 40 but it was reduced to 30.  Intellectually I know that it is now a 30-limit road, but in practice it's far too easy to forget this while actually on the road, mistake it for a 40-limit road and drive at that speed accordingly.  In this latest incident, my actual speed per the NOIP was 36mph.  I don't know how I managed to blink and miss the speed camera warning sign, though admittedly it was at night.

What I can say is that I know that the fixed speed camera on that road has caught out many drivers, and what's said here
https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2005/07/bloody-speed-cameras-ridiculous-ridiculous-ridiculous/
applies very much.  I suspect that I would have a stronger case in relation to the earlier instances than the latest one.

This will take me up to 9 penalty points.  As such, as it stands, for the next two years I will live in fear of being caught again and disqualified from driving.  This will be a serious hardship to me, as I am very reliant on being able to drive for social and other commitments.

I can see that the severity of the standard speeding penalty is designed to compensate for the relative infrequency of actually being caught.  As such, since being caught is practially inevitable on this section of road, the penalty is out of proportion.  After all, nearly every driver speeds to some extent.

A web search led me to Johnson Astills, which purports to be an expert at challenging totting-up situations like this.  I have made an initial enquiry through their online form and have received an email back, but my questions have largely been ignored.  I asked for advice on:

• what the procedure would be
• what fees would apply in my situation
• what possible risk there is to me

However, the only information I've had back is confirming the price of an initial fixed-fee consultation.  Obviously I can't make an informed decision based on this information alone.  As such, I thought I should post here before following up with them.

Can someone give me a guide to how I should expect it to work, from start to finish?  As you can probably guess, I'm a complete virgin to dealing with solicitors and going to court.

And what risks are there - financial or otherwise?  For instance, can losing a case lead to getting more points on my driving licence?

And what are the pros and cons of trying to challenge it now versus leaving it until I get another NOIP which would actually lead to disqualification?

Update: There have been a lot of "replies" to this, but they are getting repetitive, and in a lot of cases missing the point or wanting to play the blame game rather than actually help me.  I haven't seen any answers to my questions. Therefore, I am asking anyone who newly comes to this thread to please only comment if you are doing so in order to answer one or more of my questions.

Thanks.

Coupon-mad

You 'll be best posting on a different forum (not MSE). We major in private parking here. The experts on offences like this are on FTLA.

Renfrewman

LightningBolt said:

I have just been caught speeding for a fourth time on a particular stretch of road where it is notoriously easy to do so.  This is a main road where the speed limit used to be 40 but it was reduced to 30.  Intellectually I know that it is now a 30-limit road, but in practice it's far too easy to forget this while actually on the road, mistake it for a 40-limit road and drive at that speed accordingly.  In this latest incident, my actual speed per the NOIP was 36mph.  I don't know how I managed to blink and miss the speed camera warning sign, though admittedly it was at night.

What I can say is that I know that the fixed speed camera on that road has caught out many drivers, and what's said here
https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2005/07/bloody-speed-cameras-ridiculous-ridiculous-ridiculous/
applies very much.  I suspect that I would have a stronger case in relation to the earlier instances than the latest one.

This will take me up to 9 penalty points.  As such, as it stands, for the next two years I will live in fear of being caught again and disqualified from driving.  This will be a serious hardship to me, as I am very reliant on being able to drive for social and other commitments.

I can see that the severity of the standard speeding penalty is designed to compensate for the relative infrequency of actually being caught.  As such, since being caught is practially inevitable on this section of road, the penalty is out of proportion.  After all, nearly every driver speeds to some extent.

A web search led me to Johnson Astills, which purports to be an expert at challenging totting-up situations like this.  I have made an initial enquiry through their online form and have received an email back, but my questions have largely been ignored.  I asked for advice on:

• what the procedure would be
• what fees would apply in my situation
• what possible risk there is to me

However, the only information I've had back is confirming the price of an initial fixed-fee consultation.  Obviously I can't make an informed decision based on this information alone.  As such, I thought I should post here before following up with them.

Can someone give me a guide to how I should expect it to work, from start to finish?  As you can probably guess, I'm a complete virgin to dealing with solicitors and going to court.

And what risks are there - financial or otherwise?  For instance, can losing a case lead to getting more points on my driving licence?

And what are the pros and cons of trying to challenge it now versus leaving it until I get another NOIP which would actually lead to disqualification?

Thanks.

Your observation whilst driving is clearly lacking,,,

Ayr_Rage

Don't go to court, they might join up the dots and do you for "due care and attention", come on, 4 times in the same place, LOL!

Just kidding, but I cannot see any legal escape route.

Emmia

If this is a road you drive on regularly, you should be aware of the speed limit, and even more so as you've already been ticketed. 

You shouldn't be looking for speed camera signs and reducing your speed in response, you should be driving at the correct speed - and if you can't do that... Stop driving.

Flugelhorn

20+ years ago I ended up with 9 points in a very short space of time- yes I needed to drive for work / transporting kids / social - you can be jolly sure it turned me into a very very careful driver who always sticks to the speed limit 

LightningBolt

Coupon-mad said:

You 'll be best posting on a different forum (not MSE). We major in private parking here. The experts on offences like this are on FTLA.

Like where?  If I knew of a better forum to post on then I would have done so.

BridgetTheCat

Four times on the same stretch of road, and yet somehow that’s not your fault? 🙄 

LightningBolt

Emmia said:

If this is a road you drive on regularly, you should be aware of the speed limit, and even more so as you've already been ticketed. 

You shouldn't be looking for speed camera signs and reducing your speed in response, you should be driving at the correct speed - and if you can't do that... Stop driving.

I wasn't "looking for speed camera signs and reducing your speed in response".  I am human and, as such, sometimes make mistakes.  That this camera has caught out many drivers (when I had a speed awareness course several of the participants admitted to being caught in the same spot) bears this out.

Penalty points on driving licences are meant to get dangerous drivers off the roads, not get human beings generally off the roads.

Emmia

LightningBolt said:

Emmia said:

If this is a road you drive on regularly, you should be aware of the speed limit, and even more so as you've already been ticketed. 

You shouldn't be looking for speed camera signs and reducing your speed in response, you should be driving at the correct speed - and if you can't do that... Stop driving.

I wasn't "looking for speed camera signs and reducing your speed in response".  I am human and, as such, sometimes make mistakes.  That this camera has caught out many drivers (when I had a speed awareness course several of the participants admitted to being caught in the same spot) bears this out.

Penalty points on driving licences are meant to get dangerous drivers off the roads, not get human beings generally off the roads.

You have, by your own admission, been caught more than once on the same stretch of road. This should make you more careful when using that road in particular.

I'm sure people who are dangerous drivers, don't think of themselves in this way, it's always "other people" who are dangerous drivers. 

LightningBolt

Renfrewman said:

Your observation whilst driving is clearly lacking,,,

I disagree.  There are lots of things to observe on the road, and as such it's easy to accidentally miss something from time to time.  I'm guessing you don't drive.