On the subject of driving

[Sportsman]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18840110

[chesters1]

theres very few roads around here not having a 40 mph limit the only ones that do not are dangerous twisty ones where speed cameras dont have enough range to fine anyone so not worth the effort of trying ,after all if the government were "concerned" for us they would ban fags and booze which kills far more than speeding

[Steve Walker]

There eventually comes a point where one ceases to obey speed limits out of any respect for the law, and it becomes a simple question of "is it safe to go faster?" and "Will I be caught?"

[n4lly]

I got caught speeding once, on my motor bike (RD250LC) doing 40 in a 30, was 0700 Hrs on an empty road in Febuary 1984.

Plod must have been issued with a new toy, Speed gun, and was determined to get a kill

 

He have been disapointed when i turned up at the magistrates and was invited to speak

i must have been quite articulate as i got no points but a massive fine of £ 10.--

[Now there's a right un.]

I agree that some country roads do need lower speed limits. In my area some small roads could easily hide tractors or other farm vehicles and hitting them could have fatal consequences. I am in favor of the lowering of speed limits.

 

I do however think 20mph should only apply around schools or hospitals. In most residential streets sensible drivers slow down anyway in case children are around.

 

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In 2008 my Wife was prosecuted once for speeding on a motorway.

In truth the issue was a faulty speedometer and what she thought was the national speed limit of 70mph was in fact 104mph. Standing in front of the magistrate, armed with proof of the cars fault, she explained her case.

 

Due to the nature of the offence the Judge made it clear that his hands were tied but he was very lenient.

 

She was not banned, which could have happened, she was fined £100 and received 6 points; which unfortunately as she was 6 weeks from her 2 year probationary period from passing her test meant that she had to resit her theory and driving test, which she passed first time again.

 

Thankfully she was only given an SP50 offence marker, she was not charged with dangerous driving or undue care or attention, because the arresting officer deemed that she was driving safely and responsibly and accepted the explaination my wife gave at the roadside.

 

It made an annual difference of £ 45.00 to her premium.

 

Deliberate speeding in my opinion, other than for emergency, should receive much harsher penalties than present, including mandatory resits of driving tests at the offenders cost.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Now there's a right un.

[Sportsman]

I got caught for speeding twice. On both occasions there was a very good reason

 

I was exceeding the speed limit

 

There is a device in every car to ensure that you do not knowingly exceed the speed limit, it is called a driver. On both occasions this device was malfunctioning

Edited July 20, 2012 by Sportsman

[Sportsman]

I agree that some country roads do need lower speed limits. In my area some small roads could easily hide tractors or other farm vehicles and hitting them could have fatal consequences. I am in favor of the lowering of speed limits.

 

I do however think 20mph should only apply around schools or hospitals. In most residential streets sensible drivers slow down anyway in case children are around.

 

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In 2008 my Wife was prosecuted once for speeding on a motorway.

In truth the issue was a faulty speedometer and what she thought was the national speed limit of 70mph was in fact 104mph. Standing in front of the magistrate, armed with proof of the cars fault, she explained her case.

 

Due to the nature of the offence the Judge made it clear that his hands were tied but he was very lenient.

 

She was not banned, which could have happened, she was fined £100 and received 6 points; which unfortunately as she was 6 weeks from her 2 year probationary period from passing her test meant that she had to resit her theory and driving test, which she passed first time again.

 

Thankfully she was only given an SP50 offence marker, she was not charged with dangerous driving or undue care or attention, because the arresting officer deemed that she was driving safely and responsibly and accepted the explaination my wife gave at the roadside.

 

It made an annual difference of £ 45.00 to her premium.

 

Deliberate speeding in my opinion, other than for emergency, should receive much harsher penalties than present, including mandatory resits of driving tests at the offenders cost.

 

 

If her speedo was reading 70 when she was travelling at 104mph then I am amazed that she wasn't charged.

 

http://www.motordefenceteam.co.uk/offence-...ulty-speedo.htm

 

(yes, I looked it up)

[Andrew]

If she/you knew of the fault, then why was she driving it ?

 

Maybe she/you should have had the fault repaired before she was allowed to drive the car again.

[Now there's a right un.]

If she/you knew of the fault, then why was she driving it ?

 

Maybe she/you should have had the fault repaired before she was allowed to drive the car again.

 

 

 

She was driving at 70mph according to the speedometer. She didn't know it was faulty until being stopped and the officer was human. My wife insisted she was travelling in accordance with correct speed limits so the officer told her she must prove it before she appeared in court.

 

I then paid to have the system tested and the fault was identified.

 

The speedo was not functioning correctly at the time of the offence.

The mechanical engineers report ultimately validated that in his professional opinion the speeding was not deliberate.

 

If you don't know something is broken how can you fix it?

 

Hence the fairness of the officer and magistrate.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Now there's a right un.

[Andrew]

Does any faults in the cars computer system not warn the driver of faults on the facia/dashboard ?, i know my the car my wife drives does ?