Aracer, your mum was prosecuted for s144 (keeping a vehicle without insurance) not s143 (driving without insurance). No points for the former. for your information, there is no lower limit on fines although for obvious reasons they rarely go below the fixed penalty.

“There are so many cameras that if you have to drive 50,000+ miles a year you are almost bound to get more than 12 points in three years.”

Only if you speed you idiot.

Not really, I’ve driven well over 150000 miles in my 24 years on the road and never had any points.

Whilst spped is undoubtable a factor in accidents, so is poor attention to your environment. I’m more concerned not that the chap speeds constantly, but that he is so unaware of his surroundings he hasn’t noticed hes constantly getting caught

Fairy nuff – I must have got confused then, because I could have sworn the FPN mentioned points. Maybe she was caught driving then, but it came indirectly? I’ll have to find the letter I sent and see if there are any more details in it…

edit: ah found a bit of correspondence I had with a chap who’s occasionally on here who’s a barrister – he suggested it was probably a DVLA camera which clocked her driving, so I was probably wrong in my previous post and it she was caught driving

How, how dare you, how dare, how, how dare you, how the actual dare you bring St Guy into this debate? HOW DARE YOU? 👿

How dare you?!

2nd time to 12 points. Another month ban. Without the employment guarantee.
Splendid !
*applauds*

you missed 3rd time, though – d’you know what it is yet ?? (/rolf)

Just in case that’s aimed at my comment above, it wasn’t that I didn’t speed, it’s simply that I wasn’t clocked for doing so. Which is pretty good going all considered. All these years later I do drive within the limits because I generally don’t need to be anywhere within a set time window.

If the remark wasn’t aimed at me, just move along.

Edit : I’m not Moore or Ogilvy

I think it involves a 6 month ban and I don’t care if you lose your job, your home, your wife and kids and your granny.

There are too many drivers out there who think they’re safe because they don’t speed. We’ve all seen them, those ones who stand the car on its nose as they enter a 30 zone, who sit there at 38 in a 40.

But the problem is that they proceed at that speed no matter what. Overtaking a cyclist with a 1mph speed differential and a .75m gap but refusing to budge over or either wait behind or pull out, floor it and get the overtake done.

Speed cameras are an easy fix for catching speeders but the only thing that can catch all the other numerous forms of dangerous driving is actual road policing and sadly there’s not enough of that these days.

That’s why I’m astonished that anyone could actually accrue that many points to start with, their driving must be catastrophically bad to be caught that many times!

Well if they’ve got enough money to pay the fines, and they know that the magistrates will always be sympathetic due to their job. After about 16 points they’re just gonna go ape aren’t they? I mean, why not. What have they got to lose? I would (obviously apply common sense. No speeding in school playgrounds etc).

They’ve basically got a get out of jail free card. It’s probably an in-joke and annual amusing anecdote with the family at Christmas about how many points they’ve racked up this year. They probably have little games and rules like ‘never dip below 90mph’ or ‘navigate central London whilst watching a DVD in the back of the car’.

On reflection, I will bite at ‘Mr Holier than thou’

My driving isn’t perfect. I make errors. I admit my errors, review and do my best to change my behaviour where it needs it.

But I try really hard to do it well. I strive to pay attention, drive at a suitable speed for the conditions or a lower speed than that if (as often the case) the posted limit is less. Irrespective of my opinion of that limit.

I try to drive well. It’s often tedious. Others who would rather I went as fast as they would like, or that I squeezed past someone on a bike before it’s safe so they can do so to, seem to find it so.

It’s hard, and I often take a handful of extra minutes to get somewhere. Then again it often makes no difference at all to my journey times.

But at least I try.

Driving is the thing I do that puts me at greatest risk of totally ruining someone else’s life, or killing a stranger.

Nothing else I do carries more risk to me or to others than driving, so yes I try to do it well and safely. I think others should take it seriously too, and quit the childishness and selfishness. So yes, holier than thou, with that attitude to routinely and deliberately doing whatever you please without honestly acknowledging the death, chaos and carnage that can be a split second away.

I make mistakes, but at least I try.

You should too.

Thank you Sockpuppet. Unfortunately you’ll probably be lambasted for your sensible approach to driving. It still amazes me that people (on a cycling forum of all places) think that speeding isn’t a factor in accidents. that it’s perfectly fine to speed and that it’s the cameras that are wrong.

The first example is a bit annoying but shouldn’t be an issue if you leave plenty of space and ease off your speed so you roll through the limit sign at the designated speed. The second – I see no problem. In fact, that’s probably me. I do about 38 in a 40 because it’s within the limit. My dash is telling me 39. My dashcam will tell me it’s 40 and that stupid central speedo (MINI) tells me it’s quicker still.

Sometimes speed is the only reason for the journey. I’m not going anywhere specific, just out for a blast. If you think I’m going to stop just because of your views you need a wake up call.

If you think that everyone involved in a speed related accident never speeds again I think you’re deluded.

I imagine that somebody has already said it on this thread; sadly there are cocks in every walk of life

also, as is often suggested on the many “sportive” threads – do a proper race, or shut the **** up

Gotcha.

Had a quick discussion with my partner on this subject (the 62 points person not this thread) and her idea was to stick them in those Google cars (or similar) as test dummies, taking the control from their hands completely. And if they go wrong and implode killing the occupant, no great loss… 😉

If that’s not just massive trolling, then your licence should be revoked for life. Driving a car isn’t a human right, it’s a regulated, (by testing and licening) activity, and that attitude suggests your standards fall well short of the mark.

It was through a broker and 20 years ago, I’ve honestly no idea now. It’s not exactly what happened TBH, see below, it was just quicker to type.

I’d just bought a new (to me) car, literally just picked it up from the garage. I’d got about two blocks down the road, a copper did a random PNC check and it came up as unregistered, which is why I got pulled.

I explained the situation, he went “fair enough” and gave me a producer. When I took my documents to the police station it transpired that the insurer had issued the policy to start at noon that day, and I got pulled over 20 minutes prior. I’d honestly no idea, I’d have waited if I’d known. I should’ve checked of course, but y’know, new shiny and all that.

I agree to an extent with what you are saying Kerley. Although speed results in greater stopping distances and affects reaction times. Speed is definitely the reason in a lot of single vehicle incidents. Taking corners or roundabouts too fast etc.

When it comes to incidents involving third parties I agree that not paying attention, driving too close, poor driving standards is the catalyst. Doing all that at speed just makes a potentially bad accident into a potentially fatal one.

I suppose speed is the easiest thing to tackle for the authorities. It’s a difficult situation all round to be honest. As stated I have similar views to Matt and Sockpuppet. I didn’t start driving until I was in my thirties and after my brother was killed. Both of these have undoubtedly had an effect on how I drive, more so the latter. I’ve seen first hand the long term and far reaching effects bad driving can have. I drive as carefully and considerately as I can.