I know this probably won’t end well but here goes…

I was pulled over for speeding 6 months ago, doing 49 in a 40.
This is well below the NPCC enforcement guideline minimum speed for prosecution which is 66 in a 40- so I was expecting a £100 fine or a speed awareness course, as I had a clean driving license.
I returned the form within the specified 28 days and pleaded guilty to the offense.
Today I received an email to say I will be charged the £100 fine plus £100 court costs- when there has been no summons etc.
Is this normal?
Why has a minor speeding offense gone to court?

any points?

An email? I’d have expected any official notification to be written.

I’d also have thought that court costs for an appearance would be in excess of £100

any points?

Yes, +3 points.

Sounds a bit fishy…..as above, I’d have expected a letter…..

Are you sure it’s a legitimate e-mail? 6 months is a long time too….

£200 and 3 pints for driving at 49 in a 40 – take it.

But if you haven’t the cash, you’ll be able to ask for time to pay.

Sounds dodgy to me. You’ve paid up and taken the points, it wouldn’t go to court even if it did they’d let you know before hand.

Sounds a bit fishy…..as above, I’d have expected a letter…..

Are you sure it’s a legitimate e-mail? 6 months is a long time too….

Yes, definitely legit unfortunately. I filled in the original forms online- which I didn’t get until 5 months after being stopped.

Why has a minor speeding offense gone to court?

Minor?

You were doing 22.5% over the limit. That’s not even remotely close to minor. And with most speedos over reading you were probably doing an indicated 53mph maybe?

i’d have thought that 50 in a 40 constitutes as ‘minor’….I know loads of folks who have been caught going at 10mph over limit and none have gone to court

Minor?

You were doing 22.5% over the limit. That’s not even remotely close to minor. And with most speedos over reading you were probably doing an indicated 53mph maybe?

The policeman who pulled me over told me I was doing 49.
And according to NPCC guidelines it is ‘minor’, and eligible for a speed awareness course.
I’m just a bit miffed that they’ve added an extra £100 on when I’ve complied with their requests.

Yes, definitely legit unfortunately. I filled in the original forms online- which I didn’t get until 5 months after being stopped.

You should have received the first letter asking for the name of the driver within 14 days. Five months would even be beyond the deadline for a straight summons. You could have probably got the whole thing dropped at that point, not that this is any use to you now.

However, now it’s somehow reached the court system, I predict it will cause you more than 100 quids worth of hassle to sort it out in your favour, even if that were possible.

Putting the pitch fork down 😉 can you not treat this as any other dodgy email, say from a bank.

If it has a reference you can try to call them (look up the number, don’t use one in the email) to get clarity.

The £100 court costs may simply be their way of saying admin charges. Maybe it was reviewed by a court official or maybe the costs go into one pot and the fine another. Either way if it is legit I’d just suck it up, pay it.

You should have received the first letter asking for the name of the driver within 14 days.

That’s only if you are caught by a camera. I was stopped in person (by an unmarked car incidentally), so the ‘NIP’ can be given verbally.

Also is it not different if you are caught by a camera vs. being pulled over. I wouldn’t know, I don’t speed 😉

Looking at the table above suggests that 46 is the max for a Fixed Penalty and there’s been some ‘Magesterial Discretion ‘ applied. I guess that’s where the additional £100 went.

Just because you’re eligible for a course doesn’t mean you’ll be offered one, it’s at the discretion of the local police force.

However, quite why it’s been dealt with by the courts and not a fixed penalty I have no idea. That’s the question I’d be asking.

However, quite why it’s been dealt with by the courts and not a fixed penalty I have no idea

Because it was above 46mph?

Looking at the table above suggests that 46 is the max for a Fixed Penalty and there’s been some ‘Magesterial Discretion ‘ applied. I guess that’s where the additional £100 went.

Nope, that would be the minimum (and also the minimum for education).

If it’s all legit it’s probably going to be more hassle than it’s worth getting rid of the extra £100, if that is even possible.

Because it was above 46mph?

Nope. Below 46 you wouldn’t get anything. Above 46 could be either the £100 fine + 3 points, or speed awareness course.
There is a 10% + 2mph threshold, in order to prevent people from having to obsessively stare at their speedoes so they can pay more attention to the road.

We’re you offered/given and did you accept a ticket from the cop who stopped you?

If it’s all legit it’s probably going to be more hassle than it’s worth getting rid of the extra £100, if that is even possible.

I suppose I don’t really have any choice other than to bend over and take it.
But at least I’ve stuck it the man by having a bit of a moan on a mountain bike forum. 😉

We’re you offered/given and did you accept a ticket from the cop who stopped you?

He just took my details and said they’d be in touch to let me know whether it would be a fine, SAC or prosecution.

Call them and ask.

You could have done that already in the time you’ve spent on here.

There is a 10% + 2mph threshold, in order to prevent people from having to obsessively stare at their speedoes so they can pay more attention to the road.

That’s the ACPO guideline, but it really is only a rule of thumb and is not universally applied by all forces. I gather Wales takes a zero tolerance stance on speeding, so 41 in a 40 zone is enough to get your collar felt.

ACPO doesn’t even exist anymore.

£200 and 3 pints for driving at 49 in a 40 – take it.

Drunk driving and speeding, you got off lightly 🙂

And since sending the thing back saying ‘it was me, I’ll tie the £100 and 3 points’ this is the first thing you’ve had?

Nope. Below 46 you wouldn’t get anything. Above 46 could be either the £100 fine + 3 points, or speed awareness course.

Where appropriate, if it was busy traffic, near where kids plays or a lot pedestrians then they may tolerate it less than a big wide straight empty road. 46 in a 40 is a ridiculous speed.

I had something similar a few years ago, responded to a speeding notice, filled in all the forms, heard nothing for 6 months then got a £472 fine.

Shortly after I got a damaged envelope from the post office with the speeding notice forms returned damaged.

Because it was above 46mph?

What I mean is: according to the guidelines, up to 46 is a fixed penalty, 46-53 is a course. If they aren’t offering the course as per ACPO I’d have expected a fixed penalty to apply instead.

I can’t for the life of me think that they’re processing all “46 in a 40” cases in court, the system would grind to a halt (which is precisely why we have fixed penalties in the first place).

I also find it bizarre that they’d send something like that by email and not post. OP, when did you receive the points etc, just now or at the time? Is this the first communication since you filled in the form? Are you sure it’s not very convincing spam? Cos it really sounds like it.

Depends where you got pulled I know from experience at the beginning of the year South yorkshire police have a zero tolerance, ie the guidlines are exactly that, they don’t have to abide by them and they have decided not to for a spell. I think this is whilst the coffers are running low and need topping up.

31 in a 30 gets you 100 quid and 3 points

If they are having a zero policy day..erm well basically your done.

SYP dont have the best policy for being honest guv, but advice said if you go to court and the judge isn’t in a good mood expect the book to be thrown in your general direction.

I once received a letter about going to court, for speeding, which I had paid the fine and received the points.

I contacted them and they corrected their mistake.

Phone them!

the 10% + / – 2 mph thing is balls (even outside Wales).

I received a ticket from a camera in a little Toyota Yaris courtesy car going 34 in a 30 (on a wide road that would usually be a 40)… on the way to pick up my Supra that was never ticketed.

not that I’m bitter (much).

34 in a Yaris? I call bullshit.

I think this is whilst the coffers are running low and need topping up.

I see no reason why the motorist can’t subsidise general taxation to a much greater extent. Provided speed cameras aren’t placed immediately after limit changes (ie 60 -> 30) it’s entirely your own fault if you set one off.

May as well hide the things and put them everywhere. Would make hundreds of millions in the first year; over time there’d be a general reduction in speeding and if sufficient people get banned a pleasant reduction in traffic on the roads.

Employ G4S wombles to clamp untaxed / uninsured / inconsiderately parked cars; automatic cameras to catch tailgating and middle-lane-hoggers; sound activated cameras for the knobs with bean can exhausts…

You could even go to a pay-per-mile tax for road use with a penalty for fat people driving short distances. Less than a mile? That’ll be a fiver. Reduce it with distance to make it fairer.

Presumed liability if you hit a bike. Removal of bike lanes painted on pavements where the bike has to give way every 15 feet…

I appreciate that I’d probably be unpopular if I had control of the roads in this country, but I think getting the people most able to pay extra taxes through stupidity, laziness, and lack of consideration to their fellow drivers is an excellent way to do it.

Is there evidence out there that someone has actually been done for 31 in a 30?

ade9933 – Member

the 10% + / – 2 mph thing is balls (even outside Wales).

I received a ticket from a camera in a little Toyota Yaris courtesy car going 34 in a 30

Yep. I got a speed awareness course for 34 in a 30….

Thinking about it, I wonder if your reply to them never arrived, so they are taking it that you’ve just ignored the original letter & hitting you a bit harder for ‘ignoring’ the original NIP?

I got a speed awareness for 76 or 77 in a 70. There were several people there who had been doing 33 in a 30.

I think this is whilst the coffers are running low and need topping up.

Doesn’t the money go to central government? So spending the day having a ‘blitz’ on law breaking drivers costs the police more than ignoring it?