http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/mai ... ints20.xml
Make sure your endorsement isn't even more costly
(Filed: 20/08/2005)
If you have recently received a speeding endorsement on your driving licence, it may have been wrongly coded, it was revealed this week.
Paul Smith, of the Safe Speed campaign group, warned people who have received speeding tickets to check their returned licences. "Some licences have been wrongly endorsed with an SP60 coding," he says.
Unlike the more common SP30-SP50 codings, which apply to most speeding offences, SP60 is an undefined speeding offence, which motor insurers take more seriously than an SP30 endorsement, often increasing the annual premium as a result. The Home Office agrees that SP60 is a "very rare" coding and "would only be used in exceptional circumstances".
For reader Colin Sims, it has been an expensive mistake after he was caught speeding, paid a fixed penalty fine and had his licence wrongly endorsed with an SP60 instead of the correct SP30 code and as a result then had his insurance loading increased. "I contacted the Fixed Penalty Office for an explanation," he says.
"And they referred me to the Highways Authority, advising that they are responsible for determining the offence codes that should apply to specific roads. The Highways Authority said an SP30 can only apply to built-up areas or where a 30mph limit applies. Despite arguing that an SP60 is inappropriate and that this seems to contradict the DVLA website, I was simply referred to the DVLA - they inform me that they cannot intervene."
In fact the Highways Agency's contracted managing agent, Inter Route, was trying to help Mr Sims and neither body has anything to do with endorsement coding, which is a matter for the courts. Even the DVLA website lists an SP60 as "an undefined speed limit offence", which it claims comes straight from the Home Office.
In turn, the Home Office advised us that driving licence endorsement codes are a matter for the magistrates' courts, although it did agree with the magistrates we spoke to who told us that the police send in recommendations for endorsement codes with a description of the offence. So who is advising the police?
Incorrect endorsement codes have been issued in a number of constabularies though we understand only Cumbria has since agreed to help motorists to get their licence endorsement codes corrected. Most motorists are being referred back to the Fixed Penalty Office, as was Mr Sims.
=======================================
Safe Speed issued the following PR at 00:43 today:
PR234: Check your offence codes (again).
News: Strict embargo: 6am Saturday 20th August 2005
Safe Speed and the Daily Telegraph today exclusively reveal serious errors in
offence coding applied to an unknown (but thought to be large) number of
driving licences. In particular some authorities have been erroneously marking
driving licences with speeding offence code SP60 instead of the correct and
commonplace SP30. Normal speeding offences on non-motorway roads should be
coded SP30. SP60 is supposed to be reserved for 'undefined' speed limit
offences, but has sometimes been applied in error for offences 'where a 60mph
speed limit was exceeded'.
Insurance companies apply a higher loading to SP60 offences.
Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(
www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "Since we first highlighted this problem a year
ago there has been a steady stream of enquiries from drivers whose licences
have been wrongly coded."
"The error is potentially serious, because insurance companies may refuse
cover to someone who has SP60 coded on their licence. Such a refusal would
need to be declared on every insurance proposal for life with a large but
unknown total cost."
"Everyone should check their driving licences and ensure that they have not
received an SP60 in error. If you have received an SP60 for a typical speed
limit offence then you should contact the Police to get the error corrected.
If the incorrect code has been applied and motor insurance has been affected
then it should also be possible to claim compensation."
"Unfortunately this is all too typical of the greedy and slipshod way in which
traffic laws are enforced in the speed camera era. The camera partnerships
have expanded quickly with no adequate monitoring systems in place. They are
unaccountable and out of control - it's a runaway gravy train."
<ends>
Notes for editors:
New Daily Telegraph Article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/mai ... ints20.xml
Offence code table supplied to us by the Home Office:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/pr234.xls
Previous Safe Speed press release on the same subject:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/pr124.html
Issued 20th May 2004
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
Members
