Safe Speed Forums

Makes me shudder just to read my subject line... I'm not even a 'fast' driver normally, just an empty M5 south and a weekend in Dartmouth waiting for me & the wife!

Anyway, the thing is I'm a field based worker and have a company car which I use all day and if I get a ban I'll lose my job for sure; I'm petrified a moment of madness could cost me my career. Can you tell me what my likely punishment would be at all, or is there anyone here who has had the same? Would they relieve me of a ban if they thought it would mean my career's down the pan..? I've never had any points before and am now ashamed of myself for tarnishing my perfect record!
Your help will be appreciated gang. Thanks.

Holy velocity Batman!

Try here for a start:

http://www.pepipoo.com/

The law is quite clear that anything over 100mph is an instant ban, although the final decision is down to the magistrate.

You have a clean driving record, so that is a good start.
Combining that with the fact that your career will be down the toilet if you do lose your license, there is always the possibility that you may escape a ban in exchange for a very large fine & points only.

All you can do is make sure the magistrate knows you are very sorry & hope that you get a sensible magistrate.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Isn't it the case under these circumstances that the offender may well get a ban of say four weeks, rather than six months, which depending on their circumstances may actually be preferable to six points?


It may well be an idea to get an experienced solicitor to argue this case for you.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I'm very sorry to hear of your predicament and I hope things go well for you - as far as possible. Others are better placed to advise you, but you certainly have my moral support FWIW.

In my view you shouldn't be facing a punishment at all for speeding in the circumstances you describe, but that's not the way the system works, unfortunately.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

The law says no such thing - it is quite clear that 26mph or greater over the limit cannot be dealt with by fixed penalty offer, and therefore must be referred to court - but aside from that it is entirely down to the magistrate who may fine, ban or dish out whatever crazy punishment Labour has dreamt up this week.

Get yourself a good solicitor and get over to PePiPoo immediately is your best bet...

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Carl Prescott

I can't offer any more advice that what's already been given, but you have my moral support. Best of luck to you.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

My sympthies but if you want a 'good' solicitor an expert in motoring it'll cost a lot. Referencing from Pepipoo I'll seen quotes of £500-£600 for average defence with average solicitor. That sounds alot to me I don't know if you can afford it as the fine could be high. A motoring specalist will likely be higher. From my limited visits to mag. court (for 2 personal hearing for a s172 that was dropped, and a few just observing) there's no reason why an regular articulate organised person couldn't do what most of the solisotor pay a fortune for. Your not going to argue a highly technical matter so you could do it yourself.

If you can go to court (the actual mag court or even your local one) sit at the back and you'll soon see examples of people tring to stop a ban.
You need all the evidence you can get.
Can your employer go to court to say you will lose your job, or a letter from them.
Proof that you have a high mortgage, loans, children that need to be taken to school.
You can't get another job? Your employer can't give you a desk job.
Public transport no good.
Describe you chacter, no convictions? clean licence? or only spent offences(play them down) Play up your good character, you volunteer for the local cats home? anything positive.
Paint a picture of a diabolical disastser if you lose your licence and show what a great Honest person you are.

Other than that if you haven't used pepipoo.com yet then I would straight away. There you'll find the forums for more advise and also the info section containing details of magistrates courts, the fine/points tables suggested to the courts.

Other than that it's up to you to decide what to do, I'm no expert but good luck.

Thanks for the responses everyone, I've checked pepipoo and will use it as much as I can. I don't think I'll be able to afford a good solicitor for it as well as a fine so I plan to go in Erin Brockovich style and hope for a sensible magistrate. Knowing me as well as I do, I know I deserve to be punished but a ban wouldn't fit the crime as it'd ruin me!

And feel free to hang around this forum!

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

the superstore Tescos are always looking for mindless morons to stack shelves, sure you qualify.

Now what was I saying aboutthe benifits of speed limiters/

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Why not put on speed limiters we have the technology only idiots break the speed limit

You may not spend time here insulting people. It is against the forum rules. This is your first and last warning. I shall also send the warning by PM.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I don't know, I couldn't decipher it!

But it wasn't me it was my wife on thee computer, can you send me a photo to prove your case, boo boo boo it's so unfair.

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Why not put on speed limiters we have the technology only idiots break the speed limit

What?

Two people.

In the same house.

Married.

That both write that badly?

Nah.[/quote]

hope you can help....just had the same thing done to me and been NIP'd at 107mph. Similar as I have 0pts and rely on the car for my job. Can I ask how you got on pleading mitigation etc?

I think you've been incredibly lucky.

At that speed you could easily have lost control and killed someone and the ban from driving is far better than incarceration and the guilt of ending someones life.

You may lose your job but you will still have your freedom.

Obviously this isnt very constructive to your original question but finding loopholes in the law to save your license, which you deserve to lose, isnt my speciality.

I like this quote:



How had it been "done to you"?

Is that what they say in Germany, where lots of traffic routinely and legally travels at 120mph plus? And if it isn't what makes you think the UK is different?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

As cars shouldnt be going that speed on UK motorways many drivers would not anticipate such an occurance. Many drivers would drive assuming that other vehicles are at least close to the speed limit and drive accordingly. Wouldnt fancy a blow out at that speed (not like my car can go that speed anyway!)

Obviously the argument that the speed limit here should be the same in Germany is there but thats another argument

Speeds of 80 - 90 mph are very common on the sections of the motorway that I use regularly, and it is not at all unusual to see a car travelling at around 100 mph. It's not significantly faster than the typical speed of traffic in good conditions. It's faster than I personally would choose to go, but I wouldn't consider it an excessive speed under the right conditions and I wouldn't expect a reasonably competent driver to have any difficulty coping with that. Of course it's perfectly possible to be dangerous at 100 mph, or 70 mph, or 30 mph, but there's nothing *inherently* unsafe about any of those speeds. In the absence of any evidence that the speed actually was inappropriate for the conditions the only thing that we can be sure the driver is guilty of is exceeding an arbitrary speed limit.



I wouldn't fancy a blow out at 70 mph either, but there's nothing inherently dangerous in driving at 100 mph in a typical modern car. If the car is well maintained then the danger of a catastrophic mechanical failure is so remote imo as to be negligeable.

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Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)