The Mad Doctor

Guys,
I was on the M25 yesterday when I got pulled over by the coppers. He had pulled up behind me and claimed I was doing approx 100mph. I said I thought it was more like between 70-80mph *cough!* He took my details and ran them through his machine which came up clear. The copper didn't give any points whatsoever! My mate who was in the car with me said I was lucky as I should have got a fine. I thought it was because the policeman was on his own in the car and it wouldn't stand up in court if I'd contested it. Was I just lucky or was it because he was on his own?

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

Had a similar experience. Went past unmarked car at 95. Got a warning! They weren't traffic cops though, so I dont think they can charge you unless they have proof of the speed. It also helps if you're really polite and apologise. Whatever you do, dont give a bull**** excuse, just admit you were speeding. I also got charged with careless driving for undertaking unmarked car in a 30 mph zone. It never came through the post. Needless to say I wont be doing that again!

scooby-si

there has to be 2 of them u lucky git lol ie 1 v 2 wouldnt even get to court

AndyBrew

I think they can do what the hell they like to be quite honest I got done for doing 97 mph last year, and the 4 other peeps in the convoy carried on as I was at the back.

The cops had a road block setup at the end of the dual carriageway pulled them all over and they were all subsequently prosecuted for exceeding 70mph, no specific speeds, 3 points and a fine for all of them!

misty

Just think 3mph more and it would have been an instant ban!!
dave

cryptwalk

It doesnt work like that anymore.

misty

OOPS! so sorry! All right then I was trying to be tactful! They deserved to get booked doing 97, their speedo's would have been reading well over the ton!
dave

Marx Mcrae

iTrader: (4)

Unless he had the gun which showed that you were doing over the limit then he cant fine you as there is no proof

hedgehog

The position in law is that if two police officers believe you were travelling in excess of the speed limit then you have broken the law. The various lasers etc. are just a means of supporting their opinion or to allow a single officer to book you but they are not strictly necessary in law.

So, if there were two officers standing by the road and they both asserted that you were speeding then that would stand up in court despite there being no actual hard evidence and also despite the fact that they had no idea of your exact speed.

In the case of one police officer in a vehicle then he can still do you for speeding assuming that the vehicle has a calibrated speedo or some other device for reading your speed. In this day and age, when it is mostly about revenue generation and them meeting their quota, many police vehicles and devices have some form of video recording attached which, by and large, they use to support their claims but which you may also use in your defence.

In this case it would seem probable that you were "done" by an officer who was not a member of the normal traffic branch and who probably thought it prudent to slow you down but had little interest in causing you any grief. He may, or may not, have been in a position to produce evidence likely to lead to a successful prosecution.

You've probably just had a pretty lucky break and I suspect that people are more likely to learn "lessons" from this form of encounter than from a bill for 60 quid coming through the door.

AndyBrew

as I thought pretty much do what they like

nope 6 points though ouch!

£150 fine, now thats a bargain