At the risk of coming across as an arrogant prat, here is the background:
During the 37 years I’ve been driving I’ve spent 12 years riding motorcycles and have driven 3 ton trucks with air brakes, a wide variety of cars and vans including driving for delivery firms and car hire firms, minibuses and around 3 years living and driving in France including an entire ski season and several holidays driving on snow in the Alps. I have completed the IAM driving course and been told that my technical driving skills are excellent but that I would not pass the IAM test because I am not adhering to the set “system” of sequences of actions on approaching a road hazard. I have extensive off-road driving experience in the UK and Africa and have driven high-performance cars on a race track. During those 37 years I have never had an accident although I have been rear-ended once so I think I can claim I’m a reasonably experienced and safe driver.
Now, the offence: very early indeed on a Sunday morning. The northerly Blackburn ring road used to be the only trunk route available to drivers heading from the big catchment area of north Manchester, Rossendale, Burnley, Nelson, Colne and anywhere east towards Preston and the M6 but has now been superseded by the newer M65 motorway to the south of the town so it is now a mostly forgotten suburban dual-carriageway that is deserted apart from the odd car using its adjoining streets for access to residential estates. The section in question is wide, almost straight for a mile and has no houses or side roads, good sightlines, wide verges and a good surface. The signed speed limit is 50 mph. There is a GATSO camera right in the middle of the section, which has been repeatedly vandalised over the years and was even sawn down recently. It was re-erected but the calibration marks on the road were worn out and presumably useless as the few bits of paint visible were only at the very edges of the road. The road is completely empty, not another vehicle in sight anywhere and it is a clear dry morning. I’m driving down this empty, wide road and I am FULLY AWARE that my speed is a little over 60 mph, which in my judgement is a reasonable speed for that road at that time. I would add here that I am generally a conscientious driver and that I choose my speed to be appropriate for the conditions and hazards, meaning that I am often driving at 20 mph or even less in congested and residential areas. Suddenly I realise that the calibration lines on the road have been re-painted and sure enough, as I pass the camera I see the two flashes.
So now I have the choice: to attend a speed awareness course or pay the fixed penalty and accept three points.
Here is where I will sound arrogant: if I choose to attend the course, I feel there will be an element of pointlessness in my attendance because I knew exactly what speed I was doing and I was completely aware that I was breaking the posted speed limit and therefore the law. I feel I am being penalised for having ignored the camera, not for having driven recklessly or dangerously like some of the scum who race up my street endangering our kids. If I choose to pay the fine and accept the three points I am taking the penalty fair and square on the chin, even though I believe strongly that 60 mph would be the appropriate speed for that stretch of dual-carriageway.
On the other hand I know people who have attended the course and they say it was genuinely interesting and even enjoyable and I also don’t really want the three points on my hitherto clean licence.
As I wrote above, I understand that there’s a chance of coming across as arrogant here but I am perfectly happy to admit that I broke the law on that morning.
What is the forum’s view on this? If it is to post: “you broke the law, now pay the penalty” please don’t bother, thanks. I’ve already admitted that I did that.
During the 37 years I’ve been driving I’ve spent 12 years riding motorcycles and have driven 3 ton trucks with air brakes, a wide variety of cars and vans including driving for delivery firms and car hire firms, minibuses and around 3 years living and driving in France including an entire ski season and several holidays driving on snow in the Alps. I have completed the IAM driving course and been told that my technical driving skills are excellent but that I would not pass the IAM test because I am not adhering to the set “system” of sequences of actions on approaching a road hazard. I have extensive off-road driving experience in the UK and Africa and have driven high-performance cars on a race track. During those 37 years I have never had an accident although I have been rear-ended once so I think I can claim I’m a reasonably experienced and safe driver.
Now, the offence: very early indeed on a Sunday morning. The northerly Blackburn ring road used to be the only trunk route available to drivers heading from the big catchment area of north Manchester, Rossendale, Burnley, Nelson, Colne and anywhere east towards Preston and the M6 but has now been superseded by the newer M65 motorway to the south of the town so it is now a mostly forgotten suburban dual-carriageway that is deserted apart from the odd car using its adjoining streets for access to residential estates. The section in question is wide, almost straight for a mile and has no houses or side roads, good sightlines, wide verges and a good surface. The signed speed limit is 50 mph. There is a GATSO camera right in the middle of the section, which has been repeatedly vandalised over the years and was even sawn down recently. It was re-erected but the calibration marks on the road were worn out and presumably useless as the few bits of paint visible were only at the very edges of the road. The road is completely empty, not another vehicle in sight anywhere and it is a clear dry morning. I’m driving down this empty, wide road and I am FULLY AWARE that my speed is a little over 60 mph, which in my judgement is a reasonable speed for that road at that time. I would add here that I am generally a conscientious driver and that I choose my speed to be appropriate for the conditions and hazards, meaning that I am often driving at 20 mph or even less in congested and residential areas. Suddenly I realise that the calibration lines on the road have been re-painted and sure enough, as I pass the camera I see the two flashes.
So now I have the choice: to attend a speed awareness course or pay the fixed penalty and accept three points.
Here is where I will sound arrogant: if I choose to attend the course, I feel there will be an element of pointlessness in my attendance because I knew exactly what speed I was doing and I was completely aware that I was breaking the posted speed limit and therefore the law. I feel I am being penalised for having ignored the camera, not for having driven recklessly or dangerously like some of the scum who race up my street endangering our kids. If I choose to pay the fine and accept the three points I am taking the penalty fair and square on the chin, even though I believe strongly that 60 mph would be the appropriate speed for that stretch of dual-carriageway.
On the other hand I know people who have attended the course and they say it was genuinely interesting and even enjoyable and I also don’t really want the three points on my hitherto clean licence.
As I wrote above, I understand that there’s a chance of coming across as arrogant here but I am perfectly happy to admit that I broke the law on that morning.
What is the forum’s view on this? If it is to post: “you broke the law, now pay the penalty” please don’t bother, thanks. I’ve already admitted that I did that.