When I was a young driver,many many years ago I would get pulled up for exceeding the speed limit by a few miles over the limit,the policeman would give me a short lecture and warn me if he spotted me again it would be a fine via the courts, this would sure make me more aware of my speed.
Some years later if you did speed you would probably get caught by a camera and pay a fixed penalty and points on your licence and often the cameras would set be at least 10% over the limit,often much higher as they used film and in a busy location it could run out of film in no time at all. There has been the argument that for many years many cameras have just been revenue earners,near where I live now is a dual carriageway that used be to 70 mph, they then reduced it to 50 mph and lo and behold speed cameras were installed, yet there are many minor side roads off this dual carriageway,some not much wider than a car where you can do 60mph, these side roads often have sharp bends,farm traffic,people out for walks etc, so how can it be unsafe to travel more than 50mph on the dual carriageway, yet do 60 mph in these lanes, so maybe the revenue argument is valid in some cases.
Now it seems with the new digital speed cameras the limits are set very close to the speed limit and in Lincolnshire as I am sure many other places you will easily get a ticket at 33mpg in a 30 limit,as some of the locals have discovered,most of these folk have been given the chance to attend a driver awareness course at £85 instead of the fine and points,when they first started these courses they lasted all day and included lunch,they have now managed to reduce this course to 3 hours and cram in two sessions a day, I am told that these courses are booked solid for many weeks ahead and new course centres are springing up to cope,so this looks like a nice little earner,you may think this is still cheaper than the option to pay the fixed fine and points on your licence that will also increase your insurance premiums, or like 2 of our locals decide that this is a better option rather than be lectured to for 3 hours, think again
A couple of the locals decided they would just pay the fine thinking £80-90 plus the points, it appears that it is no longer the normal fixed penalty, the court send you a form,which you have to fill in and declare your income,savings, investments and any property with values you own, from this they then decide what to fine you, they discovered that 33mph can cost you £800.
Now we all must of seen these police reality shows,where they chase some young person driving recklessly who has no documents or licence, they will exceed the speed limit many times during this chase, to help with the chase the police will use a helicopter,which must cost a fortune, if they do manage to catch the offender the penalty can range from a slap on the wrist, a ban for a few months,a few hours community service,a suspended jail term,I just wonder how this adds up to a fair society
Some years later if you did speed you would probably get caught by a camera and pay a fixed penalty and points on your licence and often the cameras would set be at least 10% over the limit,often much higher as they used film and in a busy location it could run out of film in no time at all. There has been the argument that for many years many cameras have just been revenue earners,near where I live now is a dual carriageway that used be to 70 mph, they then reduced it to 50 mph and lo and behold speed cameras were installed, yet there are many minor side roads off this dual carriageway,some not much wider than a car where you can do 60mph, these side roads often have sharp bends,farm traffic,people out for walks etc, so how can it be unsafe to travel more than 50mph on the dual carriageway, yet do 60 mph in these lanes, so maybe the revenue argument is valid in some cases.
Now it seems with the new digital speed cameras the limits are set very close to the speed limit and in Lincolnshire as I am sure many other places you will easily get a ticket at 33mpg in a 30 limit,as some of the locals have discovered,most of these folk have been given the chance to attend a driver awareness course at £85 instead of the fine and points,when they first started these courses they lasted all day and included lunch,they have now managed to reduce this course to 3 hours and cram in two sessions a day, I am told that these courses are booked solid for many weeks ahead and new course centres are springing up to cope,so this looks like a nice little earner,you may think this is still cheaper than the option to pay the fixed fine and points on your licence that will also increase your insurance premiums, or like 2 of our locals decide that this is a better option rather than be lectured to for 3 hours, think again
A couple of the locals decided they would just pay the fine thinking £80-90 plus the points, it appears that it is no longer the normal fixed penalty, the court send you a form,which you have to fill in and declare your income,savings, investments and any property with values you own, from this they then decide what to fine you, they discovered that 33mph can cost you £800.
Now we all must of seen these police reality shows,where they chase some young person driving recklessly who has no documents or licence, they will exceed the speed limit many times during this chase, to help with the chase the police will use a helicopter,which must cost a fortune, if they do manage to catch the offender the penalty can range from a slap on the wrist, a ban for a few months,a few hours community service,a suspended jail term,I just wonder how this adds up to a fair society
ME NEITHER GEORGE,WAS GOING TO LEARN GLAD I COULD NOT AFFORD IT ! :
