Speeding camera/fines a way to avoid them?

[Graprilia]

I found out recently , not sure if its true or not. But if you get caught speeding by a policeman and he pulls you over , you have the right to ask if the camera has been tested today as by law cameras must be tested everyday to check their accuracy. And by law the police has to tell the truth if it has been tested or not.

If you were done for speeding and recieve a fine in the post it maybe worth your time to sent a letter to check that the camera used had been tested on that particual day.

But i dont know if any of that is true or not , to me it sounds like there is some truth in it.

I would like to know other peoples view or ideas regarding this.

[Fnatic]

Hmm, I heard a few years back you could ask if the equipment they used had been calibrated and tested that day.

For example, if they use their speedometer to compare it to your speed and it hasn't have the official checks you can contest it.

[bazza]

[Kickstart]

Hi

The devices do have to be calibrated. But not necessarily daily.

All the best

Keith
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[st3v3]

There's a variety of things you can throe at them if caught, such as is it hand held or in the vicinity of an in use mobile phone?

Simple thing is not to speed near them, much simpler.
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[matt_uk]

Easiest way to avoid a speeding ticket is...

Don't speed.
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[Alex A]

With most in car equipment, they have to have been calibrated at the beginning of the day in which they are used for evidence. If, for example, you've been pulled by a single officer (two could testify to your speeding without further evidence) on the basis of his/her equipment reading, not admitted to your speed, and been given a FPN. It's always worth sending a letter requesting proof that the equipment had been calibrated that day, as it's the only solid admissable evidence they have of the offence. If they don't provide you with proof (a data sheet) then they will probably still prosecute, pressure you to accept the points/fine, and you may well have to push it to court to make your case.

As with all things speeding offence related, the best policy (if you're determined not to simply accept the punishment) is to make life as difficult as possible for the prosecution service. For instance, if you contest an offence whereby you've been caught by a mobile camera van and got a NIP in the post, and you want to take it to court, you have a right to demand the full footage from the camera from that whole 'shifts' worth of shooting (which they don't like to do as it obviously records many cars and many possible offences). Again, you can request evidence that it has been calibrated properly and in the right timeframe, and it can require two or more of the officers operating the van on that day to attend the hearing (again, something that is impractical and unappealing for the police to do).

Depending on the local force where you've been done, some will drop cases quite easily where the offender is being akward. They'll keep threatening to take you to court, but six months will pass and you'll never receive a summons. As 95% of people just accept Fixed penalties, it's often not worth the hassle and resources to get that final akward few percent, especially where there is doubt over a conviction in court. Other local forces are more determined. But if you're looking to avoid the points, it's always worth asking akward questions and demanding evidence, and doing your research by searching sites like pepipoo. Especially if you've been caught by a camera and sent a NIP in the post - it's generally more difficult to 'get off' if you've actually been spotted and pulled.
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Current: Ducati Panigale R / Ducati Streetfighter S / Suzuki GSX-R1000 L5

[Kickstart]

Hi

Be careful. The police are now starting to use a hideously expensive set of professional witnesses, the sole purpose of which seems to be to make the costs so high that nobody can afford to contest the case.

Google for "Road safety Support Ltd".

All the best

Keith
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[moog]

[Kal]

Don't get caught.
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[map]

[scanny]

if you do get caught, get in touch with this lot safespeed they are not speed junkies but they dont believe all the rubbish about speeding that government throw at us and they have challenged claims for years with very accurate investigation

[gr82bthe1st]

i was reading in a bike magazine a while back that unless it is a dedicated traffic police car or something or the other, the speedo's the fuzz have in their cars wont stick in court because they arent accurate enough! hence the "how fast were you going?" lark.

[riichy]

[aaronb74]

[headgear]

[ajb]

Dont do this though... I know of someone round my way who went to court to contest that the radar readings are not accurate enough, the prosecution (council, police, w/e) said that might be the case... but all the cameras round here have road surface sensors...

In all honesty, those people who said don't speed past the cameras are spot on. You'll find that authorities are not always (if any) required to put speed camera signage up, but my authority (and some others) do anyway, so you have to be a complete moron to still get caught, which is fair enough in my opinion.
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[KTM Gordo]

The Crown Prosecution Service will know all the tricks, and despite what you might see, hear or read, the chances of escaping justice on a technicality is very slim.

We all know the rules, we know the risks. If you get caught then take it on the chin.
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KTM 990 Adventure | KTM EXC 250 Racing | Land Rover Freelander SE Td4

[Mr Hammers]

I got away with a ticket a couple of years ago.

Driving through Lincolnshire, nice straight, open road, no junctions, no traffic, just sunshine. It was lovely. Doing about 65 and just too late i suddenly noticed the speed camera. Utterly ridiculous of course, i could have done 120 on it and still been safe.

Anyway, i got the notice through the post, and i had until April 17th to send in my licence and £60. As my licence was already with the DVLA from a previous speeding conviction, i sent off the cheque with an explanation why i couldn't send my licence.

A week or so later, the cheque was returned, but also stamped on the back as being accepted. They'd obviously processed the cheque before they realised there was no licence with it, and because they can't process it properly without it, they had to send the cheque back.

So, a week or so before the deadline i called them and explained what was going on. The guy was very helpful and gave me a 3 week extension.

In the three weeks my licence came back, but i thought i'd try it on and called them again and told them that i still hadn't received my licence back. So they gave me another extension. Did this once more, then, just left it. Didn't call them, got no requests or anything. Never heard anything more about it.

About 4 or 5 months later i got caught again (i was a couriering at the time, and it was considered an occupational hazard..). fearing that with the last one i'd be up to 12 points i called the DVLA to check. To my delight, they told me they only had me down for 3 points...one had expired, and there was no record at all about the Lincolnshire ticket.

Result!

The only downside to this is i got caught again about a year later and tried the same thing with the Oxford courts; sent payment in, but no licence, told them licence is with the DVLA ..etc, but this time it didn't work.

I ended up paying about £160 odd as i'd gone over the time limits and incurred late payment fees. That kinda made up for the money i'd saved from the previous one!

But on the upside, i never did get those 3 points on my licence

There's no guarentee it'll work - and i think i was just lucky, tbh - but if you're 3 points away from a ban, you never know, it could be worth a try!
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[andru]

There was a great "avoidance technique" that worked in Australia for years. It worked when speeding cameras were introduced. Cameras are everywhere in Oz and the coppers can hide them, put them behind bushes at the bottom of hills on safe straight roads and, bah, it's a nightmare! Anyway...

When you got the ticket in the mail, you'd posted a cheque (you don't have to send your license) with a few dollars too much money (say $67 instead of the ticketed amount of $65). You then got sent back a refund cheque for the $2. You'd tear that cheque up and never bank it. The ticket would be "paid" but not "finalized" so you'd never lose the points off your licence! I never had to use it but I know heaps of people that did. The cops eventually caught on and fixed the bug in the software.

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[yen_powell]