MK5 Golf GTI

General => Random Chat => Topic started by: Degudodger on February 24, 2012, 09:26:00 pm

Title: Speeding fine
Post by: Degudodger on February 24, 2012, 09:26:00 pm
Nice little surprise in todays post. Apparently i was zapped doing 66 in a 50mph zone on Valentines day SO i have the difficult decision to make which is do i apply for a speed awareness course, pay the £85 and spend three hours being lectured on the dangers of speed or go to court and be hit with a £60 fine and three points on my licence.  :mad:

What REALLY boils my onions is the road in question (Andover Road, Winchester on the way to the A34 past Flower Down Army Camp) is two lanes wide and i travel along it twice a day and see the mobile bloody speed camera always before its too late. Not this time it would seem  :sad1:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: andrewparker on February 24, 2012, 09:27:47 pm
The people I know who have done speed awareness courses have found them very informative and interesting. I'd choose that option.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Nodz on February 24, 2012, 09:28:36 pm
If it was me I'd d the course and keep my licence clean
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Degudodger on February 24, 2012, 09:29:45 pm
Speed awareness course = no points so i guess better book my course then!  :laugh:

Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Weston on February 24, 2012, 09:31:24 pm
Definitely avoid the points  :happy2:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Phil Miller on February 24, 2012, 09:34:13 pm
you can only do the course once every 3 yrs and it costs, not just the course but also a day off work, id take the points and save the course just in case you get caught again, im sure i was told if you do the course and get caught again within 12 months you get hit for both even tho you took the course, well thats what my oh was told when she took the course
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: 182_blue on February 25, 2012, 06:17:37 am
Do the course IMO or get stung for the points at every renewal for the next few years.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: mad_pete on February 25, 2012, 07:30:30 am
I'd do the course
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Jussa on February 25, 2012, 07:56:42 am
I'm shocked to even hear that you've been offered the course doing that speed???
16mph over the limit would normally not give you the option :smiley:
I did 48 in a 30 zone, and was 3 mph off getting an automatic summons to court.
I asked them about a course option and they said I was going too much over the limit for it to be offered  :sad1:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Phil Miller on February 25, 2012, 08:01:11 am
Do the course IMO or get stung for the points at every renewal for the next few years.

Mine went up by £12 a yrs from getting 3 points, my OHs went up by £65 anyway with no added points, so i didnt find the points made much if any difference TBF
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Jussa on February 25, 2012, 08:09:16 am
3 points don't make a difference really, but 6 points do, so if I had the choice I'd do the course.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: jonm on February 25, 2012, 08:24:39 am
think yourself lucky as not everyone gets offerd the course! so take it while its going....  :driver:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: vRSAlex on February 25, 2012, 08:28:40 am
I was caught doing 62 in a 50.  The speed awareness course cut off limit was 63.  Are you sure they are offering it as an option?
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: edd666999 on February 25, 2012, 09:40:50 am
Nice little surprise in todays post. Apparently i was zapped doing 66 in a 50mph zone on Valentines day SO i have the difficult decision to make which is do i apply for a speed awareness course, pay the £85 and spend three hours being lectured on the dangers of speed or go to court and be hit with a £60 fine and three points on my licence.  :mad:

What REALLY boils my onions is the road in question (Andover Road, Winchester on the way to the A34 past Flower Down Army Camp) is two lanes wide and i travel along it twice a day and see the mobile bloody speed camera always before its too late. Not this time it would seem  :sad1:

just to be the devil in all this, dont shoot the messenger.

You say you regularly see the mobile speed camera...if it was me and i know that there is usually a speed camera on that road...i wouldn't speed down it. Save it for the roads that your not sure if your going to get caught or not  :P i find it more exciting that way.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: gti yorks on February 25, 2012, 02:45:22 pm
I am sure they don't offer the choice to do the course until you have sent the form back notifying them who the driver was.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: mvb12 on February 25, 2012, 02:52:51 pm
very easy decision to make in my opinion  :confused:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Tamiyoman on February 25, 2012, 04:10:41 pm
Keep a clean license and pay for Norman and Derek to lecture you for 3 hours  :wink:

I did a speed awareness course 3 years ago and only about 30 mins of the 3 hours was usefull, the rest was just the usual "Speed Kills", "Hit a Child at 30mph and....." the only beneficial parts were refreshing about stopping distances in wet/dry etc and acceptable speeds.

One of them was a funny bloke and made it worthwhile listening and you had a good banter with him, however the other guy (Who as TG would say clearly had an Adenoid problem) and had obviously been a health and safety inspector in a previous job (so much so that I actually asked him at the end what he did before this and he replied "Health and Safety training")  :grin:, well he just made you want to sleep.

A funny thing was getting everyone to admit the speed they were doing and area they were caught in, one woman there sneered at me when i said i got done for 72 in a 60 (A149 Kings Lynn to Snettisham), then it came for her turn and she said "I was only doing 39 in a 30", I promptly piped up that it was OK for her to drive past a school at 39 but for me to be doing 72 in the middle of nowhere was unacceptable (it raised quite a few sniggers around the room), later in the session I also pointed out to the same woman that I was only 20% over speed limit whereas she was  30% over, silly cow! :fighting:

There was also an old boy there who could not see what was wrong with 40 in a 30 (Probably one of those that drives at 40 in a 50 then stays at 40 in a 30) one of my pet hates!

I openly admit that I sometimes put my foot down on the open road but NEVER in built up areas!!!.

Answering someone elses question, there was a guy caught doing 68 in a 50 on our course! (Dual carriageway apparently)


Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: blackmagic on February 25, 2012, 04:22:01 pm
I'd take the course option everytime. Fair enough 3 points doesn't add much but 6 points does for me was about another £60 / year on premium for 3 -5 years. Thankfully now back to clean licence.

Friend at work recently took the course option and found out that you don't have to take it in the county you were caught it. You can apply to do it locally to you.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Tamiyoman on February 25, 2012, 04:29:45 pm
I'd take the course option everytime. Fair enough 3 points doesn't add much but 6 points does for me was about another £60 / year on premium for 3 -5 years. Thankfully now back to clean licence.

Friend at work recently took the course option and found out that you don't have to take it in the county you were caught it. You can apply to do it locally to you.

When I took mine 3 years back you could choose where you took it , fortunately for me the nearest one was only 8 miles away and involved some great cross country 60 limit roads  :happy2:

My brother got caught speeding in october in manchester doing 39mph on the dual carriageway ring road (which is a 30mph!) they offerd him the speed awareness course which he took in january, I actually paid for it for him!, it was the least I could do as he was taking me to pick up my ED30 at the time  :happy2: :grin:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Degudodger on February 25, 2012, 07:29:02 pm
Nice little surprise in todays post. Apparently i was zapped doing 66 in a 50mph zone on Valentines day SO i have the difficult decision to make which is do i apply for a speed awareness course, pay the £85 and spend three hours being lectured on the dangers of speed or go to court and be hit with a £60 fine and three points on my licence.  :mad:

What REALLY boils my onions is the road in question (Andover Road, Winchester on the way to the A34 past Flower Down Army Camp) is two lanes wide and i travel along it twice a day and see the mobile bloody speed camera always before its too late. Not this time it would seem  :sad1:

just to be the devil in all this, dont shoot the messenger.

You say you regularly see the mobile speed camera...if it was me and i know that there is usually a speed camera on that road...i wouldn't speed down it. Save it for the roads that your not sure if your going to get caught or not  :P i find it more exciting that way.

Completely agree and normally do watch out for the mobile speed camera that faces the other direction but this is the first time i have seen one facing the direction i was travelling at the time of being zapped. It is my own fault and i feel stupid for speeding  :sad1:

I having only been driving for 10 years and was late passing my test at the age of 27 and this is my first offence.  
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Saintsteve on February 25, 2012, 09:42:59 pm
Do the course.. I got caught braking too suddenly in a 40 zone to avoid the points  :innocent:

it's very informative and a very good eye opener. Makes you think twice before you do it again.Might save you purchasing needless brake upgrades  :laugh:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Edition30 on February 26, 2012, 10:59:27 am
It seems stupid that they dont offer you a speed awareness course because your going 'too fast'...surely they are the people that need it the most :signLOL:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: yetidom on February 26, 2012, 03:23:01 pm
I actually did a speed awareness course last Tuesday, from when I had my previous car (not the E30). It was okay, pretty painless tbh, 4 hours and no lectures/patronising from the trainer. Do the course! Trainer did say its basically only offered to people who were caught a few mph over the speed limit and not those massively exceeding it, I.e. I was doing 37 in a 30, he seemed to think for an urban the cut off would be about 41 max...
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: GarethB on February 27, 2012, 01:48:10 pm
The wife has just been clocked at 46mph in a 40 mph limit and has opted for the course.

I wonder if different counties / regions issue different guidance notes with the NIP? The documents that she received clearly state the speed ranges for the course to be offered...
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Tamiyoman on February 27, 2012, 03:05:53 pm
The wife has just been clocked at 46mph in a 40 mph limit and has opted for the course.

I wonder if different counties / regions issue different guidance notes with the NIP? The documents that she received clearly state the speed ranges for the course to be offered...

Thats Unlucky for her, altho I thought the guidelines were for 10% plus 3mph (47mph) maybe cameras are a tad lower as 10% speedo variance (regular) would be 44mph?
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: GarethB on February 27, 2012, 03:33:44 pm
The wife has just been clocked at 46mph in a 40 mph limit and has opted for the course.

I wonder if different counties / regions issue different guidance notes with the NIP? The documents that she received clearly state the speed ranges for the course to be offered...

Thats Unlucky for her, altho I thought the guidelines were for 10% plus 3mph (47mph) maybe cameras are a tad lower as 10% speedo variance (regular) would be 44mph?


Yeah a tad unlucky. From the paperwork received, it is the lowest speed in a 40mph zone that attracts a NIP & points.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Degudodger on March 08, 2012, 09:33:45 pm
Well some good news today. I have been accepted on the Speed Awareness course, just booked it for early April and paid the £85.
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Tamiyoman on March 08, 2012, 11:59:15 pm
I'm shocked to even hear that you've been offered the course doing that speed???
16mph over the limit would normally not give you the option :smiley:
I did 48 in a 30 zone, and was 3 mph off getting an automatic summons to court.
I asked them about a course option and they said I was going too much over the limit for it to be offered  :sad1:

Aye but 66 in a 50 is only 32% over whereas you were 48 in a 30 which is 60% over, big difference.

I was "Only" 20% over  :innocent:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: rich83 on March 09, 2012, 01:04:58 am
Do the course.. I got caught braking too suddenly in a 40 zone to avoid the points  :innocent:

it's very informative and a very good eye opener. Makes you think twice before you do it again.Might save you purchasing needless brake upgrades  :laugh:

 :signLOL:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Tamiyoman on March 09, 2012, 11:04:23 am
Do the course.. I got caught braking too suddenly in a 40 zone to avoid the points  :innocent:

it's very informative and a very good eye opener. Makes you think twice before you do it again.Might save you purchasing needless brake upgrades  :laugh:

 :signLOL:

 :signLOL:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Mk5 GTian on March 10, 2012, 02:06:02 pm

I'd take the course, as there is nothing like the feeling of a clean licence. I had 3 points for three years and it always played on my mind.

What's more, the points hang around for 5 years as far as the insurance companies are concerned.

I'm sweating on 2 I went through a couple of weeks ago at the moment  :sad1:
Title: Re: Speeding fine
Post by: Duke on March 10, 2012, 02:28:48 pm
Good choice on taking the course. Its a no brainer really if you have the option to do it. As others have said (and have read elsewhere), it can be useful and isn't as bad as you think it maybe.