Speeding ticket revenue

[Apthorpe]

Maybe the police could do with a little of the phrase 'rules are for the observance of fools and the guidance of wise men' and be given sensible flexibility with written reasons ?

To be fair to the lazy, doughnut-munching, coffee-swilling, belt-busting, money-grabbing ba5tards they've always been very moderate when I've been stopped handing out 3pts and £60 instead of the steeper penalties that may have been on the cards. Possibly discretion, possibly because they couldn't be ar5ed with the additional hassle of the court case.
I certainly don't see the point of complaining to the officer about it, or trying to mitigate it with some bull.....excuse.
On the other hand, should they try to claim it's dangerous then a vigorous argument ensues.

It's all very well moaning about what speeding fines revenue is used for. Strangely, it's only those people that get caught speeding that tend to moan about it. It's a diversion tactic. The police are wrong because of where the fines go, whereas really the moaner is in the wrong for speeding. Pay the money, suck it up buttercup and drive slower.

Really, what people moan about is the extreme lengths taken to penalise speeding (which is very much at the trivial end of the criminal spectrum) when they simultaneously can't be bothered / don't have resources to deal with real crimes.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Really, what people moan about is the extreme lengths taken to penalise speeding (which is very much at the trivial end of the criminal spectrum) when they simultaneously can't be bothered / don't have resources to deal with real crimes.

This is, I'm afraid, bollocks. Nobody is going to great lengths - fixed speed cameras are the laziest and least labour intensive way of catching an offender.

Nobody would moan if there was a way to automatically detect and punish drug dealers, would they? Unfortunately that technology doesn't exist, so catching drug dealers is much harder.

Maybe if the fine for speeding was immediate confiscation of all assets and a million pound fine, they could invest some of that money into fighting "real crime"?

 

[Pedro]

Really, what people moan about is the extreme lengths taken to penalise speeding (which is very much at the trivial end of the criminal spectrum) when they simultaneously can't be bothered / don't have resources to deal with real crimes.

Yet road deaths in the UK are falling year on year. Indeed relatively speaking, the UK has less road deaths than the rest of Europe and the world! Whilst there will be many factors contributing towards this, only an idiot would deny that one of those factors is speed enforcement. Minor infringement on the spectrum of offences perhaps, but without doubt, speed enforcement has saved more lives than catching thieves, burglars or other more "important" crimes.

 

[nic531]

The trouble is that speed is an easily enforceable offence that can then be looked at in Statistics to say look what we are doing to make roads safety improvements! Most of the 'road safety' charity organisations demonise speed, but there again they have a very large proportion of people who have lost loved ones to RTC's in their numbers. In reality, speed provably above the limit is a major factor in a small proportion of crashes.... speed too fast for the circumstance despite being under the limit is far more likely to cause the crash... eg too fast on ice, for a sharp bend, too close behind etc etc

It is far harder ( read that as more expensive) to enforce poor driving standards... for that you need officers and court time.


In regard to fatals, if my memory serves me right, the average fatality on a road costs the country about 3/4 million quid, in resources/ repairs to road infrastructure and loss of revenue to businesses due to road closures etc...... that was the figure when i retired 8 years ago... according to google it is now just short of 2 million per fatality... thats why they want to reduce the number of them.

 

[Crowstalker]

Really, what people moan about is the extreme lengths taken to penalise speeding (which is very much at the trivial end of the criminal spectrum) when they simultaneously can't be bothered / don't have resources to deal with real crimes.

While at the less serious side of things in reality the consequences of the speed or other road traffic offences can and does have major impacts on people lives if things go wrong because of the said offence. Be that limb changing or fatal if you can reduce the number of people committing these on the face of it minor crimes that can and will have an effect on the overall number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads.

 

[MAH]

Anyone and thoughts

Dont speed. It's the easiest tax avoidance plan, and the only one you'll not be criticised for.

 

[Apthorpe]

This is, I'm afraid, bollocks. Nobody is going to great lengths - fixed speed cameras are the laziest and least labour intensive way of catching an offender.

Nobody would moan if there was a way to automatically detect and punish drug dealers, would they? Unfortunately that technology doesn't exist, so catching drug dealers is much harder.

Yes, it requires humans to actually do their job effectively.
It's much harder to achieve anything when less effort is made.

Maybe if the fine for speeding was immediate confiscation of all assets and a million pound fine, they could invest some of that money into fighting "real crime"?

That is one of the most cretinous suggestions I've ever read.

Yet road deaths in the UK are falling year on year. Indeed relatively speaking, the UK has less road deaths than the rest of Europe and the world! Whilst there will be many factors contributing towards this, only an idiot would deny that one of those factors is speed enforcement.

Speed enforcement will be one of those factors but the contribution is fairly minor. Also only an idiot would dispute that.

Minor infringement on the spectrum of offences perhaps, but without doubt, speed enforcement has saved more lives than catching thieves, burglars or other more "important" crimes.

What do you mean "without doubt"?? Of course it has saved more lives than catching burglars, because the police generally don't bother trying to catch thieves or burglars any more, as proven by the dismal crime statistics. As well as theft and burglary, there are a host of more serious crimes the police are happy to let slide - people trafficking, sex crimes, violent crime, knife crime etc. By "happy to let slide" I mean that these crimes go unsolved and uninvestigated or poorly investigated while resources are deployed to vanity projects like speed enforcement, policing football matches, policing Westminster, social media "crime" etc.etc. Yet constantly, they keep asking to have more and more laws to enforce while ignoring the ones we have.

As you put it, only an idiot would deny that what resources exist are not optimally or efficiently deployed.

 

[Apthorpe]

While at the less serious side of things in reality the consequences of the speed or other road traffic offences can and does have major impacts on people lives if things go wrong because of the said offence. Be that limb changing or fatal if you can reduce the number of people committing these on the face of it minor crimes that can and will have an effect on the overall number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads.

While having zero effect, and reducing the police impact, on other crimes ....drugs offences, gang violence, fraud, property offences, etc. which all have a far greater harmful effect on society and individuals.
You're presenting an argument equivalent to having ambulances staffed by chiropodists because of the painful effects of ingrowing toenails. Yes, it's true that it would reduce that problem, but also staggeringly irrelevant to the general wellbeing.

 

[willowbank]

It's all very well moaning about what speeding fines revenue is used for. Strangely, it's only those people that get caught speeding that tend to moan about it. It's a diversion tactic. The police are wrong because of where the fines go, whereas really the moaner is in the wrong for speeding. Pay the money, suck it up buttercup and drive slower.

Yeah.. go on Buttercup.... suck it up.

 

[nun_hunter]

posted by somebody who obviously has never ever broke the speed limit in their life, I take you don’t drive.

No they're saying you shouldn't do it. We all know the speed limit (unless not paying attention) and choose to take the risk of breaking it in the expectation or hope we won't get caught.

No different to any other type of gambling and it just sounds like whining when you get caught and complain about it while there is a really simple solution to avoid this and if not take it like an adult and get on with it

 

[AGR]

I got a ticket 26 in a 20 zone overtaking two side by side cyclists, the lady that had the camera was in an argument with another cyclist with her arms crossed and was very quick in her quick draw to point the camera at me...

Now that IS bad luck!

 

[Liveonce]

Posted by someone who, if caught speeding, would have the good grace to take it on the chin

It annoys me. I don't mean to come across as holier-than-thou, but really there is no excuse and if you're caught then you ought to suck it up.

Yep did the speeding awareness course, nobody to blame other than myself.

however the ever increasing number cameras of all types can easily get you caught when fully engaged in driving on unknown city roads in the dark and rain following a satnav. We drive on the left do we not?
But not when it’s a bus lane, yet not a bus (or car) in sight so and 3 minutes to go before the bus lane operating period ended. That I did think was just the council taking the (p..s) money.

 

[John Gryphon]

Not speeding but last week in QLD they took 1.5 MILLION bucks in phone/drive fines.....in an effn week ffs.

 

[Fadcode]

The only consolation in getting a speeding ticket is.............the number of times you have got away with it.
is it a money making operation..of course it is, you have all no doubt seen the police chases on TV, have you ever known a culprit to get a speeding ticket at the end...........NO, they are quite happy to do the culprit for careless/dangerous (very hard to prove) driving as well as stealing the car where appropriate.......in those circumstances they don't consider the speeding important.
Speeding tickets and TV licence fines are a cash cow.

 

[starr shot]

Been caught speeding twice his year once on a fixed camera doing 71 on a dual carriageway.The other time near Windsor by a police officer that couldn’t have been fairer or nicer to the extent that I had to write to his chief to tell them such.Driving Tens of thousands of miles a year I take it as an occupational hazard that eventually i will get caught at sometime but I still try and stay in the limits especially around schools 20 limit.Getting caught doing 71 really cheesed me off because if I had been in Transit people carrier and not one registered as a crew bus I would have been probably ok.

 

[Freeforester]

You’d be lucky to get the chance to speed on some sections of the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen road, most of the time you’re doing somewhere between 38-52mph, behind a procession headed up by some wee car with mirrors that obviously don’t work, judging by the queue the old biddy is oblivious to, or the tractor and cairt/implement/stock trailer heading to/from Thainstone for the sale. It’s a rare day when they pull in to a parking place to let others get on. I’ve aye found that when hauling a trailer, pulling in asap and letting the other road user makes them pretty happy, or judging by the winking blinkers and waves of gratitude you receive, and it costs very little in lost time to yourself. Do unto others that which you’d like to be done to yourself, a wee bit of sense and consideration goes a long way.

 

[howa243]

I was 'caught on a dual carriageway section on the English side of the new Severn crossing and was advised I had done 81 in a 70 area. I cannot dispute this (Van on bridge) but I know I was doing below 70 when overtaking the only other vehicle on about a 2 mile stretch. I was going to a police HQ because my son received a ticket which we had replied to (I bought him a car). which had been lost by the speed enforcement unit so I delivered a copy !

One wonders about how the revenue is used because that's 3 tickets in 2 weeks for the family - all small exceedence but potentially liable for £1000 fine and points.
I used to think cameras were used to improve road safety but revenue generation, given the conditions these happened in seems a much more plausible justification.
Anyone and thoughts ?

Really quite surprised about the number of folks saying don't speed.

 

[dartmoordog]

The las……The time I got caught speeding, I simply thought “dickhead” and just paid the fine, took the points and sucked it up. Don’t speed you won’t get done, exceed the speed limit and there is a chance of a fine, points, course or whatever. That’s the way it is…….Just don’t exceed the limit or suck it up.

 

[kieran222]

I got a speeding ticket earlier this year after about 25 years without incident. Been driving long distance rather than flying since covid so it was only a matter of time.
Adaptive cruise control is very good for keeping within the speed limit.

 

[dartmoordog]

I got a speeding ticket earlier this year after about 25 years without incident. Been driving long distance rather than flying since covid so it was only a matter of time.
Adaptive cruise control is very good for keeping within the speed limit.

Adaptive cruise control is now, to me, essential on a car.