Speeding course and room of denial.

[Gillstay]

I was clocked doing 34MPH in a 30 zone,i had turned off a main road and had accelerated back up to30 to30 when I was flashed..I had pressed a bit to hard on the right hand pedal.I received the letter inviting me to take the Speed awareness course or take the points.I attended the course and found it informative.and I think I became more aware of instance’s were my driving wasn’t without fault

I don’t know what today’s course’s are like.as I attended ten years ago.I haven’t been caught speeding since perhaps because I don’t break speed limits.The ten percent over indicated limit can lull drivers int a false sense as 33MPH easily becomes 34 MPH

I wonder if it is counter productive having the the ten % over the limit as the difference of hitting a cyclist say at 34 instead of 30 is huge.

After the course I realised the guy who ran me over years ago was probably not going very fast though in my mind I always thought he was.

 

[Dogtrousers]

My wife had to do one (it was all my fault, I'd fallen asleep so she didn't get a "watch your speed" warning).

She reported that on her course was a LGV(?) driver who was pinged because his vehicle had a lower limit than the posted signs. He was very bitter about the unfairness of it all.

 

[PaulSB]

I wonder if it is counter productive having the the ten % over the limit as the difference of hitting a cyclist say at 34 instead of 30 is huge.

After the course I realised the guy who ran me over years ago was probably not going very fast though in my mind I always thought he was.

Do you really believe this? If so I'm astonished to read it. In June I was hit by a tractor when I was travelling at 32/33 and accelerating. It's a short downhill I know very well. The tractor driver attempted an overtake into oncoming traffic. The last thing I recall is his rear wheel level with my shoulder.

I was hospitalised for 5 days, three broken fingers, 6 broken ribs, smashed up right knee, tendon and ligament damage to left shoulder. I'm still in recovery. Bike literally crushed. Helmet smashed. Kit ripped to shreds. Wahoo shattered.

25, 30, 35 would have made no difference to the fact I'm lucky to be alive.

 

[raleighnut]

My wife had to do one (it was all my fault, I'd fallen asleep so she didn't get a "watch your speed" warning).

She reported that on her course was a LGV(?) driver who was pinged because his vehicle had a lower limit than the posted signs. He was very bitter about the unfairness of it all.

LGV Light goods vehicle, some Transits come into this category (twin rear wheel versions) the rule of thumb is if it has a silver plate down by the cab step stating weight etc it's an LGV and subject to a 10mph lower speed limit on some roads

 

[Drago]

I wonder if it is counter productive having the the ten % over the limit

They largely don't any more. It was only ever ACPO guidance and most farces have now abandoned it. Many forces now will stick you on foir a mile over, at their discretion.

Strangely shoplifters cannot get away with stealing up to 10%+£2 more than they'd paid for. Motorists, who on averge kill 5 and maim 82 every day, tradtionally get a strange degree of latitude that isn't extended to offenders who commit crime but otherwise might not put anyone at risk.

 

[Alex321]

My wife had to do one (it was all my fault, I'd fallen asleep so she didn't get a "watch your speed" warning).

She reported that on her course was a LGV(?) driver who was pinged because his vehicle had a lower limit than the posted signs. He was very bitter about the unfairness of it all.

Any professional driver should know the limits as they apply to their vehicle.

Slightly more understandable if he was not a professional LGV driver, but had just hired one for the day - though unless he passed his test quite a while back (pre 1997), he would have needed an additional test to be able to drive most of the vehicles that have lower speed limits.

 

[Alex321]

They largely don't any more. It was only ever ACPO guidance and most farces have now abandoned it. Many forces now will stick you on foir a mile over, at their discretion.

Strangely shoplifters cannot get away with stealing up to 10%+£2 more than they'd paid for. Motorists, who on averge kill 5 and maim 82 every day, tradtionally get a strange degree of latitude that isn't extended to offenders who commit crime but otherwise might not put anyone at risk.

The NPCC guidance is still the same as the ACPO guidance was.
https://www.askthe.police.uk/view-category/?id=a808df18-6ad2-eb11-bacb-000d3ad61986
Q890:
Guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) suggests when enforcement action will be taken against speeding motorists – this is usually when the relevant speed limit is exceeded by 10% plus 2 mph. However, this is for guidance purposes only, a police officer has the discretion to act outside it. Some drivers wrongly interpret it to mean that they can legally exceed the speed limit – this is most definitely not the case.

 

[rogerzilla]

LGV Light goods vehicle, some Transits come into this category (twin rear wheel versions) the rule of thumb is if it has a silver plate down by the cab step stating weight etc it's an LGV and subject to a 10mph lower speed limit on some roads

My former Jimny LCV was an interesting one. As it was registered and taxed as a van, and not a "car derived van" on the V5, it would, on the face of it, be subject to van speed limits. However, as it has 4x4, it is classed as a "multi-purpose vehicle" and therefore car limits apply. This makes no sense at all (the ability to select 4x4 on loose or slippy surfaces is hardly relevant to doing 70mph on a dual carriageway), but that's how it is.

 

[Drago]

This is a common misconception that even the police get wrong.

It is not the class of vehicle that the DVLA grant that determines speed limits. That is purely a taxation/duty categorisation. The DVLA do not set speed limits.

It is the type of vehicle as defined by the Con and Use regs 1986 that detemines the speed limit.

An example close to my heart. My camper is registered as a van. It used to be you could easily register it as a camper following conversion, but for lengthy reasons I won't go into this isn't possible any more.

However, my camper meets all the necessary physical criteria under the Con and Use regs 1986 for a motor caravan and speed limits are applied accordingly as the Road Traffic Act refers back to the vehicle  type as defined by Con and Use when applying speed limits.

Even police prosecutions units, now mainly staffed by untrained civilians to simply process tickets, get this wrong and when challenged with the correct facts above will either back down upon review, or the CPS throw it out at court.

The DVLA themselves confirm this...

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Are these countdown signs rare or common?

Common up here.

 

[raleighnut]

My former Jimny LCV was an interesting one. As it was registered and taxed as a van, and not a "car derived van" on the V5, it would, on the face of it, be subject to van speed limits. However, as it has 4x4, it is classed as a "multi-purpose vehicle" and therefore car limits apply. This makes no sense at all (the ability to select 4x4 on loose or slippy surfaces is hardly relevant to doing 70mph on a dual carriageway), but that's how it is.

Isn't the speed limit on 'non motorway' dual carriageways 60mph.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Are these countdown signs rare or common?

I can only think of one. It's in Warwickshire on the A423 where the limit drops from 50 to 30 for the village of Marton
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.3...try=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw==

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Isn't the speed limit on 'non motorway' dual carriageways 60mph.

Depends on the vehicle (and the country).

 

[icowden]

25, 30, 35 would have made no difference to the fact I'm lucky to be alive.

The graph suggests that the difference between you being dead and alive at 25mph and 35mph is actually fairly significant. At 35mph the fatality rate is getting on for for 85% as opposed to 60%. Obviously lots of other factors are involved like the fact it was a massively heavy tractor that attacked you, but slowing speeds does help.

 

[icowden]

Isn't the speed limit on 'non motorway' dual carriageways 60mph.

No, It's 70mph on a dual carriage way. When I passed my test there used to be a distinction between urban and non-urban dual carriageways, but I think that's gone now, with urban dual carriageways just being signed to tell you the speed limit.