Excess speeding
I was stopped by the police who were loitering in some bodies driveway. I was decelerating from a 60 mph to a 30 mph stretch. I was doing 44 mph in a 30. When he stopped me he explained that residents of the village had asked for police assistance because there is a 30 limit through the village.
The road is a main road with limit of 60 for 90% of the road. It is also renowned for bikers who are the real problem to us all on the stretch of road I am talking about.
When he jumped in front of me and directed me into the driveway where he was skulking he said that he was there because of the village complaint, and he made a comment on the lines that he was not stopping bikers as he could not stop them. Indeed as I was parked up there were many bikes went past at enormous speeds as they always have done with impunity.
The police have never treated them as culprits, and it would be interesting to compare motorists against bikers as to the figures pulled up.
I view his remark as discriminatory and only targeting motorists is abominable and against the ACPO rules. He told me that I was doing 44 mph and then proceeded to go on about the technical details of distances etc. on his laser machine which I did not understand and would have thought I would have been issued with some sort of copy.
I only have his word and would those details be accessible in the police records together with a certificate to prove the laser was calibrated?
All he was interested in was reading my rights. It seems to me that I was steamrollered into accepting his word and the laser figures even though I am sure that I had only just got into the 30 mph zone. I have to produce my licence and £60 penalty.
They do tend to loiter…
I do look after lots of motorcyclists so I cannot agree that they are treated any differently by the police. I am not however aware of any statistics in relation to the proportion of motorists stopped and how it breaks down between motorcyclists and car drivers.
I’m afraid that you don’t get the see the officers evidence unless you reject the ticket and ask for a court hearing. At court you get to see his statement and any evidence in relation to the use of the device.
The bottom line is if you accept the speed alleged take the ticket – if you don’t then reject it and ask for a court hearing – but beware higher fines and court costs if you are not able to cast a doubt on the officers account of events.
Come back to me if you deny the speed alleged.
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