You'll Never Take Me Alive, Heddlu!

Returned from my Welsh odyssey - 800 miles of Minor A and B roads - saw
my old driver had a great time playing with the steam engine and boiler
[1] that appears to be in his garden.

Coming back I saw three Camera vans and reckoned the odds were now in my
favour as surely Gwynedd constabulary don't have that many left and I
knew what I was looking for.

What I didn't reckon on was the unmarked Astra.

98 in a 60 - arse.

For added comedy there was a bit of Police, Camera, Farce! chase as I
thought I'd got away with it having heaved the speed down on spotting
them and was now cleaving through the holiday traffic.

Two rather hot members of Brunstroms finest were trying to catch me -
successfully as it happens, when I stopped to look at my map.

They said they had "video" of me exceeding 40 whilst making my through
the traffic but didn't show it to me or charge me with any specific
offence for that bit as in their view 98 was enough. Sort of threatened
me with dangerous driving but left it at "excess speed".

The copper gleefully informed me I'd be banned - not that unexpected.

What I want to know is what effect will I see on a Carole Nash insurance
policy and how big is the fine likely to be?


[1] Old steam launch engine mounted on a big bit of wood with the
original boiler.

Me: "Has it got a boiler certificate?"
Him: "Not as such"
Jointly: "More the coal"

 

You twat

You twat

You twat

**** me that could be *big*

Time for a decent Brief and a good look at their evidence young man. I
trust you didn't admit anything to them?
<game on>

 

Lots and lots respectively.

Nope, don't get it. It has to be an inside joke, no?

 

Paging Champ's brief!
Paging Champ's brief!

 

I suspect I'd be a bit ruder than that. Bad luck old chap.

Depends whether you tell 'em.

Depends how much vaseline you take to court with you.


--
Krusty.

http://www.muddystuff.co.uk
http://www.muddystuff.us
Off-road classifieds

'02 MV Senna '03 Tiger (FOYRNB) '96 Tiger '79 Fantic 250

 

sweller wrote

So, the important question, is your speedo accurate or not?

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, sweller

Oops. TBFTGOGGI. Mein Du, you've only yourself to blame. I mean, Wales?
Are you mad?

Does this affect your suitability for toting huge trains full of people
(many of whom may be children) around? Surely the innocent travelling
public should be protected from reprobates such as yourself?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Never stop after a close encounter unless you've managed to double back
and scoot right - the fuckers just love chasing, a bit like dogs and
sticks.

I thought I'd successfully eluded a pair of noddies in a van by blasting
off and leaving them for dead... ten miles I went on and even stopped
for a fag and a paper before getting on my way, only to be pulled in by
traffpol a couple of miles further on. And yes, they were looking for
me.

 

On 2 Jul 2006 21:31:30 GMT, "sweller" wrote:

[Tale of woe snipped - gist: nabbed for 98mph in a 60]

I think you'd be unlikely to get a ban, even at that speed. IME the
magic banning number is 101 mph. It does mean a court appearance
though.

Of course, you could be unlucky and get a ban anyway (aka Short Period
Disqualification = less than 56 day ban).

There is some good If you get a ban you don't get any points.

You will get a fairly hefty fine either way. Probably amounting to
one or two months disposable income. An early guilty plea will reduce
the amount of the fine.

The fines are income based and means tested. You'll be sent a form
prior to your court date on which you are supposed to state your
income and all your outgoings. It reads like you are required to fill
it in and send it back, but I don't think that many people actually do
and this gets left to be sorted out in court. You're giving the
information on oath, so I wouldn't recommend taking the piss.

Don't know about Carole Nash... but IME insurers reactions can be a
bit mixed. Some care a lot (i.e. they don't want your business
anymore), some only care if you get points, some care depending on how
much you get fined or how long you get banned for. Your insurance
could double or treble, or it might make little or no difference.

It also has other affects: you will now have a criminal record and it
may bar you from certain occupations... but you probably didn't want
to be a Judge anyway.

Do you get a brief or don't you? Hmmm... tough question. A good
brief might get you off a ban (but I suspect you won't be banned
anyway) but that *will* load you up with points - like 6 or 9 of 'em.
And that could be very bad news when it comes to your insurance. And
you'll have to pay the brief a reasonable sum of money just for
turning up and 'helping'.

In some ways, a short ban is preferable. Try harder next time.

HVB

 

ITYF that's on a motorway with a 70 mph limit. 30 mph over the limit, in
this case 60, is an automatic ban AAUI.

<snip>

Martin.

 

I pleaded guilty[1] but turned up to the magistrates court anyway to impress
just how repentant I was, and to let them know I was taking an advanced
riding course etc etc. Also to let them know what a poor student I was at
the time

That got me 5 points and £110 fine, which I thought was a bit of a result.

[1] 97.6 on the M5.

 

Wasn't there a very useful website around that was full of advise for
those amongst us who looked likely to be banned?

I'm sure someone in Cheltenham could find it again if required.

 

At least they can't stop you driving trains so you won't be left
unemployed.

 

Take a look at www.pepipoo.com

AFAIK, Wales is still in England and there are still laws about vans being
marked for speed detection etc.
Also demand the "video".

 

Thanks for the advice.

As it was a single carriageway, in North Wales (what was I thinking!) I'm
expecting a ban. If it doesn't load the insurance up too much it would
be preferable.

The policeman was pleasant enough and certain I'd be banned but said they
may allow it to be heard in my absence; I didn't think that was possible
but wasn't going to argue the point.

I can do a certain amount of advocacy myself and will consult a solicitor
once I have the charge. It'll be unlikely I'll take one in with me and
add it to my pleading poverty "Look, I couldn't even afford a local
solicitor I'm that poor".

There's a couple of JPs I know, I may pick their brains.

My main concern is to mitigate my exposure to bad stuff (mainly insurance
hikes).

 

Pretty much. It was sweeping the general area of a 100 when I saw them

 

I'd just got passed a phalanx of caravans and it was too much to humanly
bear. Cranked over, cresting a small summit and the only hazard to be
seen was a dark car in a lay-by. With two blokes in it. Bugger.

They would have easily heard me coming and been ready with the gun.
Police shooting someone guilty, now there's something you don't hear
often.

Possibly.

 

Times have changed and the penalties more serious so this strategy still
has much to commend it. I didn't take a brief to the 102 in a
(temporary) 50 limit almost 30 years ago, but then I didn't face such a
high probability of a ban.


--

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Mr Alun Davies wrote:

Many thanks, I'll have a proper look at it and the references later but
interestingly the radar was being operated from within the vehicle, from
a lay-by on the opposite side to the traffic being monitored and neither
officer was visible.

I was to bang to rights but will add it to the mitigation.

Wales is in Wales.

It was an unmarked pursuit car. Obviously their best men had been
seduced with candy.

I'll wait to see the charge and then ask for the evidence pack. I
suspect the video was inconclusive as the police car was trying to follow
me through traffic.

 

Actually, you might be lucky. Inscos tend to look at the offence and not
the punishment. Which is logical, when you think how fines and penalties
vary.

When I got banned for speeding, many years ago, they simply took the
SP30 code, and I got no loading at all.