Pathetic Speed Camera Excuse

Soldato
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apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere before we start.

did anyone catch the debate on radio 2 yesterday on Jeremy Vines show?
they were discussing new cameras taking photo's from the facing view and not the rear to remove the "i can't remember who was driving" loophole which, let's be honest, must be driving the authorities mental.
this progressed to a discussion on drivers who'd had other people take points on their behalf and there were a LOT of callers who had indeed done just that.
so,i'm listening away inbetween work stuff and this guy phones up and admits he paid some girl to take points for him.he goes on to say he's a truck driver and already has 12 points (the magistrates let him keep his license with 12 points or he'd lose his job).his call and if he wants to give some random person the power to have him potentially imprisoned for perverting the course of justice then that's his risk, i couldn't sleep at night if it were me but hey ho.what really made me laugh was this guy chimes in with the most pathetic logic i've ever heard in my life.

1.it's easy to drift over the limit.
2.he HAD to get someone to take them for him as he has a family to feed and support.

my problems with this are three-fold:-

firstly, this man is a truck driver, a supposed professional.if he isn't able to keep his vehicle on or below the limit he shouldn't be on the road.

secondly there is probably a 75% chance his vehicle is fitted with cruise control anyway, therefore in all probability he either set the thing intentionally high, or wasn't using it and was wellying the truck to get somewhere as quickly as possible....in a stuff the limit, i'm in a hurry scenario.

and thirdly, this was the FIFTH time the numbskull has been caught.
now am i the only one here that thinks if you know you will lose your job if you get banned, after you've been caught once or maybe twice you would take the utmost care to ensure you won't be caught again, at least until one or more convictions have been removed?

IMO the only thing threatening this guys ability to provide for his family is his right foot.

opinions?
 
Soldato
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GT3 said:
Are you the transport minister in disguise :p
i'm unsure if i could take the pay cut ;).

seriously though, if your job depended on your license then once you'd been snapped a couple of times wouldn't you be far more careful?
even more so that you'd been to caught and plead poverty, only to have the judges be lenient and allow you to stay on the road with 12 points?
i can't help but feel that this says a lot about this particular driver and the chances of hime getting caught again and again are so bad even Ladbrokes wouldn't give odds on.

i really wouldn't like to be this guy if he ends up in court again as if there's one thing the legal system hates is someone thumbing their nose at them.
 

Adz

Adz

Soldato
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I can certainly see where you're coming from. If I had 12 points and drove for a living, I'd be driving like a saint!

My uncle is the same, he's a travelling sales rep, has 12 points on his license currently and has been banned in the past which absolutely crippled him yet he still speeds. I can't understand it personally.
 

GT3

GT3

Soldato
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Yea it is easy to drift over the speed limit however being a truck driver I would have thought his observation would have to be top notch. It's hardly hard to spot a bright yellow box is it. And if just "drifting" over the speed limit, traffic police or mobile van wouldn't get you. So I agree he must be deliberately speeding and when his job and therefore his familys welfare is at stake then yes I would be more careful.

But you do come accross as being very anti-speeding, which I don't agree with ;)
 
Soldato
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But being a truck driver also means:

1. Being on the road far longer than most drivers.
2. Spending most of your time on the motorway (specs etc), which is incredibly boring and I'd rather have a speeding lorry driver than a sleeping one.
3. Working to very tight deadlines, on congested roads. In what I'd imagine is quite a stressful job.


Now none of those are an excuse, but I wouldn't assume that the bloke is a bad driver just because he's been caught speeding a few times.

Yes it was stupid of him to risk his job, but it's also silly for the courts to be able to take away your income for such a pathetic crime (If you can even call it a crime). Being in his situation, I would probably ask someone to take some points for me.
 
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Soldato
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Adz said:
I can certainly see where you're coming from. If I had 12 points and drove for a living, I'd be driving like a saint!

My uncle is the same, he's a travelling sales rep, has 12 points on his license currently and has been banned in the past which absolutely crippled him yet he still speeds. I can't understand it personally.
my thoughts entirely.
after being caught so many times he can hardly think it's still unlikely he will be caught again at some point.
GT3 said:
Yea it is easy to drift over the speed limit
well, as i've discussed at length no it's not.
remember your speedo reads fast but the cam/gun reads true, so drifting a little over the limit by your speedo actually means in reality you're either at or still under the limit.
it's like when you hear about motorists being done for, say,34 in a 30 limit.
now that sounds harsh and i'd agree with you, but when you take into account that to actually BE doing 34 your speedo will have been showing 37mph maybe more, it removes the "whoops" argument IMHO.
GT3 said:
But you do come accross as being very anti-speeding, which I don't agree with ;)
you should read more of my posts my friend.
i think that most of the drivers that think they're able to judge how safe it is to drive on a given road are exactly the opposite ie NOT able/qualified to do so.
i think that many of the limits on our roads could be raised a little with absolutely no detrimental effect to road safety.
i break the limit every day, in fact thinking about it i break the limit every time i get behind the wheel.coming home from work on the motorway today is a case in point.an indicated ton for about ten minutes.what really annoys me is people that were blatantly going for it but scream "it wasn't my fault" when they get caught.i've had a few SP30's before and although i wasn't very happy about aquiring them, on the other hand i knew what i was doing and i took my punishment like an adult.
 
Soldato
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MonkeyMan said:
2. Spending most of your time on the motorway (specs etc), which is incredibly boring and I'd rather have a speeding lorry driver than a sleeping one.
the guy said he'd been caught on the A1 north of newcastle.
there are a few fixed cameras up there and anyone that drives for a living knows about them as they've been there for at least 7 or 8 years that i can recall.
MonkeyMan said:
3. Working to very tight deadlines, on congested roads. In what I'd imagine is quite a stressful job.
in the past i'd agree with you there, but the reforms the transport industry has had thrown upon it stop this kind of employer pressure.
MonkeyMan said:
Now none of those are an excuse, but I wouldn't assume that the bloke is a bad driver just because he's been caught speeding a few times.
to be honest mate i have no idea if this guy is a bad driver.
i know he's a stupid one however as he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar so many times and yet he still hasn't modified his behaviour.
it doesn't take a genius to work out this man will be banned and lose his job at some point in the future, and for someone that made a big deal about having a family to provide for, it's a little hypocritical don't you think?
 
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