Variable speed limit not illuminated but flashed anyway

[Spartacus]

it isn't..

it's just that not all forces follow those guidelines and it is just a guideline.

This^

Along with the fact that nobody in the history of the internet has ever been able to upload a scan of a NIP for getting done for less than 10%+2mph by a speed camera

 

[Spartacus]

The 10%+2 is a massive urban myth. Hopefully you will tell the next person who mentions it now you have been properly informed

It is not a myth

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines do not state by what threshold a driver is "allowed" to exceed the speed limit by, but at what speed a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) should first be issued. The guidelines state that once a vehicle reaches the 10% plus 2mph threshold, i.e. 35mph in a 30mph limit, a notice should be issued. No action is taken by the police below these thresholds.

Taken from here: https://www.westmercia.police.uk/ar...t-TOR-Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQs#faq7313

So if your in Worcestershire at least the police will not normally do you for speeding within these 'myth' thresholds.

Hopefully you will tell the next person who mentions it now you have properly been informed

 

[cadmunkey]

Yes its a myth, according to the Police at the speed awareness course I just attended. And over three quarters of the attendees there had all be driving at 10% +2 but all received a fine...
So the advice was to regard the 10%+2 as false information, as some forces will, and can, prosecute you at +1mph now.

 

[cadmunkey]

double post.

 

[Sin_Chase]

Yes its a myth, according to the Police at the speed awareness course I just attended. And over three quarters of the attendees there had all be driving at 10% +2 but all received a fine...
So the advice was to regard the 10%+2 as false information, as some forces will, and can, prosecute you at +1mph now.

Depends on your interpretation. The guideline is not a myth. Any speeding amount can be prosecuted but the guidelines exist for a reason. No force is ever going to prosecute 31 in a 30.

It covers plenty such as inaccuracies (perceived or actual) in measuring equipment (especially radar) and the fact if anything from +1 was prosecuted 90 percent of the population would be receiving NIPs. Get done for 31 in a 30 and seek to take it to the court.... If the case was even put to court I'd eat my hat. If it did you could succinctly introduce reasonable doubt with margin for error on recording equipment to get the case dropped.

Even countries which are super strict on speeding have allowances for the very same reasons.

 

[Spartacus]

Yes its a myth, according to the Police at the speed awareness course I just attended. And over three quarters of the attendees there had all be driving at 10% +2 but all received a fine...
So the advice was to regard the 10%+2 as false information, as some forces will, and can, prosecute you at +1mph now.

Yes it's just a myth .. the police are telling lies on their website to catch out drivers

Yes I'm aware the police don't have to follow those guidelines but they generally do.. which is why no one has EVER scanned and uploaded a NIP on motoring forums showing a NIP for going a couple of mph over the speed limit. I've seen posts where people have claimed they've been done for 2mph over the limit but when asked to show the NIP on the forum they don't ..EVER.
Also if it is just a myth I must be the luckiest man alive since I've been driving 25 years and gone through hundreds of speed cameras over the years at around 10% over the limit (I check I'm not above that when going through cameras) and never once received a NIP. Before you say it, yes I know how much my speedometer over reads by (around 3mph) and I'm counting that too, so that means Ive often gone through 50mph speed cameras at 58mph shown on my speedometer ... just last month I went past a parked police speed camera van at 10% over too.

Cheers

 

[cadmunkey]

Not going to argue with someone on the net about it, especially one who was badass enough to speed past a police camera van at 10% over the limit and watched his speedo the entire time whilst he did it
If you want to believe that every single person on the course had been caught doing faster than 10+2 then be my guest. Everyones speed was there clear to see on a list, plus the 10+2 myth was discussed extensively. They dont run the course to misinform people, they want to educate, and part of that education was to tell people not rely on the 10+2. But you can keep blasting around over the limit, you will be caught eventually.

 

[Jokester]

Not going to argue with someone on the net about it, especially one who was badass enough to speed past a police camera van at 10% over the limit and watched his speedo the entire time whilst he did it
If you want to believe that every single person on the course had been caught doing faster than 10+2 then be my guest. Everyones speed was there clear to see on a list, plus the 10+2 myth was discussed extensively. They dont run the course to misinform people, they want to educate, and part of that education was to tell people not rely on the 10+2. But you can keep blasting around over the limit, you will be caught eventually.

Out of interest what speed were you doing to get caught?

 

[Spartacus]

Yes it's just a myth .. the police are telling lies on their website to catch out drivers

Yes I'm aware the police don't have to follow those guidelines but they generally do.. which is why no one has EVER scanned and uploaded a NIP on motoring forums showing a NIP for going a couple of mph over the speed limit. I've seen posts where people have claimed they've been done for 2mph over the limit but when asked to show the NIP on the forum they don't ..EVER.
Also if it is just a myth I must be the luckiest man alive since I've been driving 25 years and gone through hundreds of speed cameras over the years at around 10% over the limit (I check I'm not above that when going through cameras) and never once revived a NIP. Before you say it, yes I know how much my speedometer over reads by (around 3mph) and I'm counting that too, so that means Ive often gone through 50mph speed cameras at 58mph shown on my speedometer ... just last month I went past a parked police speed camera van at 10% over too.

Cheers

Not going to argue with someone on the net about it, especially one who was badass enough to speed past a police camera van at 10% over the limit and watched his speedo the entire time whilst he did it
If you want to believe that every single person on the course had been caught doing faster than 10+2 then be my guest. Everyones speed was there clear to see on a list, plus the 10+2 myth was discussed extensively. They dont run the course to misinform people, they want to educate, and part of that education was to tell people not rely on the 10+2. But you can keep blasting around over the limit, you will be caught eventually.

Lol badass

Seriously though.. when I say went through at around 10% over the limit it means I looked down and saw I was within the guidelines for prosecution tolerance and didn't hit the brakes and slow down like many petrified drivers do. See them all the time hit their brakes and drop to 27mph actual speed in a 30 zone at a camera. I just go through at 32/33 if that's what I'm doing and NEVER get a NIP. I'll continue as I have done for many years as I don't believe I'll get one, ..,and if I ever do it will most likely be a speed awareness course offered and I'll pay the £100 and do the course. I'll also upload the NIP if I get one for going 32mph since it will be the first time since the internet was invented that anyone has

Next time you get a NIP for going 30.5mph please upload it for us all

Cheers

 

[grahamjenks]

Not going to argue with someone on the net about it, especially one who was badass enough to speed past a police camera van at 10% over the limit and watched his speedo the entire time whilst he did it
If you want to believe that every single person on the course had been caught doing faster than 10+2 then be my guest. Everyones speed was there clear to see on a list, plus the 10+2 myth was discussed extensively. They dont run the course to misinform people, they want to educate, and part of that education was to tell people not rely on the 10+2. But you can keep blasting around over the limit, you will be caught eventually.

That's odd I did a speed awareness course (albeit nearly 2 years ago) and was told it absolutely was not a myth. Exactly as explained above, its guidelines the police choose to enforce. On my course they did say the guidelines were currently applied by all English Forces, Wales and Scotland were different. Maybe things have changed in the last couple of years? Agree that the course is to educate and they were very clear that people shouldn't rely on 10%+2 , and could, if forces chose to enforce, be prosecuted for less, but they were pretty clear thats it not a myth. Maybe they've been told to adjust the message as people weren't getting the point - i.e. don't speed....

As someone else has said, no one has ever seen a NIP uploaded so it seems a pretty consistently discussed myth!

 

[Semple]

Oh great *now* I find out these things are always on - just been down that section today for the first time in ages! Not sure if I strayed up into the 80s or not

EDIT: Actually no, I was in the newer section from the M42 down to J6 - does the same apply there?

I believe they have the same cameras, although not sure if they're permanently on, i've travelled through at 80 plenty of times without issue before.

Frankly if i'm travelling through a section of variable speed limits, even if they're unlit i try and stay a shade under 80.

 

[Gaygle]

What a lot of people get mixed up with is that 10%+2 is the first speed you will be caught at, not the highest speed you won't be caught at.

And no, it's not a myth.

 

[ajgoodfellow]

You might get an offer of a speed awareness course. I have just attended one after being caught at 51mph in a 40mph limit.

It was a quiet road and a 40mph section between two 50mph sections - this is why I think I was lucky and offered the course!

 

[Spartacus]

You might get an offer of a speed awareness course. I have just attended one after being caught at 51mph in a 40mph limit.

It was a quiet road and a 40mph section between two 50mph sections - this is why I think I was lucky and offered the course!

Speed awareness is sometimes offered below 10%+9mph.. so below 53mph

 

[ajgoodfellow]

Speed awareness is sometimes offered below 10%+9mph.. so below 53mph

I didn't realise that - thanks! I must admit that I was thrilled not to have to take the points

 

[div0]

Because it will knock 30s off your journey dammit! 30s!!!!

I know your post was tongue in cheek, but you'd save 30s for roughly every 3.5 miles driven.

If you were driving for 350 miles, then you'd get there 50 minutes quicker (4h10@84 vs 5 hours@70)

 

[Entai]

it isn't..

it's just that not all forces follow those guidelines and it is just a guideline.

It's also, far more importantly, a rather old and out of date guideline.

The current guidelines for 70mph roads are

Speed limit: 70 mph

ACPO threshold for:

- a fixed penalty or a Speed Awareness course: 79 mph

- summoning: 96 mph

Also good to remember that technically if a police officer sees the offence themselves, and has confidence in the accuracy of their speed sensing/recording equipment, there is no legal reason that a motorist should not be fined if they travel just one mph over the speed limit, however it is unlikely.

Finally after this years sentencing changes to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, s.89(1), then being convicted of speeding of anywhere between 71 to 90 in a 70mph limit, is a band A offence with 3 points and a fine of up to 75% of your weekly income, (most commonly 50%)

 

[bainbridge]

You might get an offer of a speed awareness course. I have just attended one after being caught at 51mph in a 40mph limit.

It was a quiet road and a 40mph section between two 50mph sections - this is why I think I was lucky and offered the course!

I hope so, my last fixed penalty was just over 7 years ago so fingers crossed!

 

[Phemo]

I know your post was tongue in cheek, but you'd save 30s for roughly every 3.5 miles driven.

If you were driving for 350 miles, then you'd get there 50 minutes quicker (4h10@84 vs 5 hours@70)

Assuming you're able to keep the same speed throughout the whole journey and that there is no traffic to slow you down which is fair enough during the early hours. The reality is often different though, especially as I find that every time I do a long trip in the early hours there are roadworks and lane/road closures to mess you up anyway.

Even on reasonable drives it's not really much of a difference. For example, my commute to work is around 58 miles each way, 40 miles of which is on the A3 so it's a dual carriageway. In theory, sticking to the speed limit, the whole trip should take 1 hour and 10 minutes. You can't speed on the remaining 18 miles really since it's all reasonably busy single lane local roads with 30/40 limits.

On the 40 mile A3 stretch, at 70mph, it would take around 35 minutes whereas at a solid 90mph it would take 27 minutes, so an 8 minute saving. The reality is that traffic, lorries, lane hoggers etc stop you from being able to do that so I reckon at best I'd save 5 minutes taking my 1 hour 10 minute trip down to 1 hour 5 minutes. Hardly worth the effort, but with that said I do usually cruise on motorways/NSL dual carriageway A roads with my speedo at just below an indicated 80 which is 75mph actual, but not for time saving reasons. Have also never had a speeding ticket despite passing numerous camera vans.

 

[Lowe]

I saw the HADECS system at around J13 of the M6 flash for the first time today on the other side of the road. Wondering why it had gone off (traffic was fairly heavy/slow) I looked in my mirror and there was no limit on the gantry signs. Got me worried, I often go through there fairly quick...