Everyone knows how vitally important it is to arrive on time for the first day of work at a new job. You spent the night before reading over your new employee hand book and turned in early in order to be well rested and sharp for your first day on the job. The only problem, you forgot to set your alarm. The next morning you begin to rouse after a peaceful night’s sleep only to be shocked completely awake when you look at the clock. You only have 20 minutes to make it across town to your new job; filled with panic you throw on whatever clothes you can reach the fastest, and race out the door with mismatched socks and a piece of toast hanging from your mouth.

Once in your car you hold the accelerator to the floor as you play a dangerous game of lorry slalom through the narrow streets of your town. The last thing on your mind as you fly through town at retina detaching speed is the amazing amount of technology dedicated to catching speeding motorists.

Speed Cameras and Other Technology Meant to Catch You in the Act

These days the police have a vast array of devices to catch speeding motorists, including video, radar sensors, still frame cameras, laser sensors, and even stopwatches are being used. The stopwatch may seem like a laughable dinosaur amongst these other high tech, James Bondesque devices; however it is surprisingly effective, and nearly invisible to passing motorists. The police just time how long it takes a vehicle to move from one landmark to another and use a simple maths equation to calculate how fast the vehicle is traveling (if you’re lucky you’ll be spotted by a police constable with terrible arithmetic skills). The most popular hands-off approach to monitoring traffic is speed cameras. These insidious devices are in place on most major routes, keeping a virtual eye out for speeding motorists and red light violators. The most popular speed camera in use today is the Gasto. At least 70% of intersections that use speed cameras boast a Gasto. Using a combination of a radar sensor and corroborating photographs (which use lines painted on the road to determine speed) the Gasto speed camera is highly effective at detecting speeding motorists. Bear in mind that the Gasto does have an Achilles’ heel so to speak; the radar can be confused by large vehicles (such as buses and Lorries) and reflective surfaces. Knowing this may save you from fines and penalty points.

The Price You Pay for Speeding

It may be fun speeding down the motorway, windows rolled down, wind whipping your hair… that is until you notice those all too familiar blue lights in your rearview mirror. Depending on the speed at which you were traveling you could receive fines of up to £1,000 or up to £2,500 on motorways, you also run the risk of getting penalty points, receiving 6 months disqualification, and in extreme cases (meaning you were putting drag racers to shame) you can receive a prison sentence and unlimited disqualification. The prospect of losing one’s license is a very unpleasant thought indeed. There are two main ways this can occur. First if you are convicted of careless or dangerous driving, a title one can earn by weaving recklessly in and out of traffic, traveling at speeds 40% over the legal limit, running over your neighbor’s letter box for a laugh, etc. The second way is through the totting up procedure. If you receive 12 points or more within a three year period you will receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) and must appear in court for the totting up procedure, where you will most likely lose your license for the next six months. Lorry and bus drivers will also have to face consequences from VOSA.

A Lesson in Self Defence

Do not despair when an NIP for a recent motoring offence arrives at your door, there are a few things you can do to avoid fines, penalty points, and disqualification. The first thing to do is seek a qualified motoring lawyer before you admit to anything. A qualified lawyer may be able to have the charges against you reduced or dismissed.
If you find yourself called to court by a notice of intended prosecution keep the four P’s in mind when preparing your defence: police, paperwork, proof, and piece of equipment. First make sure that the police constable who pulled you over was certified to operate the device used to determine your speed. Second check to make sure you were issued all of the proper paperwork in a timely manner, an NIP for example must be issued within 14 days of your motoring offence. Third, make sure that the prosecution actually has two pieces of evidence to use against you as the law requires two means of proof for a conviction. Lastly, you can call into question the device(s) used to determine your speed; this can be done through requesting copies of the certification and usage records. Of course, if you hire a lawyer all of this will be taken care of for you.

Next time you’re late for a meeting or personal appointment remember it may be better to be late than to be caught speeding. Although the Gasto speed camera has its flaws, and there can be a good defence for motoring offences, it is much easier and cheaper to drive at the posted speed than it is to face prosecution.