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Speeding on A9. Wrong info from hire company puts me in Band B.
Annon
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:19
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Hi everyone.

I don't expect there's much to be done about this but I thought I'd ask anyway.

I'm female in my fifties, usually drive a small car, had a clean licence for over 30 years. I had to move after a separation and needed a SWB medium size van which I hired from a very well known hire company. I'd never driven a van before and I was nervous about doing so, so I asked a lot of questions when I picked it up, including what speed limits I had to know about. I was told it was just the same as a car.

The hire company have just informed me (charging me £35 admin fee for doing so) that a speeding ticket is on it's way to me, for doing 66mph on a 60mph road. I was upset as that was my clean record gone, but I didn't think it was that drastic as I was trying to get used to the van and doing 6mph over the limit at one point wasn't hugely bad. The problem is, I've since found out that in a van, the limit is supposed to be 50mph which means I was doing 16mph over the limit not 6. That's enough to push me from Band A penalty into Band B.

I accept I was speeding and will accept responsibility for that, but I thought I had done everything I could by asking about speed limits and the hire company's misinformation will cause my points and fine to be more than they should have been. Is there anything I can do or do I just suck it up?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:19
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thisisntme
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:29
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It actually makes no difference since you should get a FPN for £100 and 3 points in any case. Since no courses given in Scotland, you haven't lost out on anything. Don't take it to court and you won't get penalised any worse than if you were driving a car.

This notwithstanding, legally, the responsibility to know speed limits is yours, so there would be no defence based on being misinformed.

This post has been edited by thisisntme: Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:30


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nosferatu1001
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:33
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It isnt their responsibiltiy to know, but yours, I believe.

However, you might still get into the fixed penalty territory. Ther e is nothing you can do but deal with it for now

AS for the £35 charge - it doesnt actually cost them £35 to look up details and send them out. Takes 5 minutes. Always dispute this charge as being entirely spent on admin...
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The Rookie
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:43
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Make and model of van?

I'd make a complaint to the hire company, you never know you may get some compensation back, I'd at least try and get that £35 back as they caused the issue (well to an extent, as you shouldn't have been doing 66 in a 60 anyway!).

QUOTE (thisisntme @ Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 10:29) *
It actually makes no difference since you should get a FPN for £100 and 3 points in any case.

Erm, except 66 in a 60 is below the enforcement threshold so no action would have been taken had she been driving a vehicle permitted to do 60.


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Annon
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:53
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Thanks for the replies.

I suppose this will need to be filed under 'a lesson learned'.

I do still feel a bit aggrieved though so I have raised it with the company and will be getting a call back later in the day. I'll update if there's anything new to add in case it helps anyone else in future in a similar situation.

QUOTE (The Rookie @ Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 10:43) *
Make and model of van?

I'd make a complaint to the hire company, you never know you may get some compensation back, I'd at least try and get that £35 back as they caused the issue (well to an extent, as you shouldn't have been doing 66 in a 60 anyway!).

QUOTE (thisisntme @ Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 10:29) *
It actually makes no difference since you should get a FPN for £100 and 3 points in any case.

Erm, except 66 in a 60 is below the enforcement threshold so no action would have been taken had she been driving a vehicle permitted to do 60.


Ford Transit SWB

Your last comment is what I feel tbh, I think that's what is the most annoying aspect. Oh well. Live and learn.
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The Rookie
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 09:58
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Yup, most definitely a commercial vehicle and you could easily have checked that via the highway code free online I'm afraid.


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There is no such thing as a law abiding motorist, just those who have been scammed and those yet to be scammed!

S172's
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Rookies 1-0 Birmingham

PPC PCN's
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Redivi
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 10:12
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I've found that very few staff at hire companies are aware of their vehicles' speed limits

Their potential £35 admin income is no excuse for the failure to post a clear sticker in a van as a reminder of the limits
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Annon
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 10:14
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QUOTE (The Rookie @ Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 10:58) *
Yup, most definitely a commercial vehicle and you could easily have checked that via the highway code free online I'm afraid.


Yes, I completely accept that now.

My only answer to that is that I had no reason to disbelieve a large national company whose business is the everyday hiring of cars and vans. Much like when you hire equipment from a tool hire place, you get clear information as to how to use it. I would have expected a van hire company to be trustworthy in giving correct information with regards to one of their 'products', not to be specifically supplying incorrect information. Especially when their customer has made it clear she doesn't know and made a point of asking.

I've since done a straw poll and every person I have asked has all said the same thing, it wouldn't occur to them to check this kind of info given by a hire company, they would all accept what was told to them as they would expect this to be a good source of factual information. At the very least, I don't feel quite as stupid now. icon_redface.gif
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Logician
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 13:23
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If it is any consolation, I think you did well even to think of asking the question about the limit for the van, and naturally you felt able to trust the answer. It is a bit absurd to have a lower limit for something like a
Transit anyway.


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NewJudge
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 14:40
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QUOTE (Redivi @ Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 11:12) *
Their potential £35 admin income is no excuse for the failure to post a clear sticker in a van as a reminder of the limits

I would imagine their £35 "Admin Fee" is the very reason why they are none too keen to remind their customers of the lower limits. cool.gif cool.gif
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Logician
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 15:01
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It is not just rental companies, we have heard on here from employees who have been told to drive vans without any instruction as to the applicable limits. Everything now comes with so many safety warnings nowadays, it would seem not too much to ask the manufacturers to put a sticker in the van.


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Redivi
post Tue, 31 Jul 2018 - 15:41
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I recall a survey a few months ago that found that most professional van drivers didn't know their speed limits
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glasgow_bhoy
post Fri, 3 Aug 2018 - 09:54
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The speed limits for vans etc. are part of your driving test, so perhaps the hire companies assume you'll be aware of them, what with having passed a driving test. Its a stupid, outdated limit, but such is life.

I've also never hired a van without there being a sticker on the dash or windscreen indicating the speed limits for the vans. I doubt they'll accept any liability based on the absence of one though.
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cp8759
post Fri, 3 Aug 2018 - 16:06
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QUOTE (glasgow_bhoy @ Fri, 3 Aug 2018 - 10:54) *
I've also never hired a van without there being a sticker on the dash or windscreen indicating the speed limits for the vans. I doubt they'll accept any liability based on the absence of one though.

+1, I'm pretty sure every hire agreement has something along the lines of "the driver is fully responsible for complying with all traffic laws and signs at all times..."


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Logician
post Fri, 3 Aug 2018 - 18:52
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QUOTE (glasgow_bhoy @ Fri, 3 Aug 2018 - 10:54) *
The speed limits for vans etc. are part of your driving test, so perhaps the hire companies assume you'll be aware of them, what with having passed a driving test. Its a stupid, outdated limit, but such is life. I've also never hired a van without there being a sticker on the dash or windscreen indicating the speed limits for the vans. I doubt they'll accept any liability based on the absence of one though.


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