Was driving home at around 2:00am on totally clear dual carraigeway doing 85-90mph.  I was totally alone on the road, but far behind me i could see car headlights, and could tell the car was going much faster than me, so i was wary, and slowed down, watching my speed, to 80mph.  I expected the car to just zoom past, but instead it stuck behind me for a minute or 2, and then sure enough, i realised it was a police car when it put its blue lights on and pulled me over.



The first thing the policeman said was "any reason you where doing 110mph?".  I was suprised that he came up with this figure, and said "i wasnt doing 110mph".  He then said that he was doing 110mph to catch up with me, which didnt suprise me as he caught up with me pretty fast.  Then he said "youre getting a ticket", asked for my license and to get into the back of his car.  He also said "do you realise you would lose your license for going over 100mph?"  He then asked me how fast did i think i was going, and i said "realistically, 80mph", to which he replied "try again".  By this point i was feeling a bit unfairly and unreasonably targeted, knowing that i was going at 80mph for the whole time the car was following me.  He wrote out a ticket for 100mph, and i again told him that i was doing 80mph, but he just ignored me and continued.  There was another officer in the car, who didnt say much, except "even if you where going at 80, you'd still get a ticket".  That was basically it.



So, do i just accept it and pay the fine, and take the 100mph ticket even though i am 100% CERTAIN i never went at 100mph anywhere on that road?  I will accept and admit the 80mph that i was going at the time they where behind me, but i would be extremely frustrated accepting 100mph, and will 100mph show up my license?  How do i know what offence code will go on my license, it just says Z10D and "Exceed speed limit. 100mph in 70mph limit" on the ticket.  Will i have any chance in court, considering that there where 2 police officers in the car?  



Any advice?

How was your speed measured? Was it occifer's opinion and a calibrated speedometer or was there (for example) a police pilot or vascar system installed? Did you see any video equipment or recording being made? Camera on the dash or screen below? If so that might help your case as it would show the circumstances of the speed follow check.

Depending on the circumstances it is possible to contest any charge that may result but if you think you were exceeding the speed limit then the best option is to go for trial, plead guilty and then have a "newton hearing" - a form of "trial in a trial" to establish the speed that was actually used. 80moph get s a lesser fine than 100mph. So it can be worth this form of bargaining if you think you are being fitted up for the wrong speed but concede that you may have been "slightly over the limit".

However two officers corroborating each others evidence is statistically a difficult thing to defeat in court. It does happen but it is not usually simple unless they both make bad mistakes giving evidence. good luck!

SP30 will be the standard code issued on license for this endorsement, seems the one you have is a local force code.

So you were issued a Fixed Penalty Notice 3 points, £60?

Im not 100% sure, but i didnt see any kind of video equipment except for a sat nav i think. The officer didnt tell me how he calculated my speed, just that he was doing 110mph to catch up with me. He could only have taken a reading while he was directly behind me, at which point i was checking my speed and doing 80mph, so i really dont know where the "100mph" came from, nor why he changed his accusal from 110 to 100.

Is it a fixed penalty notice you have been given (ie 3 points and 60 pound fine)? If so, I'd accept it asap. The word of 2 police of you doing >100mph could well see you banned. Even if you went to court and manage to Newton plea and get the alleged speed down to 85mph, you would still get 3 points and a larger fine.

What he said.

Assuming that you have been given a Fixed Penalty Notice (or provisional FPN), the fact that the ticket says 100 mph is utterly irrelevant. If convicted of speeding, you will not get a lesser penalty than the fixed penalty.

If you are confident that you can discredit the evidence of 2 BiB to the extent that you would be acquitted, it may be worth fighting, but if the best you can do is convince the court that you were only doing 80, you'd be worse off.

Thanks guys, very helpful.  I was starting to lean towards the same opinion.

One of the reasons I have usually got my Nokia tracking my journeys, an example from a bicycle ride around Richmond Park...

http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/workout...ex.do?id=947279

Have you got a 'ticket'?

3 Points and £60 fine???

That's the important part and the questions to answer.

If you go to court both Orifices will insist you were doing 100mph +++ and you WILL receive a short ban. Better to take the 3 points and £60 and learn a lesson IF this is what you have been offered.

You 'admitted' to breaking the law. 80mph in a 70mph limit is still breaking the law. This is a trap most people fall into. NEVER say anything to the Police. Confirm your name, DOB and address. Do not be drawn into discussion about anything else. By all means discuss the weather or the football but nothing which will convict you of a crime or even remotely relates to something which could be used against you. Don't be cheeky either. If you know what is happening and you believe you have a valid reason/defence to the situation then it could be worth putting it forward: ie: I was speeding as I am rushing my passenger to hospital, they've just lost an arm! Police escort ensues... Very valid reason for breaking a law as long as you are not unnecessarily further endangering the lives of others/yourself.

Yes i got a ticket with a £60 fine, and it just says "the appropriate amount of points" on the back, so im not totally sure if its 3 points.  The officer didnt directly say that.

If it is the standard "3 points and a £60 quid fine" then,as others have said, take it. If you intend to admit the offence it will probably not get any cheaper or easier by any other route. If you don't intend to admit the offence you had better have some very good evidence to support your case or it will be somewhat more expensive, even without a solicitor. May be that evidence exists but I don't recognise it from what I have read so far.

The "exaggeration" of the alleged speed is a fairly standard ploy to make you think you've got off lightly with a fixed penalty. If you had been doing that speed and the officer felt he could prove it you'd have been reported.

For speeding only 3 points can be awarded for acceptance of a fixed penalty.

Simon