learner driver - speeding fines?

[joko]

hi,

i am a learner driver and the other day i went on a dual carriageway, which was 40mph - i sped up a bit to reach 40 and went a bit over "i think" about 42-43 and just then i saw a sign for a speed camera - does this mean i have been photographed?

and will i be fined, given that i am a learner?

and i know i did wrong, before anyone says, but will i be 'let off' given the circumstances?

many thanks

[CheekyChops]

Hi Joko

Just because you saw a sign for a speed camera doesn't mean there was one in the immediate vicinity, even if there was it won't necessarily have snapped you. Where I live we have signs for cameras all along a 6 mile stretch of road yet there are only 3 cameras, one at each end and one in the middle!

I think you are allowed a small leeway anyway so I doubt they would fine you for going 3mph over the limit.

[WoWo]

If you had been caught (which I doubt if the circumstances are as you describe) then you would have faced the same punishment as somebody with a full license.

You would get a �60 fine and 3 points on your license as and when you pass your test.

[JudgeJ]

There are no specific exceptions for learner drivers. However, you should also be aware (if you are not already) that if you accumulate six or more penalty points within two years of passing your test, your full licence will be revoked and you will revert to provisional status again. This means another new driving test (both parts) must be passed.

For the purposes of this, points earned whilst you were a provisional licence holder count. So if you get three points as a learner and then three more after passing your test, your licence will be revoked.

[joko]

thanks guys.

i will have to try to keep my eye on this - its a new car you see, and automatic, which i am not used to and i am still not used to the pedals and how to balance it properly.

is there any way to appeal a ticket? due to circumstances...

[dzug]

Due to what circumstances? I can't see any in your posts.

[joko]

dzug - i think its pretty clear what i mean - that i am a learner and that it was only 2-3 over... it is written there in black and white... those are the circumstances of what happened... simple

[JudgeJ]

As has already been pointed out, it does not seem likely that you will be prosecuted on this occasion. However, I think you need to understand some basic principles.

Citing the �circumstances� you describe to mitigate your offence (that you are a learner) is unlikely to cut much ice. The level of excess speed will automatically be taken into account in any sentence that is set for speeding. However, the fact that you are a learner actually aggravates the offence in the eyes of the law. All drivers are expected to obey the speed limits and inexperienced drivers are expected to be exceptionally careful as they learn to drive, particularly with regard to those limits. It is one of the first principles you should grasp.

You will not pass your driving test if you exceed the speed limit (even if only by one or two miles an hour) whilst taking it. You can also see that the new drivers� licence revocation provisions show that new drivers are shown less tolerance in committing misdemeanours than those more experienced

[joko]

thanks judge, thats what i wanted to know.

however, i did not use the word 'mitigating', you did.
i merely said the word 'circumstances', meaning 'these are the circumstances of the incident' - it doesn't mean i was trying to plead some kind of special case.

i merely wanted to know how these cases are usually dealt with, whether they would go easy on you because of your inexperience.

i am well aware of the speed limit rules and have rarely ever gone over it.
like i said this was a one off misjudgement of pedal power.

[RobPA28]

lets get things into perspective... if one person in this country tells me they have never brokent the speed limit I will eat my hat! I just will not believe it! With the exceptioni of tractor drivers who just cause accidents instead!

[Kathyan]

Sorry if this sounds flippant, but how on earth do you balance the pedals on an automatic car? I have been driving an automatic car for the past 7 years and basically you use the accelerator pedal to go and the brake pedal to stop. Where does the 'balance' come into it?

[joko]

kathyan - i mean getting the right amount of pressure on the accelerator to control the speed without having to keep pressing on the brake to stop going faster than i want to

that it what i mean by balance - understand?

basically i pressed too hard on the pedal, as it seems "looser" that the manual i am more used to, and sped up quickly, just as i went past a camera.


seriously everyone - i am a 34 year old female, not some boy racer, so can we drop the attitude please!

[hannah40]

When I’ve sat with learner drivers I’ve checked there speed as I feel I am as responsible as the Driver. Perhaps ask the person who was with you instructing you.