Caught at 100 MPH by speed cameras M25 - have i done everything i can?

[stroudsco]

Hi,

 

I was going to send proof of flight details etc, but again I will contact them Monday to see if they can change the date or if they would like me to proceed with a postal plea.

 

Thanks

[renegadeimp]

If the court can advise on a course of action, perhaps see if you can find a solicitor that could help. At least they could advise you on the absolute best course of action to take.

[stroudsco]

Good point renegadeimp, I would rather attend court on my own though if required.

 

Have scanned the camera picture to show conditions.

 

[Conniff]

Perhaps the fear that his son would end up in ITU again (from missing his steroid replacement therapy), that the OP mentioned in his post, was more pressing for his attention.

 

I accept that that is a reason, perhaps mitigation, and not an excuse, but the OP has already made it clear in his initial posting .....

 

If it was that serious and urgent, the police would have provided an escort if asked.

[stroudsco]

Conniff - thanks for your reply, it makes so much sense and to be honest I didn't even think about that as an option. it was serious and I obviously made the wrong decision, I accept that and willing to accept the consequences of my actions.

 

I will however gratefully remember your comment and will action it in the future if needed.

 

Thanks

[BazzaS]

If it was that serious and urgent, the police would have provided an escort if asked.

 

See previous.

1. This is the background, as another poster was asking why the OP had allowed it to happen.

2. I have already noted, this is the OP's reason, potential mitigation, and not an excuse.

 

However, we digress. We aren't looking at what might have happened but what did happen.

 

I disagree though that in such a scenario it is likely the police would provide an escort to a civilian car; it isn't like there was a pregnant woman in labour who had to be in hospital where there are necessary facilities. More likely the police would source the steroid tablets and bring them to the OP's son ; faster and safer (using trained response drivers in suitably equiped vehicles) ....

[dx100uk]

so as its 100MPH not 101MPH or above

then it's not an auto ban.....

 

IMHO I would use your experience [in terms of you had already assessed the conditions etc etc before you started to speed, to your advantage]

and the potential distress to your child etc etc.

 

I think this might be worthy .

 

what might be an idea though, is to assess what benefit this speeding gave you in terms of time gained toward getting the required medication?

 

travelling at 100MPM over 70MPH [50secs per miles as against 86secs per mile] saved you 36secs per mile you had to travel to get to the medication.

 

 

if you had say 50miles to go , then that 30mins saved....

 

 

get my thoughts...

[BazzaS]

so as its 100MPH not 101MPH or above

then it's not an auto ban.....

 

IMHO I would use your experience [in terms of you had already assessed the conditions etc etc before you started to speed, to your advantage]

and the potential distress to your child etc etc.

 

I think this might be worthy .

 

what might be an idea though, is to assess what benefit this speeding gave you in terms of time gained toward getting the required medication?

 

travelling at 100MPM over 70MPH [50secs per miles as against 86secs per mile] saved you 36secs per mile you had to travel to get to the medication.

 

 

if you had say 50miles to go , then that 30mins saved....

 

 

get my thoughts...

 

Your figures are out.

100 mph is 36 seconds / mile

70 mph is 51.4 seconds / mile

 

Difference is 15.4 seconds / mile, about 1 minute per 4 miles.

 

I think 50 miles is an over-estimation of the motorway mileage (to M25 Jcn 5?), but even at 50 motorway miles : 12 1/2 minutes??

 

50 miles : 100 mph is 30 minutes

50 miles : 70 mph is just under 43 minutes, so 12-13 minutes difference for 50 motorway miles (but how long if involved in an accident??).

[dx100uk]

yes sorry just re visited it

and any way only about 33miles..so not worth it

 

 

i'd not mention anything then?

 

 

dx

[stroudsco]

Thanks Dx100uk, I understand your thoughts entirely, my en route calculations weren't as precise and whilst in traffic I kept my speed between 70-80 as traffic flow allowed.

 

As mentioned I kept my speed down on the A2 due to traffic and of course cameras, therefore why take the chance on the M25 just because it's clear, the problem as always is worry, which then sets off my panic and distress with my lad.

 

We spent the time saved looking for medication at the o2, thought It was dropped in the car, outside the car etc, very rarely do I panic, again, if I'm panicking am in the right mind to access the situation, I would hope so but a judge could look very differently at it, and I would agree!

 

Do you guys really think I should be going into driver experience and the benefit of that extra time?

 

I can confirm the last two times we missed his meds, once due to illness and him not being able to keep it down and once like this being stuck with no backup, resulted in him passing out and an ambulance rushing him into intensive care for just over a day, it's something we have lived with, the crazy thing is within a few hours he will be fine.

 

I digress as well, would welcome any final comments as Im looking to get the final apology done for tomorrow and then see if they would allow a change of date so i can appear in person or if they would prefer a plead for the confined date.

 

Thanks

[stroudsco]

agreed as above, came in whilst i was writing.

[dx100uk]

I think the bottom-line here is what time you could have saved by 'speeding'?

and of course then there comes the issue of your 'assessment' with your 'history'

over a short distance as that.

 

you were righty confused for want of a diff word.

but sadly that and your past experience let you down....

 

your 'saving' at best could only have amount to about a 10mins advantage by 'speeding'

and doing it for the whole 33 miles

which is prob not the case...

 

I think if you mention anything about your 'driving' experience - it will lead to a greater 'penalty'.

 

good call thought...you spotted this yourself early on

..it just needed a clearer.. head to external head{s} to fathom things out for the best.

 

thanks to all

 

dx

[dx100uk]

ruddy internet in Scotland is pants tonight...

 

the case I related too earlier was some 250mls..

hence p'haps a faster speed that played a part...

and what was needed was a very specialist medical from great Ormond street

it was also at 02:00hrs when the chopper doesn't fly.

 

nuff said

[stroudsco]

Thanks for your time and comments, I would agree about not mentioning my past experience, it just makes me look a bigger fool.

 

Cheers

[dx100uk]

shame really I feel for yo in a way

let hope it goes ok

 

 

but if it get silly and push comes to shove it might be worth a mention

or at least the medical side regarding past experiences regarding what happens if the medication is missed.

 

 

judges at the end of the day are only humans

and when young off spring are involved the head goes out the windows.........

[stroudsco]

Thank you again Dx100UK for all your help and advice

[stroudsco]

Just an update

- I called the magistrates today

they advised to send my plea by post,

they said it would not be detrimental to my case,

 

 

I was also advised that the court may look to adjourn if they felt the matter required me to attend

- which I presume would mean a ban.

 

Here is the final letter,

my wife has gone though it and thought I hadn't made it clear enough about my son,

she mentioned that it could be an excuse that anyone could use

- I needed some medicine etc.

 

You will read that my lad's condition is very rare, only 30 cases worldwide and can be fatal,

even though he receives a disability allowance and has certain requirements you wouldn't know that he has any conditions,

 

 

as I mentioned before only 3 times in his life has he fallen ill, but once it happens things get serious very quickly

- someone mentioned about taking him to the nearest hospital which I think would have taken me the same time as it did meeting my wife

 

 

- I would mention we did this when he was maybe 8 and feel ill,

to be honest they had no idea what to do as his condition is so rare,

 

 

they then had to get his records from east surrey, even though we carry a set with us!

then they wouldn't do anything without speaking to his consultant Charles Buchanan at Kings College hospital

 

 

- it was hours before anyone could do anything

- even though we advised exactly what was needed

- We swore that never again would this happen and here I am, it is a terrifying experience,

 

 

I will say we were not at the stage of him passing out, he however knows if something is not right!

 

Anyway here is the letter, everything is going off recorded delivery tomorrow, Thanks CAG!

 

I am writing with regards to the charge of driving at a speed exceeding 70 miles an hour,

I wanted to ensure that the court was aware that I immediately completed and returned the Kent Police notification which was addressed to my wife and confirmed that I was in fact the driver and pleaded guilty to the offence.

 

 

Upon receiving the written charge (26th July) I tried to make a guilty plea online on the same day

– having received errors online and speaking to the plead helpline

– I was informed there were problems with the computer system

and that my case number was one of those that wouldn’t work,

I left my details and have made my plea direct as below.

 

I am in receipt of a court hearing date of 8th August.

My family and myself are away for two weeks starting from this date.

This has been booked for over 7 months,

I wanted to make it clear to the court that my non appearance should not be seen as any lack of respect for the court or a sign that I do not take this offence very seriously.

 

I am a family man and have never been in trouble with the police before.

I have a full clean driving licence and this serious offence has brought great shame on myself which indeed reflects on my family – for this I cannot apologise enough, I am truly sorry.

 

I am fully aware that this serious matter could impose a driving ban.

I am prepared to accept the courts decision and agree with whatever punishment is imposed.

I include my drivers licence as requested and even though we are away will not drive until I receive the courts verdict.

 

I am shocked at the speed recorded.

I know it will not help my case but I wanted to let the court know that even though I was aware that I was over the speed limit,

I honestly didn’t realise it was by such an excessive speed.

 

 

On the date of the offence,

I was travelling back from the O2 arena with my son who had received tickets for his birthday.

 

 

My son has an endocrine disability which affects his growth

this is a rare life threatening condition of which he is on a twice daily medication and receives disability living allowance.

 

On this particular evening he informed me he had not taken his medication and he was beginning to feel unwell.

He is just one of 30 children in the world to have this condition and it could be fatal for him.

Every day for 11 years he had deep tissue injections in addition to his twice daily medication.

 

 

The last time he missed his medication was 6 years ago and within an hour of feeling unwell,

he was taken to East Surrey hospital where he was taken directly into intensive care.

We ensure he never misses his medication,

 

 

George realised later during the show that he had not taken his tablet

and that we didn’t have any after leaving early from the performance

we also realised we didn’t have them in the car,

again this like the above offence is totally irresponsible on my part.

 

 

We immediately headed home after George started to panic,

my wife drove towards us to meet us at junction 5

the junction after the offence took place,

 

 

this is not meant to be a defence,

I understand what I did was wrong,

as you can see from the pictures provided,

the road was completely empty and the weather was fine, dry and clear.

 

Finally, I feel I let my family down twice on this evening when it was supposed to be a celebration,

I can assure the court that this will not happen again. I am aware of my failings and apologise to all concerned.

 

To reiterate I pled guilty to the original letter that came through from Kent Police.

Upon receipt of the MG4E Postal Requisition I immediately tried to plead guilty online on the ‘makeaplea’ website

however there was an error hence my postal plea herewith.

 

 

I did also ring the Medway magistrates court to see if I could move the date to allow me to attend the hearing personally on my return. I was advised that over 50% plea by post and that would not be detrimental to not attend.

 

I am willing to attend the court directly after our return should I need to to accept a ban or if you would like me to explain myself personally, I will also pay the court courts and fines as soon as we return on 23rd August.

 

Mr XXXXXXXXX

Edited August 1, 2016 by dx100uk

[obiter dictum]

Just a quick question, and it is just my opinion

 

I thought doing over 100 mph is an instant ban in the majority of cases and a court appearence is mandatory if a ban is the likely option.

 

Unsure though

[dx100uk]

101 not 100

 

 

post 22 refers

[stroudsco]

Just a quick update and thanks for all your help!

 

The court dealt with it on the day, I was not able to attend as discussed above -

 

Fine £400 and 5 points

 

I did ring on the day to get an update,

I was advised of the above fine and 5 points

although this isn't mentioned on the fine and collection order,

I take it the points letter will arrive with my license when returned.

 

I consider myself stupid and lucky, again thanks.

[dx100uk]

not bad then

 

 

well done!!

 

 

 

 

dx

[Oddfellow]

5 points is quite a nice penalty to impose (if there can ever be such a thing), as most minor offences will attract 3 points. So even if you get two more convictions, you won't reach the 12 points needed for a mandatory driving ban.

 

 

Hope your lad is ok.

[Conniff]

I consider myself stupid and lucky, again thanks.

 

I'm not so sure 'stupid' is the right word, who of us can honestly say we have never done it,

[stroudsco]

Oddfellow - 2 more! I hope not George was completely fine in the end, as mentioned he is 1 of just 30 with this condition in the world, it's quite maddening that he can go from fine to critical within minutes when feeling unwell, then back to ok after taking it - still we have ensured he has emergency tablets everywhere now!

 

Appreciate the comment Conniff.

 

I have made a donation again, as always you offer a real valuable service not just in guidance and advice but also real world comments.

 

Thanks

 

Dave