i was stopped for speeding 53 in a 50 zone?

Question

my speedo needle shakes and does not read a steady speed i told them this and they said i was being reported for the offence, the speedo needle was fluctuating at 47 upto 55.

i had a radar gun detector but the police car was behind me, unmarked

Answer 1

The 10% margin is a variable used by police forces around the uk when pacing but seems to be that people have transferred to the speed camera.
They are 99.9% accurate set by goverment findings and are calibrated on a daily basis.
50 means 50 not 53 or 57 or 102 you it the lower threshold of 53 still a valid cop.
Pay the ticket and get of likely because if you go into court and tell them your speed clock stammers between 47-53 they may
A) put a prohibition order on car get it fixed and re mot
B) fine you for driving a vaehicle with faulty ancillary device (contrary to the road traffic act & vehicle conveyance act)
C) fine you for speeding and A & B
D) none of the above.

If this is your first ticket you may be offered the oppurtunty to attend a road awareness course at a fee with no fine or points.

Answer 2

Although usually most radar guns are set for a 10 % tolerance, they don't actually have to allow you this discretion. Your speedo could be out considerably if you've changed the size of your wheels or the profile of your tyres. You should get the speedo re-calibrated (although it will still not be completely accurate, the only thing that is is a GPS/sat nav with a digital readout or a digital speedo). You could try to appeal the fine, but there is the risk that if you go to court a magistrate could increase the fine further or give you penalty points (going by the NI legal system). To be honest I'd say best just to pay the fine and be more cautious in thefuture, sorry chum.

Answer 3

53 in a 50 is speeding however these are the ACPO recommendations:-

Limit Fixed Penalty Summons
20 mph 25 mph 35 mph
30 mph 35 mph 50 mph
40 mph 46 mph 66 mph
50 mph 57 mph 76 mph
60 mph 68 mph 86 mph
70 mph 79 mph 96 mph
Fixed penalty of
£60 (pending)
Licence endorsed with 3 penalty points
Magisterial discretion (level 2) maximum of:
£1000 fine
Licence endorsed - range of penalty points available
Disqualification
Compulsory re-testing

This guidance does not and cannot replace the police officer's discretion and they may decide to issue a summons or a fixed penalty notice in respect of offences committed at speeds lower than those set out in the table. Moreover, in particular circumstances, driving at speeds lower than the legal limit may result in prosecution for other offences, for example dangerous driving or driving without due care and attention when the speed is inappropriate and inherently unsafe.

Basically you can be prosecuted at speeds under the guidlines but it is upto the officer to show that the speed you were doing was inappropriate for the conditions. ie 32 may be excessive at driving through a crowd of school children leaving school when you should be crawling along. It all depends on the circumstances. Personally I think summons is harsh why were you not given a fixed penalty notice? And are you sure it was a 50 zone and not a 30? What were the circumstances? It all sounds rather odd to me!

Answer 4

Firstly just because your getting reported doesn't mean you will get a fine the cops are busy like everyone else if you haven't been notified of the court case in 6 months your OK.

But i have to say its your own fault if you know your speedos faulty either get it fixed or drop your speed to compensate using your defective speedo as an excuse could have got you done for driving an roadworthy vehicle.

And come on m8 there really is no excuse you know your speed or you should and you know the limit of the road your on, take it on the chin, mark it down to experience, get yourself a detector and don't get caught again.

PS im not preaching i got reported doing 53 in a 30 zone, no fine court to busy, best of luck

Answer 5

usually there is a 10% allowance for bad speedo readings. i was clocked doing 34 in a 30 zone and when the letter came through i had the option of a fine and 3 points or a speed awareness course. i opted for the latter, which cost me more than the fine would have been but i still have a clean licence. if you try to appeal this all the police will say is that it is your responsibility to ensure your gauge gives an accurate reading.

Answer 6

Having a defective speedo is likely to get you fined for a further offence because your car is legally required to have a correctly working speedo.

It is ridiculous, however, stopping you for 53 in a 50 zone. They should let it go at less than 5MPH over the limit.

Answer 7

You are allowed 10% plus at least one mile an hour by All Police Forces, so getting reported does not mean a prosecution..
If you receive a NIPS then you can argue on the grounds that 10% plus 1 is 56 and therefore you are within the buffer zone layed down by the Police to there road Officers. Do not tell anyone your speedo is faulty, this is an admission of an offence in its own right and could lead to a seperate prosecution.

Answer 8

If you can prove it go to court and appeal. Also there may be a case that you are allowed a 10% error in your speed. But what you need to understand is what they said to you.

Did they say your average speed was 53 mph in which case you might have been doing a lot more in places and you have nothing to appeal against.

But if they are saying you went to 53 mph then you will probably be able to get away with it.

Make sure you know what the charge is and what can you prove.

Good luck

Answer 9

You shouldn't have to be 'told off'.
I'm only 14, so I'm not positive and it also depends on country,
but I don't think you can get arrested if you're under 10% over the limit, eg. You can go up to 33 in a 30 zone because speed meters are known to vary within 10% accuracy.
That's what I was told anyway..

Answer 10

The speed cop was certainly over zealous but I suspect that if you went to court you could lose your case. Why not write to the Chief Constable and put your case for it seems awfully unfair when in other areas some leniency of around 10% is allowed.