Bloody Speed Traps!!!

From memory the offer arrives only after admission of the offence when supplying rider details

 

That's how it seems to me from the blurb.
Courses now on line, and that I can see, assuming that I get offered one having thrown myself to their tender mercies, will likely snooker me, I'm happily crap with computers, better at speeding, obviously.

 

That is bad luck .. and it is bad luck because all of us drift over the 30 limit ... mostly because of the distraction of keeping a vehicle pointing the right way and not hitting anything or anybody...add to that the traffic driving too close behind and almost physically pushing you along to go faster... almost every time I go out on the bike or in the car I come home aware I’ve unintentionally done something wrong along the way and worry for a bit... either found myself with no idea what the speed limit is as the signs aren’t clear or obscured by trees or just didn’t see it... or slightly over the limit because my is mind elsewhere, or because it’s April 1st and The Fates have decided to make a fool of me ... anything!!... hope it’s the speed awareness course as that is the fairest for the speed you were doing but just bad luck there was a camera at that time .

 

On a slightly different note, but will no doubt link at some point to speeding offences. The proposed new Highway Code is proposing a hierarchy for those driving and riding vehicles who can cause more harm, vulnerable groups are pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists, there has been a survey of motorists to gauge their responses, some signs are also being updated, I have been actively looking at this issue for some time, I first saw the proposals as a long standing member of the IAM for both car and motorcycle, and have regular re tests, I do look and keep abreast with the Highway Code given all the new signage on motorways. I can see the writing on the wall already, imagine being caught speeding in an area that say has warning signs for horses (even if none are present when the speeding took place), the Courts place emphasis on the Highway Code amongst other things when sentencing for the more serious motoring offences (higher speeds etc). Let's face it there is no consistency from different Police forces regarding speeding, some offer speed awareness courses others do not. I have submitted a response along with thousands of other people, yes the Highway Code needed updating no argument there, however some of the proposals are controversial in my humble opinion, crazy that helmets or insurance are not compulsory for Cyclist or horse riders, it's even more crazy that duel carriageways allow all manner of road users to ultalise them whilst having the same speed limit as motorways (not all do though). Dash cams for instance in cars are a good idea if used as intended, however look at how many drivers upload their dash cam footage to a linked Police data base, next base dash cams have just such a data base set up for those using their product, however that have to upload the whole journey they undertook, so any transgression and they can also face prosecution. Be guarded about what you post on social media, the Police monitor Facebook etc etc and you would be very surprised at the amount of people caught and prosecuted through what they share. Ride safe all.

 

That’s a very considered appraisal of the situation... I too sent my comments to the Highway Code revision and said helmets, high viz , compulsory registration and insurance for cyclists and horse riders should be implemented. Seems though as a cyclist you can have free reign to own the road and report everything you catch on your helmet cam with little personal liability for anything. ..

 

I got clocked at 87 in a 60 limit on the A37 between Limavady and Coleraine in NI on race day at the 2016 NW200. A few beers the night before, got up late, wolfed down the breakfast and made haste. The A37 at that point is single carraigeway but very wide with a hard shoulder. A black unmarked Golf parked up roadside clocked me even though I saw them up ahead and slowed down. They tailed me for around a mile (at 60mph) before pulling me in. Result, £65 fine plus 3 points but, here's the strange bit, I had to post my licence to Belfast where the DVA created an additional Northern Irish paper licence to put the points on. They didn't go on my main licence so when a check is done on my licence number, no points are shown!

 

Hi Pegscraper
You are spot on, however on the 30/10/2015 the UK and Ireland signed an agreement on Mutual Recognition of Driving Disqualifications. This agreement replaced the 1998 European Convention on Driving Disqualifications, which the UK opted out of as part of the block opt - out from the Treaty of Lisbon on the 01/12/2014. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 has amended the Crime International Co-Operation act 2003 and provides the mechanism regarding the agreement between the UK and Ireland and is given legal effect, this came into force on the 01/08/2017, it covers a huge range of offences that if committed in Ireland and you receive a disqualification, a person will be unable to Drive in the U.K. and visa versa. However there is no mutual recognition of penalty points between the jurisdictions, so the UK courts cannot take into account Irish penalty points for totting up purposes. I would strongly advise not trying to use an Irish Driving Licence in the U.K. that was given to you in the circumstances you describe as that would land you in the Crown Court. The Isle Of Man (IOM) however do have reciprocal arrangements with the UK regarding penalty points, and penalties are far harsher than those imposed by the U.K. Courts, there are de restricted section of roads, however that said you can still be prosecuted for a wide range of offences, the more serious offences will see you arrested, held in custody and brought before the Court the following morning (swift summary justice). Ride safe all.

 

While we were at the TT one year and doing our usual early morning lap of the course a friend of mine got clocked at just over 40mph in the 30 zone at Ballaugh at 7:10am. He was told to report to the court buildings in Douglas next day which he did bright and early at 8am and there was a long cue of people outside the building waiting to be "done". He was in court barely 5 mins, fined and that was the end of it but this was either late 80's or very early '90's, can't quite remember exactly. A guy in the same digs as us was caught at over 100mph into the 30 zone at Kirkmichael. He went to court, was fined, banned and the Police escorted him back to the digs, waited for him to pack and he was on the next boat home. Again this was at a time when the ban didn't count on the UK mainland. When we first started going over there the derestricted zones were much longer, much of the course from Ballacraine through to Ramsey was deristricted, then gradually the 30, 40 and the 50 zones were extended to cover most of the course leaving just the Ramsey to Douglas section over the mountain and a short bit from Sarah's Cottage to Kirkmichael. It's 20 years since I was last there so it may well have been restricted even further.

 

Hi Pegscraper, the 50 limit covers some of the mountain section from Ramsey, the coast road is limited to 50 during the TT fortnight, its back to being de restricted afterwards, like you I first visited the TT in 1967 and returned most years since for the TT, MGP (now Classic TT and MGP combined), first week Classic TT then MGP, I also attend the S100 annually, that's the best time to go, although it's more popular now, it now sees record numbers of both entries and spectators, Guy Martin used to say his TT appearance was a warm up for the S100, I'm not convinced though, it's definitely more scary and runs in all weathers, the mass start sets some real action, speeds reach 180 in places and the road is a hell of a lot narrower than those on the TT course. Safe riding all, and hopefully we will be back to lots of road racing in 2021, the proposed Isle Of White road races look good if it comes off.

 

We stayed on for the Steam Packet races one year which used to run after the TT on the Billown circuit. Scariest circuit I've ever visited is the Skerries 100 in Ireland. Last time I was there you could almost reach out and touch the riders as they flew past at Gillies leap. Tangragee 100 is/was also a very narrow circuit but I'm not sure if it's run anymore. A few of the true road race circuits over there have closed. Been to the UGP at Dundrod a few times, that's a great circuit. Used to be the fastest road race circuit in the world until chicanes were put in some years ago.