JT wrote:
The part of the account that seems most difficult to digest is the notion that in the fortnight or so it took for the s172 notice to come through, not only has the driver left his rented accommodation, but the property itself has also been sold on to a new landlord.
The way I read it was that the driver hasn't lived at the property for quite some time, yet gave that address as his current one (for some reason...maybe so that he couldn't be found there, but could still produce "proof" of living there) when asked by the OP.
To the OP: no-one is saying that your friend is lying, but the fact is that people do sometimes pretend that someone else was driving when they are caught speeding. If your friend is thinking of doing this, please advise her that if she is found to be lying, it is very likely that she will get something like 4 months in prison for perverting the course of justice. Whatever one might think of speed cameras, and however much contempt one might wish to treat them with, it's not worth risking that. Simply filling in the S172 form incorrectly, and doing so knowingly, is all that it takes.
Whether or not someone else was driving, it's worth your friend trying
PePiPoo. They help a lot more people than we do.
Assuming your friend is telling the truth, this is one of the ways in which the camera system is incredibly unfair on the motorist. Your friend may well get a lot of hassle over this and be treated like a criminal by the authorities, despite having done nothing wrong. She may even be convicted. That's the sort of thing that we've come to expect, and is one reason why I find it hard to believe that those who claim that they are completely happy with every aspect of camera enforcement aren't just anti-motorist (rather than "pro-justice" or "pro-safety").
_________________
Paul Smith: a legend.
"The freedom provided by the motor vehicle is not universally applauded, however: there are those who resent the loss of state control over individual choice that the car represents. Such people rarely admit their prejudices openly; instead, they make false or exaggerated claims about the adverse effects of road transport in order to justify calls for higher taxation or restrictions on mobility." (
Conservative Way Forward:
Stop The War Against Drivers)