Safe Speed Forums

i think i got flashed last ngiht for speeding but is there anyway to get out of it based on this?

i was going down a hill sticking to the speed limit (30 in a 30) late at night and a car came up about 2 foot behind me (at a speed WELL over 45mph easily) with its full/main beam on so i couldnt see properly, i did what i thought was the normal thing to do and speeded up to put a gap between us, only speeded up a little bit, say 35 or so i think.

i was looking in my mirror and this car speeded up to me again andd i could see the young lads in it waving and jumping about and things anyway this car suddenly hit its brakes which made me do the same but obviously i had already gone past the camera.
im not sure if it flashed or not because the lights from the car were so bright behind me. as soon as wed gone passed the camera it speedup up overtook me gave me a not so nice gesture out of the window and shot off at about 60 miles an hour.

now if it did flash and im not sure as i said then would the excuse that the dangerous following of another car forced me to speed get me off? i cant be sure but id guess that if the camera did flash then it would also pick up the bright light from the car behind me which i could use in my defence?

any advice? ta

It is very unlikely you will get anywhere with that argument without witnesses and a very good lawyer.

Although I believe a certain very highly paid footballer managed to use that defence.

Visit the local cops urgently. Explain the situation and make a statement.

It's possible that yobs are doing this deliberately to loads of folk and the cops might appreciate the chance to catch them at it.

I can't say it'll make a difference to your speeding case, but it just might.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I actually had a similar thing happen to me some years back on a 40mph short stretch of dual carriageway. I was within the speed limit minding my own business riding to work on my motorbike, when a car pulled right up my behind! I could not pull over as there were cars in the other lane so increased my speed to around 45mph. The car was so close, all I could see was the grill and one headlight in my mirror! My mistake was to speed up! Turned out to be a copper! Blue lights in grill came on and I found a safe place to pull over. He stopped and was ready to take all my details. He didn't get the chance! I got off my bike, ripped off my helmet and gave him a right roasting about how he should drive! After his initial suprise at finding I was a very angry female biker (yes, dont mess with us Mr Fuzz!), he admitted he was too close and my inexperience had made me speed up. He let me off and I went on my way!

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Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

He let you off ?!? Let me see if I have this correctly? The police officer was performing one of the oldest entrapment tricks in the book. He was driving dangerously by tailgating (and, I strongly suspect, with intent to "force" you over the speed limit). Rather than "letting you off", he should have been prosecuted for the criminal act that (AFAICT) he had committed.

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Will

He he! You havent seen me when I am angry! Think he just wanted to get away from me in the end! He was only a youngster himself and probably thought bikers were an easy target! How wrong he was!

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Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

The driving culture (the culture in general?) has become so oiked out that this behaviour is 'normal' nowadays. The proper thing would be to have stuck to your guns, or do as I do, which is slow down (to allow them to pass) then if they don't, speed up to the limit again to get some distance. Pulling away only gives them positive feedback so they'll do it to the next guy. But you didn't want to antagonise them, and this happens! Hm, this is going to cost you either way, two wrongs not making a right, so to speak.

That is why I am in favour of real-time monitoring. People like them should be weeded out long before things get this bad.

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I stole this .sig

BW, you have been converted finally . Real time monitoring by traffic plod you mean? Until the Super-Camera arives that is

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DO NOT PANIC

A similar thing happened to me a few years back. I was entering a housing estate and as I passed a side turning I saw a police car approaching on it. I saw him come out of the turning and he raced up to my back bumper just as I began decending a steep hill. I needed to change down into third gear and keep applying the brakes to stay within the 30mph limit. He must have been less than one car length behind me. There were cars parked on either side of the road and I was acutely aware of the possibility of a child or animal running out into my path. Had this happened I would have had a boot full of police car. Fortunately it did not and as the road eventually widened slightly the police car overtook me and screamed off well in excess of the 30 limit. The blue lights were not in operation and nor was the siren sounding. A typical case of one law for us and another for them! If only I'd had the presence of mind to take his registration number so that I could have reported him.

Sorry Tykethat, It is highly unlikely that you will get off with your fine if you get one because of these circumstances. A few years back a mate of mine did get flashed & fined in exactly the same circumstances as yours a car full of arseholes sitting on his back bumper, it was late at night & he was a new driver having only passed his test about a month or 2 earlier, he seen the light turn red at the last minute and he did stop albeit just over the white line but the camera flashed & he got done, he tried explaining his case but they weren,t interested. By all means do appeal, you can only try & I do wish you luck mate but its very doubtfull you will get anywhere. Its all very black & white to them unfortunatly, you crossed the line end of discussion.