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The following is a guest post. Enjoy!
If you pay even the slightest bit of attention to the news (or what information seems to pass as newsworthy these days), then you will surely have noticed the rather alarmingly prevalent trend which involves a high profile celebrity getting caught doing 90 down a quiet country road, yet receiving barely a lick of punishment, aside from the shame of being caught in the act.
And if you are at all like us, you’ll feel pretty outraged about it too! They have absolute mountains of cash going spare, yet they don’t receive the same old speeding fines and driver’s license points that we do – why is that?
Mixed in with that outrage is probably a bit of jealousy as well: how come we can’t get out of a speeding ticket? Is this amazing feat even possible for the average Joe?
The long and the short of it is simple – speeding cameras aren’t infallible. If you wake up one morning and notice the presence of a speeding ticket in your mailbox, don’t let it ruin your day! It might just be worth your time to try and challenge the decision.
Here’s some options you have if you want to challenge the ticket:
Prevention Is the Best Cure
Okay, so this might be too late for you this time, but it’s worth bearing in mind for next time – you probably won’t receive a speeding fine if you’re not caught speeding! The best thing is to never break the speed limit at all, but we understand: sometimes you’re running late for an important meeting or to pick the kids up from school, and speeding seems like the only option.
In this case, try getting a Sat-Nav device, like a TomTom. Many of these will have in-built speed camera detection software, letting you know when one’s coming up. Some of them can even detect radar guns! Just be careful because these are in fact illegal in some areas.
The Fortnight Favorite
This is the easiest way of getting out of your ticket, and the favorite method employed by celebrity lawyer “Mr Loophole” Nick Freeman. Look at the date you were caught speeding, then check today’s date – it has to be issued within 14 days of the incident, so if those two weeks are up before you receive it, you’re off scot-free.
Just write back to them and explain the situation; your ticket should be cancelled immediately.
Plausible Deniability
Another way of getting out of it is to claim that you’re unsure who was driving at the time. You need some decent reason why you’re not sure though, like moving house that day and having a number of family members driving the car back and forth on that stretch of road. You may have to go to court with this excuse, however, so get a speeding solicitor / lawyer on your side to try and avoid the fine.
A Faulty Camera
Do you think the speed camera was inaccurate? If so, this is worth a shot – request a calibration certificate of the one which caught you out. If the local authority cannot prove that it was properly maintained and was in good working order, your fine should be rescinded.
How about you all? Have you ever been issued/sent a speeding ticket or other traffic violation from one of these automatic traffic cameras?
If so, did you think about trying to appeal the decision?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
Jacob’s Thoughts – Listed below are my random thoughts as I was reading this article.
- Personally, I have never been issued a speeding or other traffic violation/fine from one of these un-manned traffic cameras, although I have heard about people that have been caught by one. In those cases, I don’t believe they ever really thought to appeal the decision.
***Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4426610518/sizes/l/in/photostream/
