You got a clean licence?
- Thread starter soulman
- Start date
cybertect
It's grim up north (London)
moose said:
No plans? The power to require the surrender of paper licences is in the Road Safety Bill that's currently going through Parliament.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmbills/170/06170.46-52.html#jn1589
Of course, it could just be the DVLA web site being economical with the truth, which is not as rare an event as you would hope. Or maybe a plan only exists once the legislation has been passed.
I've literally just changed mine and waved a tearful goodbye to my old folding licence - it's great fun getting one out when hiring a car in the States and watching the reaction
I'd rather not tempt fate by mentioning the number of points on it.
cybertect said:I've literally just changed mine and waved a tearful goodbye to my old folding licence - it's great fun getting one out when hiring a car in the States and watching the reaction
I used to keep my UK paper licence in the glovebox precisely for that reason. Sadly no Jasper Carrott 'endorsement' gags ever ensued.
A speed limit is a speed limit, whether or not you can see any reason for it.hektik said:
The only speed limits which are enforceable as an actual speeding offence are those properly signed with black number on white background in a red circle (INCLUDING the electronic ones which come up with a red circle on the overhead gantries on the western side of the M25 around London and, recently, on the M42 between the M1 and the M40 junctions in Birmingham (variable speed limit areas).
On motorways the permanent speed limit is the national speed limit (70mph for them). If a fully enforceable temporary speed limit is imposed then signs of the above description will be put up on the approach to, and throughout the limited area, with national speed limit signs (white circles with a black diagonal line through them) again at the end. Any speeding in areas signed like this is just like speeding on any other road with a speed limit.
The other type of temporary speed limit on a motorway is that imposed immediately following an accident or some other incident. These are signed ONLY by the use of the electronic signs alongside or above the carriage ways, with the number spelt out in white lights and amber flashing lights. These are ADVISORY only. Ignoring them cannot be prosecuted as a speeding offence because they are not a properly signed speed limit. Ignoring them COULD, however, be prosecuted as the more serious offence of driving without due care and attention or reasoonable consideration for others. This is unlikely unless an accident is caused or it comes to notice for some other reason (e.g. there is an accident and most traffic has slowed but someone is seen by the officers at the scene racing through regardless).
These advisory limits are only usually used for incidents lasting an hour or two (accidents, etc) or short term roadworks at quieter times (e.g. slow moving verge cleaning operations or overnight works which set up and clear every night). Unfortunately the use of them has fallen a bit into disrepute - with signs left on for hours when there is nothing there, or the wrong ones used. This has changed recently, with the Highways Agency Traffic Patrols being introduced and they should now be far better.
You should always treat the advisory speed limit signs as that - advice to slow down and be more alert. The problem may not be very obvious (e.g. an unlit vehicle which has just had an accident and is stranded in an unlit area of carriageway or some other debris in the carriageway).
Mine's clean again. 3 grubby little points for 36 in a 30 gone a few months ago.
Mind you, much as I hate the ridicolous positioning of a lot of camera's (M40 into London, duel carrageway, 50 down to 30 for a mile with a cam slap bang in the middle anyone
) at least they're yellow and the road's marked. Here in Switzerland they're still grey, hidden behind tree's and no road markings. I've got two fines already - one for doing 62kph in a 60 kph zone in the middle of the bloody countryside
Mind you, much as I hate the ridicolous positioning of a lot of camera's (M40 into London, duel carrageway, 50 down to 30 for a mile with a cam slap bang in the middle anyone
) at least they're yellow and the road's marked. Here in Switzerland they're still grey, hidden behind tree's and no road markings. I've got two fines already - one for doing 62kph in a 60 kph zone in the middle of the bloody countryside soulman said:
I have never had any brownie points on my licence and I have had a driving licence for 42 years.
Pie 1 said:Those were the days when you could turn up and pass your test with a glass eyeball and a wooden leg, having had a few stiff ones in the pub beforehand, weren't they
Ha (bleeping) ha. Getting brownie points on ones licence is due to a lack of roadcraft and piss poor observational skills. A traffic copper I used to know years ago always reckoned any motoring offence he observed needed a without due care and attention added to it, as if you can't see a bloody great police car and act accordingly you must be 1/2 asleep.
I have never had a parking ticket either.
Bob_the_lost
Elsewhere
I've had mine for coming up on 2 years now, not a point on it. Yay me.
Pie 1 said:Those were the days when you could turn up and pass your test with a glass eyeball and a wooden leg, having had a few stiff ones in the pub beforehand, weren't they
I found having a stiff one in the car a great help!
Amazing what people will do for a BJ
oh dear. I feel like u75's worst driver. currently 6 points. it was at 9 until a few months ago.
I try so so hard not to speed. i use cruise control as much as possible so I don't edge over that limit, but I think I may have got caught again last week, somewhere between 40 and 48 in a 40 limit.
Nice one detective boy for giving us the low down on what is acceptable.
I try so so hard not to speed. i use cruise control as much as possible so I don't edge over that limit, but I think I may have got caught again last week, somewhere between 40 and 48 in a 40 limit.
Nice one detective boy for giving us the low down on what is acceptable.
i_hate_beckham
Him From A Village
Nothing on my license, aint had it that long though.
Dr. Furface
One small step for me
Verily, you are a driving god.Amanita Virosa said:
That is so true! Had some tosser once drive into a marked police vehicle, complete with flashing lights and accompanying cones and signs, temporarily closing a road following an accident - response ... "Sorry, I didn't see it ..."Amanita Virosa said:
(The best practice is always to be able to stop in the distance you can SEE to be clear ... but I suppose you would never get anywhere is that only extended to the end of your bonnet ...)
Velouria
Long time lurker
What about the unmarked ones?detective-boy said:That is so true! Had some tosser once drive into a marked police vehicle, complete with flashing lights and accompanying cones and signs, temporarily closing a road following an accident - response ... "Sorry, I didn't see it ..."
(The best practice is always to be able to stop in the distance you can SEE to be clear ... but I suppose you would never get anywhere is that only extended to the end of your bonnet ...)
Always get para about cars coming up behind me on the motorway with pairs of people in them ... a lot of the time I slow down and pull over
(Coppers almost always travel in pairs in Scotland)
I don't think you could criticise someone for not seeing an unmarked police car (at least not insofar as it were a police car anyway).Velouria said:
And coppers in Scotland tend to go round in pairs because of your legal system's bizarre requirement for virtually everything to be corroborated (i.e. the word of one witness is not enough)
ScallyWag II
New Member
detective-boy said:
on the m1 at the moment there is an "average speed limit" upto Luton-ish (i get on at m25 j). there are no "normal" speed cameras that i've seen, i.e the yellow boxes on the road side followed by the little lines on the road surface, but there are some quite serious looking overhead cameras. how does the average speed work?
i've been on that stretch of car park more than usual recently, and tbh everyone seems to abide by the 40mph limit. it's a long stretch though and i have found myself constantly checking my speed when i've been on it and the roads haven't been busy.
oh, no points since i got my license 22 years ago. had one notification of speeding...somewhere in Lancashire that i have never been to or heard of...phoned them up and turns out it was a mistake reading the plates on the photograph
that had me worried, i thought maybe someone had copied my plates.. 
Velouria said:
They still tend to be obvious as they still have to have the aerials for the police communications systems in view. They also seem to use a very narrow range of colours.
rubbershoes
not the only raver in the village
clean and serene
at the moment
at the moment
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
Amanita Virosa said:
Not anymore. Certainly used to be the case you could probably spot an unmarked car at a distance (think white Ford or Vauxhall) but they have a particularly wide range of unmarked vehicles in Scottish forces ATM in the full rainbow of colours - The force's unmarked garage here includes - fully customised & custom-painted Subaru WRX's, Range Rovers, Mercs, Orions big & little fast Audis, Ducati, BMW, & Honda motorbikes, ratty old Astras, Micras, various old Fords & the ultimate pull-over indignity, a custom-job Volkswagen Combi!
Unfortuantely, a thread on the local car board where contributors posted pics & details of unmarked cars they spotted was pulled after complaints from the plod. Especially odd as some of the cars were photographed in one or other of the police/contractor garages & posted before they were put into service .
cybertect
It's grim up north (London)
They're called SPECS cameras and have been around for about five years. Because they're very expensive compared to Gatsos, they're relatively rare, but you're more likely to encounter them where major roadworks are occurring.
http://www.abd.org.uk/specs.htm
There are also average speed cameras on the Limehouse Link tunnel and on Tower Bridge.
http://www.abd.org.uk/specs.htm
There are also average speed cameras on the Limehouse Link tunnel and on Tower Bridge.
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