ferrousland.com - diary archives
Friday, January 02, 2004
speeding fine - 05:15 PM
damn it. i just got myself a really expensive speeding fine. this is the fourth one in two months.
i got three in the space of one week at the beginning of november in which i was caught by speed cameras. funnily enough, in each one i was going 72 kilometres. what are the chances of that? it's not actually all that funny though, because each one was $150 for going that fast in a 60 zone.
fair enough that i was breaking the speed limit & thus, the law, but it bugs me when they put up speed cameras in places where speed is not an issue. what i mean is that it's not on a narrow or winding road or anything. it's a long, straight, wide road where they know people easily accidentally speed because it's a long, straight, wide road, not because there are any dangerous hazards. it's not saving lives, it's revenue.
as it is, those first three infringements bring me up to the maximum number of demerit points allowed over a three year period before loss of my license. today's infringement just on it's own automatically loses me my license in one fell swoop, along with a whopping $700 fine. i kid you not. seven. hundred. dollars. getting this fine today didn't just tip me over the edge to lose my license, it threw me off the edge of a sheer cliff face in rather spectacular fashion.
the police got me today because i was going 102 kilometres in a 60 zone. don't think that i usually go that much over the limit. the area in question is normally an 80 zone but it seems with some roadworks going on around there, the limit is now 60. i, along with many others as the cop informed me, did not know this.
i'm really angry with myself over getting these damn fines. since i got the previous three, i was being really careful not to speed because sometimes it's so easy to accidently go over the limit. even before i hit this particular area i was being so careful. on this occasion it was on a double lane section & i was passing a few slow cars before i took the exit i needed to get home. i even saw how fast i was going & thought, "oops, better not do that" just as i saw the cop car cross the traffic behind me with their lights flashing to come after me.
then, to add insult to injury, i started crying in front of them. to give them a bit of credit, the man cop told me all my options in regard to paying it over a period of time rather than all at once & when he told me that it was automatic suspension of my license for six months, he also suggested i call up first thing on monday morning to ask for special dispensation in regard to the cancellation considering where i live (no public transport) & our little one (you know, in case of an emergency involving him). the lady cop looked really sorry about booking me & the man cop even apologised. through my stupid crying face & choked up voice i acknowleged that they were just doing their jobs & that i didn't hold it against them.
it's the huge amount of money, now wasted, that pisses me off more than losing my license. i'm pretty sure they'll be lenient on that matter. until monday though, i can't risk driving anywhere.
it's just as well i'm going to begin being an enjo lady soon, because that $700 isn't money that we'd really prefer to be spending.
"bugger" is all i can say. bugger, bugger, bugger. 
That IS a pain in the ass. I got penalised for riding the train without a ticket once, so I know how horrible it can be to waste hard earned cash on a mistake.
It is kinda funny that you cried though. I would probably have done the same, but I think it's something that makes others more compassionate, which was obviously the case today.
You, go girl - only, like, not so fast
You say "it bugs me when they put up speed cameras in places where speed is not an issue."
God I'm angry!
Of course it's an issue absolutely everywhere, as soon as you and every other selfish motorist reaslises this the better. A kid runs in front of your car and you manage to stop just in time at 60 Km/hr, you won't at 102 Km/hr. The result is 1 dead kid.
Have you seen what a tree does to a car travelling at 100Km/hr, AND it's occupants
You say "sometimes it's so easy to accidently go over the limit" Only, if you are not concentrating. If you aren't concentrating, accidents happen. Hopefully for you and your family this will teach you a lesson, and you will be more carefull and hopefully you wont be part of Australias worst holiday road tolls in recent years which is currently 72 .
Speeding drivers should be banned! That way their out of control cars will not come crashing into me and my family. I pray this teaches you a lesson. Did you have your baby with you? I'm just glad the cop was booking you and not talking to your husband later describing how his wifes speeding car was in an accident. Enough of my ravings.
Please, Please be carefull!!. Speed Kills.
ms angry, i wish you'd left a real email address. you're absolutely right. i was breaking the law & doing the wrong thing. i will definitely be more careful in future.
from one lead foot to another; been there, done that. 'nuff said.
It's happened to everyone Coralie, we're all in some big mysterious rush. It shows in the way we do so many things, especially driving.
I have a driving phobia and rarely drive at all, because most people here in the States speed and break traffic laws daily. After losing my best friend to a terrible car accident and having nightmares about car accidents, it's a big problem for me to get behind the wheel.
Then there's the distraction factor. Hubby has made his share of driving mistakes because of the kids in the back seat, and recently ran a red light while in deep conversation with me (wasn't caught, no accident caused, but still very troublesome).
It sucks that so much money is wasted, but you can look at this as a wake up call. You don't want anything to happen to precious Riley while in the car with his mum (or to Riley's precious mum for that matter), so this is your chance to learn to be more careful.
They had photo radar here for years and then they got rid of it because people were fighting the tickets in court and it was just seen as a cash grab. And they always put the photo radar in places where people speed. They caught me once in a spot where it was still a 50 zone but I was going up a small hill and the speed changed to 60 at the top of the hill. I was doing 61.... sheesh!!!
I know what that feels like, everyone has speeded (even you ms angry) when they thought there were no cameras up, going 30 miles per hour seems so slow in a built up area and I know I have driven along the same road from town to my house and forgotten half the journey as I have gone on auto pilot. Dont worry, you will most probably just get a slap on the back of the hand so chin up
My brother was killed speeding. He was 21, and my family have never really healed from it, as he died two days before my sister's wedding.
Don't speed.
Don't speed.
Don't speed.
We have all done it, but 102 instead of 60km? You must be kidding! Hope Riley wasn't with you.
Sorry Coralie, but you have to wear this one yourself, especially as it is the 4th fine in 2 months.
Speeding does NOT kill ... bad driving does.
I drove tow trucks (my own business) for seven years and have seen the results of speeding AND bad driving. I've scraped enough people off the roads or saved lives of those trapped in vehicles and, believe me, bad driving is THE killer. I've seen folks killed in a car doing only 10kmph ... so, was THAT too fast? However, it may not have happened had the driver been a capable one.
If anyone opposes my opinion, I ask that you relate ALL of the facts of the incident (if you know them, not just what you've heard from others or seen on television). If you weren't there AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, don't presume to correct me because you don't know what you're talking about.
The authorities should look at changing the law regarding obtaining a driver's licence ... but they'd lose too much revenue - bloody Ned Kellys, peeping out from behind telegraph poles or bushes and pointing their damned radar guns at drivers.
What we need is various levels of driver's licence, similar to those which we have for pilots (eg can't drive at night without first having passed a test to do so, or can't travel over a certain speed until trained and tested on how to handle it, including doing skid pan training, etc.)
I'm a PASSIONATE believer that we need FAR better training for drivers worldwide before they are let loose on the roads and highways. THEN you would see a drop in the road kill figures. As a positive consequence you would also see road rage dramatically reduced).
Corri kiddo, get your act together and BE AWARE of everything around you when you are behind the wheel. In the meantime, READ those tickets thoroughly ... even if you've paid them, you may be able to get off one if there are any errors on the ticket. Email me if you want more details! Trust me, I'm better at this, and more experienced, than most lawyers!!
even i got a ticket for speeding to hard: 60 kilometres insted 50. i payed the bill. it comes whit driving a car
but i got lucky, there was a thing wrong, and i got the money back
lucky meawww give the girl a break I think she can see the error of her ways, without everyone having a go at her and giving a load of horror stories, lets just leave it as a lesson learnt FOR EVERYONE I hope, not just for poor ole Coralie who has actually come forward and admitted to doing something that everyone has (yes you have) done in the past but never got caught for it..
So sorry to hear that Coralie. What a pain!
Make sure you follow up the extraordinary licence as advised. It will make a big difference.
It could happen to any one of us. So sorry it was you :/
I am really sorry about the loss of license and the fine. No need to say any more.
I don’t want to alarm you, but you might want to check if you have lost your license for 12 months (demerit points), followed by an additional 6 months (for the last fine.) (That’s the case in Victoria anyway, not sure about Queensland.)
The saintly and righteous might always be aware of newly changed speed limits – but the average person is prone to missing them on occasion. (I’ve had the odd mini heart attack when coming across “End of Road work” signs – never having seen where they started…) Thanks for sharing your story though –a reminder to the rest of us to be careful.
Sorry to hear about the licence and fine - I got booked a few times too before I woke up. Even now when I'm in a hurry or running late it is so hard to relax the right foot.
hey coralie, sorry to hear about the fine and hope the licence issue has worked out for you. Yes, you were speeding, and yes, we all know it's wrong and dangerous (and you know this yourself, as evidenced by your blog). But I don't think there is any need for the level of moral outrage you've attracted from some of your commenters. As a mother of a babe about Riley's age, I particularly think that those commenters who felt that they needed to rub your nose in the danger to Riley were being insensitive, to say the least. Speeding IS a hazard to everyone but no harm was, on this occasion, done ... so awaking all a mother's worst fears about her tot is dirty pool, in my view.
Oh you poor thing. I cannot imagine having such a huge fine.
I know it's easy to say don't speed, but even people preaching here have to admit to sometimes not noticing the speedo creep up. Ok, so 102 in a 60 zone isn't "not noticing it creep up" but come on. We're not all perfect. We work hard at trying to do the right thing.
One additional thought I'd like to leave is I'd prefer my speed to creep up to 5 ks or so above the speed limit and actually be aware of what's happneing on the road, rather than constantly watching the speedo and missing see that kid on a bike roll too close ot my car. I think too much pressure is put on people to remain below the speed limit and that causes us to stare at a speedo too often, sometimes missing what's going on around us. When I was a learner driver I was taught to watch everywhere. "Look ahead" was repeated to me over and over.
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wow that is too bad & i agree alot of money that you could have spent elsewhere but at least it is only fines etc it could have been worse - you could have had a bad car accident - fingers crossed they are nice to you on monday :o)