Speeding Ticket

UberNewb

I got a speeding ticket for doing 117kph (73mph) in a 100kph (60mph) zone last summer. Cleaned the car out, got it cleaned and lost the ticket in the process.

Thought I would just wait till they sent me out a reminder. No reminder came as they don't do this anymore I just got a summons to go to court.

What is the likely out come 2 or 4 points? and what would you do?

masterK

It's 4 points if you go to court. Your options are to try to contact the Garda who issued the ticket and explain your situation. If you do go to court you could always try to escape on a technicality if there is a possible one, I doubt explaining losing the ticket to a judge would cut much ice in court.

Kinetic^

UberNewb wrote:

I got a speeding ticket for doing 117kph (73mph) in a 100kph (60mph) zone last summer. Cleaned the car out, got it cleaned and lost the ticket in the process.

Thought I would just wait till they sent me out a reminder. No reminder came as they don't do this anymore I just got a summons to go to court.

What is the likely out come 2 or 4 points? and what would you do?

If you haven't heard fromit yet then I wouldn't be too worried about it. They've got a 6 months limit on it AFAIK.

Bluetonic

UberNewb wrote:

No reminder came as they don't do this anymore I just got a summons to go to court

Keyser Soze 5 wrote:

If you haven't heard fromit yet then I wouldn't be too worried about it. They've got a 6 months limit on it AFAIK.

eh?

UberNewb

masterK wrote:

It's 4 points if you go to court. Your options are to try to contact the Garda who issued the ticket and explain your situation. If you do go to court you could always try to escape on a technicality if there is a possible one, I doubt explaining losing the ticket to a judge would cut much ice in court.

I contacted the chief super intendent who then contacted the Garda in question and there is nothing that can be done. I was told that since the penalty points system came into effect they stopped sending reminders and if you forgot to pay you would have to go to court end of story.

I'm not contesting the speeding ticket but I'm thinking if I am going to get 4 points I might as well contest it. It just seems like a waste of everyone and the courts time.

Everyone get sent reminders for all kinds of bills everyday (TV, Phone, etc..) and don't get a summons to court it just seems way over the top IMO.

seamus

UberNewb wrote:

I'm not contesting the speeding ticket but I'm thinking if I am going to get 4 points I might as well contest it. It just seems like a waste of everyone and the courts time.

Well it pretty much is. But at the end of the day, you're the one who has caused it. You lost the ticket, and didn't bother to find out what to do next. You knew that non-payment would end up in a summons.

Everyone get sent reminders for all kinds of bills everyday (TV, Phone, etc..) and don't get a summons to court it just seems way over the top IMO.

Except that this isn't a bill. If people could just say "Ah shure I lost it, but you never reminded me to pay it", then it would waste even more time. Why should you be reminded to pay it?
Besides companies don't send out "reminders". That's just a fancy word to avoid offending you. They're demands for money. They don't have to send you "reminders", it's a convenience. They will keep demanding money because they want to keep you as a customer. The State doesn't require your fines to be convenient for you, because you'll always be a "customer".

By all means, you can oppose the charge, but you'll find yourself with a bigger fine than if you say guilty and get on with it.

UberNewb

seamus wrote:

You knew that non-payment would end up in a summons.

How did I know that? What they used to do is you out a reminder and they fine would increase from £60 to £80. If you then didn't pay you were sent a summons.

seamus wrote:

Except that this isn't a bill.

A TV license isn't a bill either but you don't get a summons to go to court.

seamus wrote:

If people could just say "Ah shure I lost it, but you never reminded me to pay it", then it would waste even more time. Why should you be reminded to pay it?

What??? Posting a reminder with an increased fine is a waste of time but going to court taking a day off, having the Garda take time off and a judge waste his time for the same out come is not wasting time. Please explain how that is not a waste of anyones time.

Bluetonic

UberNewb wrote:

How did I know that? What they used to do is you out a reminder and they fine would increase from £60 to £80. If you then didn't pay you were sent a summons.

It's written on the back of the ticket. Surely you read it fully before you 'lost it'?

elexes

if your going to court and have no probloms with the speed you were doing . talk to the guard that got you and explain that the ticket was lost . if the two of you are on the same page it will look better for you .

seamus

UberNewb wrote:

A TV license isn't a bill either but you don't get a summons to go to court.

Yeah you do.

What??? Posting a reminder with an increased fine is a waste of time but going to court taking a day off, having the Garda take time off and a judge waste his time for the same out come is not wasting time. Please explain how that is not a waste of anyones time.

The waste comes from chancers trying to get more time to pay or hoping that they'll get struck off by claiming that they never received any reminders. If you send out reminders, it also means that you have to give people a little more time to pay, keeping the incidents in the system for longer.

IMO, fines should be sent out via registered post. If you fail to pay within two weeks of receiving the fine, you should be summoned.

UberNewb

seamus wrote:

IMO, fines should be sent out via registered post. If you fail to pay within two weeks of receiving the fine, you should be summoned.

I agree and thats what they used to do.

Anyway I don't have a problem with going to court or the points/fine. So I'll post back here with the details so if it happens to anyone else they will know what to expect.

It's not till the 3rd of March so I have a few more weeks of freedom before I get put away.

I suppose on the up side, as I will be employing a local lawyer it keeps them in business.

MercMad

Hold on, they are trying to streamline the system, to free up the Gardai's time ( so they can catch criminals) and the Courts time ( so they can deal with them quicker) which is a good thing !

I agree that a reminder should NOT be sent. You get caught driving incorrectly, then you dont read the ticket, then you loose it, and instead of sorting it out you expect someone else to remind you and to top it all off you dont expect to be penalised anything for all this !

Do you want someone to tuck you in tonight...............with some milk and cookies ?

( Dont answer that............its Valentines...............I know what on your mind ! )

Fact is, you get a ticket and you automatically get 2 points, you get 28 days to pay the fine, if you fail to pay it within the time period the fine goes up approximatley 30%. If you havent paid anything withion 56 days then its a Court job and nobody can stop the process !

Our man in Havana

I can't see the problem with issuing reminders. The UK police issue them.
You get them for a tv licence. You even get reminders for frigging parking tickets. :rolleyes: I don't see what the gardas problem is here. The original could have got lost in the post and the OP would not be aware of anything till a summons lands in the door.

All for the sake of 48c and a few seconds of a computers time. :mad: