So today I got through the post my first ever speeding ticket. 

28 years of driving all over the world and here it is... 37mph in a 30 zone....clearly I'm at fault and clearly a momentary lapse...that's 3points and 60 quid.

I'm a good driver..military trained and have driven in every country I've ever visited..(except Sri Lanka) cos that's a specialist skill and not to be fucked with under any circumstances!

Not a parking fine or a violation of any sort...and now my unblemished record is broken...

I'm not upset about any of the above because I've always thought it would just be a matter of time due to the amount of speed cameras in the UK that are popping up on a daily basis....and also the fact that I do speed like every other driver on the road...but nothing excessive you understand.

37 in a 30 zone. My own stupid inattention to detail...I was overtaking a dickhead that was travelling at 20mph and my impatience allowed me to overtake right into the path of the camera...doh!

I now have a choice. I have to pay the 60 pounds...but can elect to pay 100 pounds and do a speed awareness course and not get the points or take the whole wrap and pay a higher insurance premium.....choices choices....

What does a dude do?

I know man....speed freak huh! ? I think I was in alpha state as I'd just been on a tedious (watch what your brain does course cos we all do stupid things when we're not aware of what we're doing cos we're always mostly asleep sorta thing!)

FFS I drive a Skoda! That's gotta give me some sort of lee way with the courts! (acually it's a Skoda with a Golf engine and a bad boy exhaust (inherited) and a nought to 60 of about 6 seconds and wide alloys and.....no excuses really....

The course costs a hundred and I still have to pay the fine....gonna check with the insurers tomorrow... 

Peace and steady driving to everyone....

Holy shit, 37 in a 30! In California that would be easy to beat because the average radar gun is off by 5 to 6 miles per hour and has to be routinely calibrated with each gun certified to be accurate within legal standards.

A lot of people beat tickets by going to court and demanding to see the records of the last time the radar gun used on them was calibrated and certified. If they failed to have it calibrated when it is supposed to be, the ticket is thrown out.

How often should the police radar gun be calibrated?

The International Chief of Police Association recommends that the officer calibrate the device prior to his using the gun and after its use. So typically an officer will calibrate his unit at the start of his shift and at the end of his shift.

The International Chief of Police Association and several states also recommend that the police radar gun be calibrated and tested at least once a year by a licensed technician.

There is a tuning fork that is provided by the manufacture of the police radar gun that is used by the officer during this calibration process. As this tuning fork can be easily damaged by simply dropping it onto a hard surface it is also recommended that it be tested for accuracy during the calibration process.

Again, if you?re cited for speeding these records of certification of the police radar gun and tuning fork(s) is something that you will want to subpoena into court. One of our readers did just this in Hartford Connecticut back in 2006, which resulted in the dismissal of hundreds of speeding citations issued by state police.

Check out - http://www.radardetector.org/radar-detector-info/mistakes-of-police-radar/

I once got out of a speeding ticket without trying.
I was late getting to court for the ticket and the judge had left the room.
I told the clerk that I was late and she called the judge and he said that I should come back the next week.
I did and the officer wasn't there. So they dismissed it.
I really didn't try to play an angle. Just screwed up and it ended up working for me.

Being late suggests that you were slaking that day, a well know dude-like strategy that seems to have worked for you. Far out, man!