I was just browsing the Top Gear website and was amazed by the figures in the following article.

13.5 million Brits had points added to their licence last year!! And it will get worse due to "improved speed cameras"

Pah!

Article here:

Bye bye licence

You're a menace, you lot out there, and a record number of you will be banned from driving in 2007.

This happy New Year piece of cheer comes from a study by Car Parts Direct, which reckons that 86 per cent of British drivers have committed an offence that could have seen them banned from driving.

Good fortune is credited with keeping these drivers on the road, many of whom say they broke the law unintentionally.

The most common offences admitted were speeding, not complying with a traffic sign, driving through a red light, and talking on a mobile phone while driving.

Improvements in speed camera technology and stricter penalties for using a mobile phone when driving are predicted to see a large increase in the number of drivers banned in 2007.

Home Office statistics show that 13.5 million drivers had penalty points added to their licences in 2006, and 221,400 were banned from driving.

With tougher new laws and improved speed cameras, many more drivers will accumulate points that will result in a ban.

Top Gear | Bye bye licence

If Em's Talex keeps playing up and not getting a satallite fix it will probably be her! :P

Speed scamera (sorry, cameras) are annoying but there isnt too many around Middlesbrough so I suppose Im lucky

In NZ you get a fine from the cameras but you can only be given points by a police officer. But they can hide cameras and don't have to use signs.

But they can hide cameras and don't have to use signs.

Damned unsporting of them!

I've been driving just over a year now and it was only the other day that I actually saw my first manned police speed trap...

They have a marked 3 series accompanying a marked scooby (seen at least 2 sets of these) and I spotted that parked at the top of a sidestreet... and sure enough just down the road next to a pub the scooby was parked up.

round oxford they use omega's and bikes to catch people

Just stuck up SPECs cameras on the Exeter stretch of the M5. Warning to all those coming down on hols who usually charge the last bit of the M5.... If you must charge through, just change lanes.

Re-reading that! 13.5 MILLION!? Thats about 20% of the population :eek: (including those too young/old/disabled,etc to drive.....) Is it really that bad, in just one year?

Re-reading that! 13.5 MILLION!? Thats about 20% of the population :eek: (including those too young/old/disabled,etc to drive.....) Is it really that bad, in just one year?

Scary isn't it?

Last I read there were something like 30 million cars in the UK - so pretty much every second car (on average) has been caught speeing in 12 months!

Scary reading indeed. Noticed them being more pro-active round here recently too (GMP/Cheshire). A few more scamera 'partnership' vans and also a mobile van coming into Knutsford on the A50, and a Vectra traffic car in the next road along

Be vigilant everyone

Steve

An unmarked black scooby has also been spotted in Hull with a few optional extras and driven by two guys in white shirts...

13.5 million :eek: Anyone know how many drivers there are on Britain's roads? 25 million maybe?

Chris

Surely that can't be right???

13.5 million points dished out, maybe... but 13.5 million drivers in ONE YEAR????? :eek:

Using mobile phones should be an instant ban.

Using mobile phones should be an instant ban.

Couldn't agree more!

Using mobile phones should be an instant ban.

& smoking when driving - that annoys me too.

Hmmm, might start a poll to see who's been caught speeding on Briskoda in the last 12 months.

& smoking when driving - that annoys me too.

AND FOG LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!

Chris

AND FOG LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!

Chris

And out of alignment headlights that blind the feck outa you :P

I've been driving just over a year now and it was only the other day that I actually saw my first manned police speed trap...

They have a marked 3 series accompanying a marked scooby (seen at least 2 sets of these) and I spotted that parked at the top of a sidestreet... and sure enough just down the road next to a pub the scooby was parked up.

If they are in cars and working in pairs, it's far more likely to be an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) based check for insurance, road tax, stolen cars, etc. than anything to do with speeding. They don't need a Scooby to catch you for speeding when they can just send you a nasty letter in the post!

Just stuck up SPECs cameras on the Exeter stretch of the M5. Warning to all those coming down on hols who usually charge the last bit of the M5.... If you must charge through, just change lanes.

Re-reading that! 13.5 MILLION!? Thats about 20% of the population :eek: (including those too young/old/disabled,etc to drive.....) Is it really that bad, in just one year?

Who told you changing lanes defeats SPECs cameras....... it doesn't work.

If they are in cars and working in pairs, it's far more likely to be an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) based check for insurance, road tax, stolen cars, etc. than anything to do with speeding. They don't need a Scooby to catch you for speeding when they can just send you a nasty letter in the post!

That thought had crossed my mind, anyway... I'd rather see them than a speed camera

Who told you changing lanes defeats SPECs cameras....... it doesn't work.

There was an article on The Register - apparently due to a loophole in the law, if you change lanes between cameras they can't prosecute.

Who told you changing lanes defeats SPECs cameras....... it doesn't work.

It was in the national press i'm sure.. clicky

In NZ you get a fine from the cameras but you can only be given points by a police officer. But they can hide cameras and don't have to use signs.

Excellent! that means those of us who are lucky enough to be able to afford it, can basically drive as fast as we want, and then pay for it later!

Surely that can't be right???

13.5 million points dished out, maybe... but 13.5 million drivers in ONE YEAR????? :eek:

Yeah I was thinking that, if you get points its gonna be at least 3 so dividing 13.5 million points by 3 you end up with 4.5 million drivers given endorsements at the most! doesnt sound so bad that way (if thats what they really mean and not 13.5 million drivers given at least 3 points each!)

I'd been hoping it was one particular driver (can't mention his name here - save I think he starred in Beowulf and Grendell) who'd got the 13.5 million points, and the rest of us had been spared.