$180 Speeding Fine, What to Do?

L[Deactivated] on 25/01/2016 - 03:35
Last edited 25/01/2016 - 10:28

Hi guys,

Got snapped by speed camera doing 1 km over the speed limit in the CBD in April '15 in my own company car. Didn't find out until May that year the offence had been committed. How can I nominate a driver which I am happy to do?

Please any advice would be appreciated if someone has been faced with a similar situation.

Many Thanks!

UPDATE 25 Jan '16 10:25 AM: Given all the comments from folks here I have realised the error of my ways. I have immediately taken a cash advance on my credit card and paid off the fine. Thank you for guiding me in this time of darkness.

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closed Comments

  • eug on 25/01/2016 - 03:42
    +12

    If you've been lurking long enough, you know what's coming! Good luck. :)

  • mrkite54 on 25/01/2016 - 03:43
    +1

    http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?document_id=10369

    not sure if that will be relevant but might be worth a shot if you explain the situation and admit fault.

    • [Deactivated] on 25/01/2016 - 03:45

      Wow this is really good and applicable to me as first offence and under 10ks but I still need to be able to nominate myself first which the infringements court won't accept.

  • Geewhizz on 25/01/2016 - 07:08
    +1

    Why did you not find out for 7 months?

    • the-mal on 25/01/2016 - 07:20
      +1

      This is the key. Was it your fault or because of your negligence that you didn't find out for so many months?

      I'd imagine there are laws surrounding notification of change of address on your license etc.

      If it's the states mess-up then I'd take it to court, if it's all in your shoulders I'd be less inclined to go to court.

      First up let's have it said, it doesn't matter how much you usually obey the law and how much you dislike the location of the camera, that one is on you. You sped. I'm sure it was complacency more than deliberate but that doesn't change the fact. So that one's on you. So it's all down to why you didn't get the notifications. Was that on you, or the state?

  • em on 25/01/2016 - 07:23
    +1

    Seriously, always have your addresses on all licensing and registration up to date. That is your lookout.

    It's also your look out to notice speed signs. Speeds don't "sneakily" change. There is a speed sign.

    As a driver on the road you have responsibilities. If you want to shirk them, don't bother driving anymore.

  • smashed on 25/01/2016 - 08:27

    You have to man up and admit all the charges are your fault. Nobody made a sneaky speed change and you failed in a few responsibilities (e.g. speeding and failing to update address).

    That said, I do agree that the fine is greater than if you had been caught drink / drug driving and then crashed your car in a pursuit and run away from the police.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/01/2016 - 08:52

    if anyone has any experience going to court with this sort of matter, your input will be very helpful

  • QW3RTY on 25/01/2016 - 09:13

    I do not fully agree with the offence anyway as I am a pretty safe driver and habitually obey the speed limit.

    You should let VIC Roads know this. They'll probably agree with your point of view and cancel the fine.

    If you're a long time lurker, you know where this is going. Haha. As others have said, it's your fault for not updating the address, causing the collection notice to be so late. All you can do is take it to court and appeal their decision I suppose!

    Best of luck.

  • tomclancy on 25/01/2016 - 09:23

    I see drug dealers and hoons on highway patrol get off with under $1k

    Yeah but your fine is really only $180. Just that you have $3020 late payment fees on top

    • [Deactivated] on 25/01/2016 - 09:46
      +2

      no its not late fees, its a corporate penalty meant to deter mostly tradies from dodging licence suspension

      • tomclancy on 25/01/2016 - 09:55

        Oh sorry, I understand now. The fine to an individual is $180 + 1 demerit point; to a corporation is $3200 + 0 demerits. And the courts won't let you nominate your individual self as the driver because it's been 7 months. Now I'm up to speed (excuse the pun). Still, the "drug dealers and hoons on highway patrol getting off with under $1k" relates to an individual driver so you can't compare the $3200 to them.

  • Diji1 on 25/01/2016 - 09:37

    the speed limit sneakily goes down from 50ks to 40ks unexpectedly … it is out of place.

    Oh no you poor thing … other things that are out of place: pedestrians, suddenly braking cars in front, children running across the road suddenly. Don't worry, it's TOTALLY not your fault, as a driver you can't be expected to deal with unexpected obstacles and road rules like you were actually paying attention to the road so I'm sure it's the case that you are an ABOVE AVERAGE DRIVER like 90% of the other self-rated drivers out there.

    Seriously: how can they expect drivers to keep to the speed limit when they already know the posted speed limit - that's asking them to PAY ATTENTION when driving, the f'ing cheek of the gummints.

    No it's totally not your fault and expecting you to follow the posted speed limit is absolutley ridiculuous. I can see no way at all that you are at fault here, why are they even trying to apply road rules to you? It's clear that you are a very special case with exceptional driving skills.

    • Schema on 25/01/2016 - 09:41

      Cry more

    • the-mal on 25/01/2016 - 11:07
      +1

      I'm sure it's the case that you are an ABOVE AVERAGE DRIVER like 90% of the other self-rated drivers out there

      I'm a 5 star self rated driver. Of equal quality to that 5 star self rated B&B that I stayed in once (and never, ever again).

      I'd have way fewer accidents if only all other drivers on the road would learn to cater for my highly advanced driving skill. Why take a corner at 30kms when you know you can do it at 90kms??

  • [Deactivated] on 25/01/2016 - 09:41

    okay.. anyone with the advice i am looking for will be helpful.. my opinion i am entitled to.. also can all commenting please lay out their own driving history just for context?

    So most people here think any fine amount is justified as long as you make a mistake?

    • toniyellow on 25/01/2016 - 09:53
      +1

      "Just for context" - the vast majority of users here haven't had a fine - see https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/211027

      Failing to notify of a change of address within 30 days also incurs a fine, so you didn't make one mistake, you made two - failing to notify, and speeding

    • James1976 on 25/01/2016 - 10:26

      I feel for you thatdude. The eventual penalty seems way out of proportion for what you actually did.

      But surely you knew this was coming?

    • the-mal on 25/01/2016 - 11:04
      +1

      So most people here think any fine amount is justified as long as you make a mistake?

      It's not "any amount" - it's a prescribed amount, amounts that you should know about prior to driving because they're all laid out there for all to see. Ignorance of the law isn't an excuse. If you disagree with the driving laws, don't drive - that's your prerogative.

      I've copped fines before that I felt were over the top - I stayed parked in a legal parking zone 15 minutes after it turned into a School Zone (at 2:30pm) and was fined $319 and 2 demerit points. But I did it, and the fines were there for me to see, and there were big street signs listing the times…so I really have no defense. And I've well and truly learned my lesson, so the fine had the desired effect.

  • grabngo on 25/01/2016 - 10:33
    +1

    pay the fine

  • [Deactivated] on 25/01/2016 - 10:53

    $180 Speeding Fine, What to Do?

    Ummmm… Don't speed?

    • James1976 on 25/01/2016 - 11:09

      Why do you think your posts are so important they must be bolded?

    • loke on 25/01/2016 - 11:11
      +7

      OP has edited the title/details in the post:

      Original as follows : https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W9uBSC…

      Title:
      $180 Speeding Fine, Being Asked to Pay $3200, What to Do?

      Body:
      Hi guys,

      Been a longtime lurker and benefited from all the great deals that get posted here. Saved me a ton of money so a sincere thank you to everyone here. I notice people sometimes post forum questions here to get advice sometimes so I wanted to try my luck at getting some for an issue I am facing currently.

      Got snapped by speed camera doing less than 10kms over the speed limit in the CBD in April '15 in my own company car. Didn't find out until November that the offence had been committed and it was now a warrant. The address with VicRoads for the car which is separate to my licence was an old one. Because its a company car the fine is $3200 roundabout unless I nominate a driver which I am happy to do. However the infringements court rejected the nomination saying it is too late.

      I do not fully agree with the offence anyway as I am a pretty safe driver and habitually obey the speed limit. Somewhere on exhibition street the speed limit sneakily goes down from 50ks to 40ks unexpectedly and that is where this happened. Bit of a revenue raiser here I personally think as it is just one of those things that don't register as it is out of place.

      My question is should I go to court and what is the process like?

      I know people here are pretty tough on this sort of thing but $3200 vs $180 is pretty excessive. Especially considering it is my very first traffic offence ever in my life and it is 1 demerit point if nomination is allowed. Doesn't matter if the penalty is directed at a company as it is a tiny home-based business and financially I would be just as worse off.

      Yes, its our responsibility to ensure car address is up to date but still $3200 is almost 18 times $180. I see drug dealers and hoons on highway patrol get off with under $1k. Also VicRoads doesn't make it easy for companies. They won't tell you over the phone anything, you can't update anything online and you have to send a letter for all company related matters. I had to update the address by physically going to a VicRoads office. Also note all other places including ASIC and my licence the address was updated immediately online when we moved.

      It is also pretty unfair by Civic Compliance as I am sure they had a phone number and email address which were current but made no attempt to get in touch.

      Please any advice would be appreciated if someone has been faced with a similar situation.

      Many Thanks!

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