Hi.
My last (second) ticket was in 1964. As mentioned previously. I was in a 1959 850cc Minivan, fully loaded (us 5 RAF types, all our luggage, and my RAF tool box. Early hours of a Monday morning, on the A1.
I wished the officers a "Good evening!"
"Don'y you mean Good Morning? We have followed you for one mile. Your minimum speed was 70mph, your maximum speed was 80mph" ... followed by "Miranda UK".
Past experience had taught me that no matter what you say, it will sound incriminating (or stupid) when Plod reads it out in court. So I was recorded as saying "Nothing"
Come the day of my trial, I donned my "Best Blue", and drove about 60 miles to court. The morning started with listening to all the other crims appologising for exceeding a local 40mph. They all got fined £5 and endorsed ... apart from one bloke who asked for leniency, and was fined £3.
Then It was my turn. I pled (?) No Guilty. I explained that my Minivan was actually a Motor Car, as I had fitted extra seats in the back. I produced a letter from Customs and Excise, as evidence, which stated the fitting seats in the back of a van turned it into a Motor Car, and therfore not subject to the 40mph Goods Vehicle limit.
The Clerk of the Court did a frantic search through his law books, produced the RTA which said that to be exempt from the Goods Vehicle limit, my van would have needed both side windows and rear seats. "B****r!"
The beaks had a quick discussion, then told me I had been driving very fast ... and fined me £2. They apologised for the endorsement, but said they had no choice.
Fast? Fast? I've had that Minivan "off the clock" and "airbourne" on the hump-back bridge close to the main gates of RAF Barnham. (Ask Wittsend) Over my time of ownership, I had to replace the "balls" at the bottom of both front suspension trumpets.
It's now over 50 years since I last claimed off my insurance. (Rammed from behind by an old codger having a heart attack ... so not legally liable) I won't count the time that Barbara's SAAB ran amok in reverse gear, and wrote of my Disco ... I claimed off her... no point in both of us losing our NCD. Er ... there can't be many cars that have the upholsery ripped off the inside of the driver's door. (Her door was open. She turned the key. The car shot away in reverse. She spun the wheel, trying to miss my Disco. The SAAB missed my Disco, but it's driver's door didn't. The door was folded into the O/S front wing, tearing the L/H front corner of my Disco. Er, she also included the Transit type van parked on the other side of the road. I heard the "trump" type noise as it's front tyre deflated as the van was pushed across the kerb.
Can't be bad ... three vehicles written off, in about 15 to 20ft, from a standing start, in reverse.
Strangely, she'd be happy with a SAAB auto, as/when/if she gets her knees sorted.
602
