Book Review: UK Driving Secrets

Publisher: White Cliff Computing Ltd
Price: £ 39.95 + vat
Discounts: £27.95, or £17.95 at special price using link at bottom of page
Website: www.UK-Driving-Secrets.com

You've just received a parking or speeding ticket and you're not sure what to do about it. These days most people would search the Internet to find some words of wisdom that could help fight against the ticket and you will no doubt stumble across websites promising to reveal secrets to help quash the ticket for a modest fee. If you're like me then alarm bells will ring as soon as anyone says they're able to get you off the hook. When I was caught speeding even my solicitor who charged plenty couldn't help get me off the hook, so why should you be so sure these products on the Internet can help? I decided to investigate by getting hold of a copy of UK Driving Secrets which was written by an ex-traffic police officer with 20 years experience.

Several driving topics are covered including good old parking tickets, the wonders of wheel clamping, going to court, and our favourite, speeding tickets.

Being an e-book it can be downloaded within minutes after purchasing a copy. There are 7 sections plus appendices that are displayed on an index page. You can either read the book from beginning to end or jump to any one of the sections. It's useful to read it from the beginning because it talks about the law and the different types of tickets motorists can be issued with. The language throughout is clear and simple without any unexplained legal jargon. The tone is factual but friendly making it an easy read, even technical sections where it explains how radar works aren't heavy on the brain.

Pesky Parking Problems

Everyone must have had a parking ticket at some time and wondered what they can do to appeal. Surprisingly a lot of people don't even know what all the yellow markings mean by the kerb so UK Driving Secrets dedicates a sections to put the record straight. But what if you already have a ticket? The road markings must comply with strict laws so if you check and find out that the lines where you parked aren't compliant then you have a good case for not paying the fine. The e-book outlines these laws so you'll be better equipped to challenge tickets next time you're given one. Several pieces of advice can help you including a sneaky one to get out of a fine issued by a pay and display car park.

For every type of ticket issues there are proceedures to follow. It's interesting to note the procedures because if the issuing officer didn't comply with them then you have a good case for getting the ticket cancelled.

Clout the Clampers (no, don't really!)

Clamping is one of the evils of the road that doesn't help improve traffic congestion, it's only purpose is to make money for the clamping company or council. I was surprised to learn of a law that will help to escape a clamping fine, but under certain circumstances. An example is given in the e-book of a case where someone was clamped in a pub car park but managed to get out of paying the fine. Of course the main headache is getting the clamp released which can only be done once you pay up, but you can dispute the legality of the clamping and claim a refund afterwards, but make sure you get a receipt and make a note of everything.

Caught on Camera

Speeding tickets are very well covered and reasons are given why radar based traps (such as Gatsos and some mobile units) can register false readings which you can use in your appeal against the ticket. It's important you make a note of as much as possible at the time including the type of equipment used. The police will tell you if you ask. Guidelines issued by the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) are divulged for operating speed traps. If any of these guidelines weren't followed by the police officier you can use this to your advantage. The same applies if the ticket was issued incorrectly - there are strict guidelines for everything!

If you've been caught speeding by a Gatso camera (the yellow ones that flash) and you don't believe you were going at the alleged speed you can ask for a copy of the photos and calculate your true speed yourself. UK Driving Secrets explains how to work it out which is important evidence if it turns out that the radar recorded an incorrect speed.

To help avoid being caught in the first place the author briefly examines the pros and cons of the different types of speed trap detectors on the market.

A growing problem for honest drivers is being involved in an accident with an uninsured driver. Since you can't claim off their nonexistent insurance you have to make a claim on yours which can affect your no claims bonus or renewal premium. Thankfully financial help is available if you've been one of the unlucky ones and UK Driving Secrets explains about the organisation that can help.

"I wasn't going that fast, your Honour"

If you want to dispute a speeding ticket you must do so in court. This can be a bemusing experience if you've never been to court before so you'll need to gain some essential advice beforehand. The penultimate section of the e-book deals with court procedures and provides excellent advice should you wish to represent yourself. If this e-book existed four years ago I could have saved myself a lot of money on solicitor fees by representing myself in court. It contains far more advice than my solicitor gave me and in fact they could have done with reading this e-book themselves!

In the last few pages the appendices include PCN (parking) contravention codes, a penalty table listing driving offenses and fines, example letters you can use as a template for when writing to authorities, and a page of useful contracts and addresses.

The only negative side of the e-book had nothing to do with the content. You can only read the e-book on your computer screen, it's not possible to print it out and read it in bed or on the train. There's also isn't a search facility to find specific words, but since there are only 7 clearly labelled sections on the index page it's quite easy to find what you're looking for.

The Verdict - Guilty or Not Guilty?

In conclusion I'm pleased to say that this e-book isn't the con that I thought it may be. The content is genuine and clearly explains how the law and procedures work. Of course there's no "get out of jail free" card or a magic phrase you can use to have your ticket ripped up. But what you will have after reading it is an in-depth education which you can use to find holes in the prosecution. There are plenty of ways outlined in the e-book that can help your defence and ultimately get you off the hook if your circumstances allow it.

Most people don't have any inside knowledge and some shell out £150 an hour on a solicitor to get advice. After reading UK Driving Secrets I'm confident that I will never use a solicitor again if I challenge a speeding ticket in court. In hindsight I could have done a lot more to save myself a £60 fine and 3 points when I was caught in a trap a couple of years ago.

So is the e-book really worth the asking price? If it can help you successfully appeal against a speeding or parking ticket then yes, definitely. Not only could you save yourself the cost of the fine but also expensive solicitor's fee and perhaps even your license. Even if your ticket isn't cancelled you will at least know that you did everything possible to fight it. The full price of this electronic book is quite a lot of money and even at the promotional price of £27.95 it's still half a speeding ticket fine. VAT is also charged which is a bit unfair because if this were a printed book it would be VAT exempt.

However, we've managed to obtain a special offer price of £17.95 making it much better value for money. £17.95 for a copy is a small price to pay considering fines start at £60 and only you know the price of 3 points on your license.

If you would like to buy the e-book for a special price of £17.95 + VAT by credit card then click here. However, if you want to pay by PayPal then use this link here to avoid paying a £2 surcharge.

Since speedcameras.org is an open and honest site it's only fair that we disclose that by buying the e-book through any link on this page we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. We will put this towards the cost of running this site. Please note that if we thought this e-book was useless we wouldn't have considered recommending it. Unlike the safety camera partnerships we're not in it for the money. Thank you.

Defending Yourself Against Clamping And Removal

It’s every motorist’s worst nightmare – you park your car for a few minutes, only to return to find it clamped or, even worse, towed away. As well as the delay and inconvenience, you will undoubtedly be asked to pay a substantial fee as well.

Clamping and removal have been around for many years, though originally they were limited to busy town and city centres. The police were once the only people with the power to remove illegally parked vehicles, but they used this power only to deal with vehicles that were dangerously parked or causing an obstruction. Clamping was sometimes used as a deterrent in places where illegal parking was seen as a particular problem.

All that changed with the arrival of decriminalised parking enforcement, however. This system, first introduced in London in 1994, allowed local councils to take over the enforcement of parking regulations from the police. It’s no coincidence that, from then on, both clamping and removal have become far more common. For many councils, clamping hapless motorists with nowhere else to park provides a valuable boost to their finances. And councils with (very expensive) removal trucks and equipment have every incentive to use them on anyone parked ‘illegally’ rather than letting them stand idle.

Private clampers operating on private land (e.g. pub or shop car parks) are an even more serious hazard for the motorist. They are unregulated, can charge any fee they like for releasing your vehicle, and will often only accept cash as payment. Although there have been calls for action to regulate clamping on private land since 1993, as yet no action has been taken, and clamping is still seen by many less-than-savoury operators as a licence to print money.

So what can you do to avoid being held over a barrel in this way? Obviously, the best solution is to avoid being clamped in the first place. However, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer this fate, there is one very good defence you can use. The law says that, to be clamped legally, a driver must give his consent to this happening, otherwise the clamping is illegal. If there are no warning signs to indicate this, therefore, or the signs are not sufficiently prominent, the clamping may not be enforceable.

Published with permission