A NIP is a �Notice of Intended Prosecution�, China Doll.
This is a document that the registered keeper of the vehicle is sent if his vehicle is caught by a speed camera.
Jake�s argument (if I�m correct) is that the principle of �totting up� is to deter consistent bad driving and that offenders are reminded (by means of the penalty points) that they need to mend their ways or face the consequences.
In the circumstances he describes (�banned in a day�) the offender has no opportunity to moderate his behaviour between the two offences taking place.
The flaw in the argument is that under the rules a NIP has to be sent so as to arrive within 14 days. So, moving from his extreme (two cameras ten yards apart) to the other, you could commit two speeding offences 13 days apart and argue that you had not been given the opportunity to mend your ways because you were not made aware of the first potential prosecution.
The Highway Code makes two references to the rationale behind the penalty points system:
�...is intended to deter drivers from following unsafe driving practices�
�...acts as a warning to drivers that they risk disqualification if further offences are committed�
So whilst the �warning� aspect of the principle is accepted, I do not agree that it is exclusive and must be allowed at all costs. In my view the purpose of the totting up rules is to punish drivers who commit a series of traffic offences which, each taken alone would not result in a ban. In short, to punish persistent bad driving. If this persistency occurs in a single day or even a single journey then so be it. Case law provides for the circumstances where cameras are closely sited together and is used to determine whether multiple offences have been committed.