60 pound fine and 3 points

[stephen2504]

got caught using my mobile got a 60 pound fine and 3 points ive got 28 days to pay the 60 pound as im unemployed is there anyway i can spread the payments for the fine

[baileybird]

no doubt - but how about doing without your mobile and getting the fine paid.
Idiot. No sympathy.

[Gormless]

I don't normally post gratuitously, but good job too. I was nearly killed one morning by a woman turning right from a side-turning, yacking away on a mobile, steering one-handed.

As a vulnerable cyclist I am appalled at the sheer numbers of people using mobiles - skip drivers on roundabouts! Bus drivers! I count at least TEN every day.

[baileybird]

i think less people would do it if there was a threat of confiscating their phones - the fines don't seem to put people off.
The number of lorry drivers negotiating the round about at the end of our lane whilst jabbering away on their mobiles is massive.
People will never learn. Again - idiots !

[Rollo]

It seems you have to pay it all within the time limit.

http://www.met.police.uk/traffic/fixedpenalty. htm

[baileybird]

Then, no, you cannot as I said, you will have to do without your mobile for a while and pull the cash in.

[Rollo]

The alternative is to opt to go to court, plead guilty there and ask for time to pay. The problem is that you will get costs added on if you do that, I expect.

[Buenchico]

As Rollo suggests, you an always go to court. The fines issued by magistrates' courts can be higher than fixed penalties but they can also be lower (because they're based on your income). Even after the possible addition of costs, and a �15 'victim surcharge', you'd probably not end up paying any more and you'd definitely be given time to pay.

Chris

[New Judge]

Further to Chris�s answer, the starting point for a fine in the magistrates� court for a first time offender pleading not guilty to this offence is a fine of half a week�s �relevant weekly income�. (This is essentially net income after deductions). For those unemployed or otherwise in receipt of little income, the lowest figure used is �100 pw. This means a fine of �50 would be levied.

A guilty plea would reduce this to �33 (in practice, the bench would probably round this up to �35). However, you would also be liable to pay prosecution costs (around �45) and a �15 Victim Surcharge (VS), making a total of around �95.

The Bench does have discretion to waive the costs (but not the Victim Surcharge). An example of this is where people have been unable to accept a fixed penalty (FP) because, say, their driving licence is with the DVLA for amendment. In this case they have to go to court, but because they would otherwise have accepted the FP the magistrates may award a fine of �45, �15 VS bringing the total to the FP equivalent.

They would be unlikely to do this in your case. You would have chosen to go to court simply to ask for time to pay as this facility is not available via the FP system. They would probably take the view that if you can afford to run a car and a mobile phone, you ought to be able to raise �60 within a month.