Free Traffic Legal Advice

Hi everyone,

I have NIP, served in time etc.. my question is about the actual display and fail-safe systems.

M62 Manchester to Liverpool. Variable speed had 60 illuminated on the overhead LED boards and then nothing for a while,. It was dark so lighting overhead was obvious but passing a gantry at cruise-controlled 60 "Nip states 58" I get flashed. The next gantry I pass has a new speed of 40 so I slow.

I did the same journey the next night and it was 60 all the way through.

My questions are:

A) Is it possible I've been caught out in a speed limit change after I've passed the last speed limit led board thus not aware of the new 50 limit? I assume there are processes to prevent this but this is not my field of expertise.
OR
B) The LED board indicating a change was out of service but the system thought it was showing the speed limit change but I was blissfully unaware. I would like to think there was a fail-safe but is there?

I have a clean licence and am eligible for a speed awareness course as I've not had an issue in many many years but I'm a bit aggrieved to lose £100 and half a day of my life because of a dodgy board or bad timing.

Some NIPs come with photos. Many/most don't. More come with a link to view offence photos/calibration certificates (irrelevant)/etc. online. Many don't.

If the NIP doesn't provide a means to view the photos, then realistically the only way to see them at this stage is to request photos "to help to identify the driver" (do not elaborate or spin some convoluted yarn, least said and all that) before you name yourself as the driver.

Machines, particularly approved devices, are presumed to be working unless shown not to be. The fact that you don't recall seeing an earlier reduced limit sign doesn't help. If the photos show the entry gantry and the signs are not showing, then that would seem to help.

Won't help you with this case, but going forward, dash cam.

The earlier speed limit remains until you pass another lower or higher speed limit sign. It is easy in the rain to confuse 50 for 60. I speak from bitter experience.

The displays have a failsafe (who knows how good it might be).

National highways ought to have a log, you could try asking them for both the limits set, the gantry numbers they were set on and details of any reported failures. (With timings).

You could perhaps also ask how they handle a situation where the gantry they are attempting to display on has failed, is it moved to the next gantry or the previous.

It's most likely a change from 60 to 50 was not noticed.