Originally Posted by
PLovett
Speeding is an absolute liability offence, not strict liability. There is a massive difference.
I and others have tried explaining the difference before but no-one likes to be disabused of a whinge and it keeps getting trotted out. Incidentally, your explanation of a defence is wrong also.
Speeding is not an “absolute liability” offence.
If someone is holding a gun to your head and ordering you to speed, that’s a defence.
If the vehicle has a latent design defect that results in sudden and uncontrollable acceleration past the speed limit, that’s a defence.
Then there’s honest and reasonable mistake of fact.
There are no defences to an “absolute liability” offence. Or maybe we have different concepts of “absolute liability” versus “strict liability”?
I think AndrewR makes a legitimate point about ramp checks being quasi-investigations into the past. A police officer can’t ask for evidence that I complied with all laws when I drove from A to B. (Well, I suppose s/he can, but my response would be: “Good morning officer. My name is X and I live at Y. Here is my driver’s licence”.)