How Long Does It Take for a Speeding Ticket through Post?

Receiving a speeding ticket in the post can be a worrying time. You may feel unsure about what to do next and worried about what might happen.

You’re not alone. Every month, more than 32,000 people visit our site for advice on tickets and fines.

In this article, we’ll help you understand:

•  What happens when you get a speeding ticket
•  How you might be able to challenge your ticket
•  What the rules are for speeding offences in the UK
•  How to know if you’ve been caught speeding
•  How a speeding ticket might affect your car insurance

We know that getting a speeding ticket can feel scary. But don’t worry; we’re here to make things clearer for you and help you understand your options.

Let’s dive in.

How quickly do you hear about a speeding ticket?

How long does it take for a speeding ticket to come through? This is a question I’ve been quizzed on numerous times, often by anxious motorists who think they might have been caught speeding. 

And it often appears on forums:

Source: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/439990/how-long-for-speeding-fine 

The registered vehicle keeper is sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) letter to their home address within 14 days of the alleged speeding incident, not including the day of the incident. 

The only time no NIP is sent in the post is when a verbal NIP equivalent is given to the driver at the side of the road.

What happens if you don’t receive a NIP within 14 days?

The offending driver cannot be convicted of a speeding offence if they aren’t issued a written Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within 14 days. This is sometimes referred to as the “NIP loophole”.

They cannot be prosecuted even if they’re guilty of the offence, which means no fine can be issued and no penalty points can be endorsed to their driving licence. 

It’s quite rare for a NIp to turn up late – but not impossible. Holiday periods and postal strikes could cause the NIP to be late. 

However, you must remember that no NIP needs to be sent in the post if you were caught speeding by a police officer who pulled you over and gave you a verbal Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) instead. 

What happens after Section 172 has been returned?

After the vehicle keeper has identified the driver at the time of the speeding incident through a Section 172 Notice, the offending motorist will receive either:

1. A Fixed Penalty Notice
2. An invitation to a speed awareness course
3. A court summons

What is a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN)?

A Fixed Penalty Notice is a conditional offer to the offending motorists to avoid court prosecution. 

The motorist can avoid being prosecuted in court by accepting the FPN of a monetary fine and penalty points on their driving licence. However, they are still classified as guilty of the offence. 

The police have up to six months to issue the Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) once they have received the completed Section 172 from the vehicle keeper. 

What is a speed awareness course?

If the motorist was speeding within a specific threshold and hasn’t been convicted of other speeding offences recently, they may be offered the chance to complete a speed awareness course.

This is a course without a test to improve drivers’ understanding of the risks of speeding on UK roads. The motorist will have to pay to complete the test, which is currently slightly less than the £100 minimum speeding fine. So there is only a slight financial advantage to taking the course.

The main advantage is that completing the speed awareness course will stop any penalty points from being added to the driver’s licence, which may have monetary benefits when it comes to taking out vehicle insurance (more on this shortly). 

What is a court summons?

Some speeding drivers aren’t offered a speed awareness course or even a Fixed Penalty Notice. Instead, the police can choose to summon them to court for court prosecution where they’re likely to receive the maximum possible punishment. 

You’re more likely to be summoned to court if you already have eight penalty points on your driving licence or if the speeding incident was of significance. 

Court summons usually occur quickly but the court date may be many weeks or months in the future depending on the seriousness of the speeding offence, such as if alcohol was involved etc.  

Can you reject a Fixed Penalty Notice?

You’re not obligated to accept a Fixed Penalty Notice, but if you do you’ll be summoned to court where you could be given a bigger fine and maximum possible punishment. 

As there is no formal appeals process for speeding tickets, allowing the matter to go to court is considered the only way to fight the ticket. However, you’ll need a very good excuse to get off the hook, such as having your vehicle stolen at the time of the incident. 

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What happens if I receive a speeding ticket after 14 days?

You won’t be able to get out of the speeding fine just because you received the Fixed Penalty Notice after 14 days. The 14-day loophole only refers to receiving the Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP). 

The police have up to six months to send the FPN after receiving the completed Section 172 Notice. 

Other ways to get out of a speeding ticket

Getting out of a speeding ticket can be extremely difficult, so the NIP loophole is one of the only ways to get let off the hook. It’s definitely not as easy as appealing a parking fine. The police only need to prove that you were travelling above the speed limit by any amount and for any duration of time. 

You might have heard of the 10+2mph rule, which was once guidelines given to police officers to not pull people over if they were speeding by 10% of the limit + 2mph or less, e.g. 35mph or less in a 30mph zone. However, this isn’t the law and you shouldn’t rely on it to avoid speeding fines. 

Nevertheless, there might be some other ways to get out of a speeding fine, which I have discussed on my How to Beat Speeding Fines guide. 

Can you check if you’ve been caught speeding?

There is no way to check if you’ve been caught speeding. You will have to wait to see if the registered vehicle owner receives a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) in the post. 

The vehicle owner may wish to contact the DVLA and ensure they have their current address. If the DVLA has the wrong address for the vehicle keeper, any NIP that is sent out will be sent to the incorrect address. 

Do speeding tickets affect your insurance premiums?

The penalty points you get for speeding may need to be declared to insurance providers which can increase insurance premiums. This is why avoiding points and taking a speed awareness course could save you money in the future. 

How long does it take to receive a speeding ticket UK? – quick summary

It takes up to 14 days to receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution in the post. And if you don’t receive it within this timeframe you cannot be prosecuted even if guilty. 

A Fixed Penalty Notice is different. It takes up to six months to receive this after the vehicle keeper has completed and returned Section 172, which is sent as part of the NIP.