Have you been handed a speeding fine on a smart motorway? It can be a bit scary and confusing but don’t worry, you’re not alone. Every month, over 32,000 people visit this site for guidance on tickets and fines.
In this simple-to-understand article, we’ll help you with:
- Why you might get a speeding fine on a smart motorway
- How to respond to a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP)
- Ways to challenge your speeding fine
- What speed leads to a fine on a motorway
- The cost of a motorway speeding fine in the UK
We know how it feels to get a speeding ticket, and we’re here to help you understand how to handle it.
Let’s get started.
Questions about a ticket or fine?
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What happens once you’ve been caught speeding?
You may or may not realise you’ve been flashed for going too fast on a motorway. That said, a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) Section 172 Notice drops through your letterbox a short while later.
The NIP should arrive no later than 14 days after you were caught speeding. That said, it’s sent to the registered keeper!
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The police get the registered keeper’s details directly from the DVLA.
It’s worth noting that if you’re a serial offender, you risk being disqualified, or the authorities could suspend your licence. This is on top of paying a fine.
Also worth noting, is that some smart speed cameras don’t flash. Plus, the cameras take photos of the driver although the image may be a little blurry.
How long do you have to respond to a NIP?
You must respond to a NIP within a 28-day deadline. Failure to respond would see the issuing authority taking out further action against you.
You can either pay the fine or you could opt to challenge it by filing a smart motorway speeding fine appeal. But it means you’d have to go to court.
Check the right challenge process
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Identify the type of notice, check the issuer’s instructions and keep copies of the relevant evidence. Meet every deadline while you decide what to do.
The route for challenging a notice depends on its type and jurisdiction. A private parking charge, a council Penalty Charge Notice and a Fixed Penalty Notice do not all use the same appeal process.
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Is it worth challenging a smart motorway speeding fine?
You’d need to have grounds to challenge a smart motorway speeding fine and have a very good reason to do so.
In short, if you’ve been caught going over a motorway speed limit and the offence is caught on camera, the chances of successfully winning a case are slim!
However, you could offer the following arguments when appealing a speeding fine:
- The camera on the motorway was incorrectly calibrated although this is hard to prove
- The NIP you received is incorrect and the details are wrong and/or missing
- The Notice of Intended Prosecution arrived through the post later than 14 days after the offence was recorded
- You weren’t the driver when the speeding offence was caught on camera. That said, you are legally obligated to tell the authorities who was driving at the time or you risk being fined
In truth, with the help of a specialist speeding fine lawyer, you may successfully challenge a smart motorway speeding fine on a technicality. However, even then, there’s no guarantee you’d get out of paying the fine!
How much is a motorway speeding fine UK?
A smart motorway speeding fine could set you back as much as £2,500. That’s the maximum you could be fined!
Then, of course, if the offence is serious enough you could lose your licence or have it suspended.
The way motorway fines are calculated depends on the seriousness of the offence. In short, you could lose a percentage of your weekly income which could be as much as 175% of your earnings.
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Paid general legal information from JustAnswer.
Advertisement. Thrifty Family may receive a referral fee.
Memberships renew automatically until cancelled. Check the initial price, renewal price, billing interval and cancellation terms.
The standard service does not create a solicitor-client relationship.
Do you get points for speeding on a smart motorway?
Yes. When you’ve been flashed exceeding the speed limit on a smart motorway, you’d get up to 6 penalty points on top of the hefty fine.
In short, the fine you receive could be up to £2,500 with six points on your licence depending on how over the speed limit you were caught going.
Will you have to attend court for a smart motorway speeding fine?
You could enter a guilty plea for speeding on a motorway but you may still have to attend court! The Police could prosecute you if they feel the offence merits prosecution.
This typically applies to motorists who flaunt a motorway speed limit excessively which is deemed dangerous driving!
On top of the hefty fine you’d receive you’d also have to fork out money to pay the court costs!
Is it worth having a speeding fine lawyer act on your behalf?
When you’re caught travelling at an excessive speed on a motorway and risk being disqualified, you may think about hiring a lawyer.
Losing your licence would negatively impact most aspects of your life, not to mention your ability to work if it requires having a licence.
A specialist speeding fine lawyer may be helpful as they can offer advice on how to deal with the court case. Moreover, they can tell you whether it’s worth challenging the speeding fine or not.
For example, a lawyer may be able to present a case that shows losing your licence could result in ‘exceptional hardship’.
But legal advice is expensive and there’s always a chance you’d still lose the case in court. In short, you need to weigh things up carefully before going down this route.
How do you pay a smart motorway speeding fine?
You need to check the NIP you received and follow the instructions on how to pay the fine.
I’ve listed ways to pay speeding fines in the table below:
| Online Payment Portal | England & Wales |
| Online Payment Portal | Scotland |
| Online Payment Portal | Northern Ireland |
Smart motorway speeding fine appeal, pay or challenge?
Challenging a smart motorway speeding fine isn’t easy. Plus, you’d need to appeal the fine through the courts.
That said, if you lost the case and the court finds you guilty, you could receive more than 3 points and the fine would increase too. You’d also have to pay court costs!
In short, you should think carefully before challenging a smart motorway speeding fine and seek legal advice if you do. Only a very small percentage of speeding appeals are successful which is something to consider.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I hope the info gleaned in the article helps you decide whether it’s worth challenging the fine or paying it!
Do you still get a 10% leeway for speeding?
In truth, as soon as you exceed a speed limit on a motorway (or other public road), you are, in effect, breaking the law. That said, an issuing authority like the Police could allow some leeway which is known as the 10% rule. But it’s at the discretion of the police!
What speed do you get fined for on a motorway?
As mentioned, as soon as you go over a motorway speed limit whether it’s 70 mph or less due to roadworks, you’ve committed an offence.
In short, when a camera records you going 50 mph along a stretch of motorway where there are roadworks and a 30 mph limit, you’ll be fined!
Plus, if you’re caught exceeding a motorway speed limit by over 45%, you risk losing your licence. That’s on top of paying a very hefty fine.
Check out what one motorist posted on a popular forum after being caught speeding on a smart motorway:
Source: Moneysavingexpert
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The standard service does not create a solicitor-client relationship. No successful outcome is guaranteed.
