Speeding Fine Appeal Letter Sample – Free Template

Have you received a speeding ticket, and you’re unsure what to do next? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Each month, more than 32,000 people visit this site looking for advice on how to handle tickets and fines.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

•  The reasons for getting a speeding fine
•  Understanding the speed tolerance in the UK
•  What happens when you receive a speeding ticket
•  How to appeal your speeding fine successfully
•  What to include in your speeding fine appeal letter

We understand how unsettling it can be to receive a speeding ticket, and we’re here to help. So, take a moment to relax, and let’s explore your options.

What happens when you get a speeding ticket?

A police officer could give you a verbal warning (verbal Notice of Intended Prosecution) if they catch you speeding. But when you’re caught over the speed limit on camera, the NIP arrives in the post two weeks later.

You must respond to the NIP or face prosecution!

Also, you must tell the police who was driving when the speeding offence occurred if you weren’t driving at the time.

After you get the NIP (NOTE TO ED: PLEASE LINK TO what is a notice of intended prosecutionWHEN PUBLISHED), you have two options which I’ve listed below:

• You can plead guilty to the offence and accept the consequences of a fine, penalty points, or both
• Pleading ‘not guilty’ and having to face a court hearing which could earn you a great fine if you lose the case

If you lose a court case, you’d also have to pay court costs!

Can you appeal a speeding fine?

Although there’s no official process to appeal a speeding fine, you can argue the NIP never arrived within the 14-day deadline. But the ‘out of time’ excuse only works if you weren’t given a verbal warning at the time of the offence.

Also, if you’re not the registered keeper, the police would have sent the NIP to the legal owner who likely got it within the deadline!

What are the grounds for contesting a speeding fine?

There aren’t many grounds for contesting a speeding fine. Moreover, when you break the speed limit, you effectively break the law. That said, you could argue the following points:

• The Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) arrived after 14 days following an offence (not always the case though as there are exceptions)
• There were no speed limit signs
• The speed camera wasn’t calibrated correctly (hard to prove)

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How long do the police have to send a speeding fine?

The police must send out a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) to you within 14 days of the speeding offence. But the NIP is sent to the registered keeper so if you don’t own the vehicle, you won’t get it.

A registered keeper must respond to the NIP within 28 days and they must declare the name of the driver if they weren’t driving themselves! It’s a legal obligation.

The consequences of not providing the information could mean prosecution and a hefty fine!

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How do you write a speeding fine appeal letter?

You should seek legal advice before attempting to write a speeding fine appeal letter. Like this, you stand a better chance of having your case heard!

But first, you have to respond to the Fixed Penalty Notice you’re sent by pleading ‘not guilty’ to the speeding offence.

Second, write an appeal letter which should be set out as follows:

• Start with the current date
• Your details – name, postal address and phone number
• The Fixed Penalty Notice reference number

Following the above, you should write as follows:

• To whom it may concern
• The main body of your appeal letter

The main body of the appeal letter should read something like this:

• On (date of the alleged offence/ticket), I was incorrectly accused of speeding by (name and number of police officer)
• Next, you should explain what happened
• Then add, please advise me of the steps needed to contest the speeding fine

End your appeal letter with the following:

• Yours sincerely
• Your signature

Once you send your letter of appeal, you’re sent a court summons and you’d have to attend court to present your argument for having the FPN cancelled.

It’s worth noting that your chances of success aren’t great, even if you hire a solicitor or barrister to represent you!

How much are speeding fines in the UK?

A speeding fine could set you back a lot of your weekly income, depending on the seriousness of the offence. That said, the minimum amount for a driving offence is set at £100 and 3 points on your driving licence.

You risk being disqualified from driving if you have 12+ penalty points on your licence within 3 years!

That said, you may have to pay up to 175% of your weekly earnings for an extremely serious speeding offence. The cap is set at £1,000 on public roads and £2,500 on motorways!

Take a look at the Fine Bands below:

Speeding fine appeal letter sample. Is it worth it?

Challenging a speeding fine is just that, challenging. It’s against the law to break a speed limit. Not many motorists contest speeding fines successfully and the chances of getting a heavier fine must be considered!

In short, it may be less stressful and cheaper to accept the consequences of speeding than to put up a fight!

I hope the information in my article helps you decide whether it’s worth appealing a speeding fine or if you’d be better off paying it!