Powered by MoneyNerd, featured in...
How to appeal a ticket
How to get out of a speeding ticket

Speeding Fine Appeal Letter Sample – Free Template

Janine Marsh Thrifty Family
By
Janine
Janine Marsh Thrifty Family

Janine Marsh

Financial Expert

Janine is a financial expert who supports individuals with debt management, cost-saving resources, and navigating parking tickets.

Learn more about Janine
· Jun 11th, 2024
Fight back against fines with JustAnswer, get legal guidance now!

In partnership with Just Answer.

Powered by MoneyNerd, featured in...
speeding fine appeal letter sample

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.

Do You Have to Pay?

In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your fine.

It’s a bit sneaky, but the last time I needed legal advice, I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.

Not only did I save £50 on solicitor feeds, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.

Chat below to get started with JustAnswer

In partnership with Just Answer.

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!

Successful Appeal Case Study

Situation

Initial Fine £100
Additional Fees £171
Total Fine £271

The Appeal Process

Scott used JustAnswer, online legal service to enhance his appeal. The trial of this cost him just £5.

Total Fine £271
Cost of legal advice £5

JustAnswer helped Scott craft the best appeal possible and he was able to win his case.

Scott’s fine was cancelled and he only paid £5 for the legal help.

Get started

In partnership with Just Answer.

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)

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

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!

Getting the support of a Solicitor can take a huge weight off your mind.

Get started

Reviews shown are for JustAnswer.

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:

Band C 150% of your weekly earnings
Band B 100% of your weekly earnings
Band A 50% of your weekly earnings

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!

Hire a Parking Solicitor for less than a coffee.

If you’re thinking about appealing your parking ticket then getting some professional advice is a good idea.

Getting the support of a Solicitor can make your appeal much more likely to win.

For a £5 trial, Solicitors from JustAnswer can look at your case and help you create an airtight appeal.

Try it below

Get started

In partnership with Just Answer.

Did you like this article?
Show your support ❤️
We're glad you liked the article! As a small team, your support means everything to us. If you could rate us on Google, it would be amazing. Thank you!
We are so sorry...

Is there something missing? We’re all ears and eager to improve. Send us a message and let us know how we can make our article more useful for you.

You can email us directly at [email protected] to share your feedback.

The authors
Janine Marsh Thrifty Family
Author
Janine is a financial expert who supports individuals with debt management, cost-saving resources, and navigating parking tickets.