Have you recently got a speeding ticket? You’re not on your own. Every month, over 32,000 people visit this site for advice about tickets and fines.
Getting a speeding ticket can be worrying and hard to understand, but we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll explain:
- How to appeal against a speeding ticket and maybe win.
- How the law treats people who speed.
- If there are any ways to avoid a speeding ticket.
- What you should do if you’re told to go to court for speeding.
- What happens if you weren’t the driver when the ticket was given.
We know what it’s like to get a speeding ticket; some of us have been in the same boat. Don’t worry; we’re here to help you understand your ticket and what you can do about it. We’ll also explain how much leeway speed cameras give and if it’s worth getting a lawyer to represent you.
Let’s get started!
Questions about a ticket or fine?
Paid general legal information from JustAnswer.
Check the notice, issuer and deadline first.
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. No successful outcome is guaranteed.
How does the law deal with speeding motorists?
The law is stringent when it comes to speeding on public roads. In short, it’s an offence to break speed limits on any public road which includes dual carriageways and motorways!
You may be caught speeding by an unmarked police car, or you could be caught going over the limit by a mobile speed camera or a stationary speed camera.
If you’re caught speeding, UK law requires that you be informed within two weeks of the alleged offence.
Are there any speeding ticket loopholes?
There’s only one speeding ticket loophole that could get you out of paying a ticket for speeding. To clarify, if you don’t get a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within two weeks of the offence, you may not have to pay!
You could send it back to the issuer stating the speeding fine is ‘out of time’.
However, there’s a provision which says you must be the registered keeper to use this loophole. Why? Because the NIP is sent to a registered keeper. So, if you were caught speeding in a hire car, the NIP is sent to the rental company!
The issuer would have fulfilled the legal obligation to send the NIP within the deadline. As such, you couldn’t use an ‘out of time’ excuse to get out of paying the speeding ticket!
What should you do when you get a court summons for speeding?
If you get a court summons for a speeding ticket, make sure you respond to the summons. Otherwise, you’d end up in hot legal water.
You should send a ‘not guilty plea’ if you want to contest the speeding fine. However, it means you’d have to attend court and argue your case in person. Or you could get legal representation from a solicitor or barrister which can be expensive.
There’s also no guarantee you’d win the case even with legal representation. You could end up paying a greater fine and having extra penalty points added to your licence. There’d also be court costs to pay!
If you plead ‘guilty’ to speeding, you’ll pay the fine and that’s the end of it. You won’t have to attend court but you may get penalty points as well as a fine.
Check the right challenge process
Paid general legal information from JustAnswer.
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.
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. No successful outcome is guaranteed.
Are there any other speeding ticket loopholes?
You may get lucky and not have to pay a speeding fine when it’s a first offence. You may only have to take part in a ‘speed awareness’ course rather than pay a fine.
But you must attend the course to avoid paying a fine!
What penalties could you get for speeding?
The penalties for speeding are a percentage of your weekly earnings. But it depends on the seriousness of the offence. For example, you’d pay a higher percentage if you’re caught exceeding a speed limit by a greater amount.
That said, there’s a cap on the amount you can be fined which I’ve listed here:
| Cap on public roads | £1,000 |
| Cap on motorways | £2,500 |
What happens if you’re not the driver when the fine is issued?
You’d get a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) if you’re the registered keeper. However, if you weren’t the driver when the speeding fine is issued, you’re legally obligated to say who was driving!
If you don’t give the name of the driver to the authorities, you could be given 6 penalty points. Moreover, you could receive a £100 fine.
Paid legal information from JustAnswer
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.
Can you challenge a speeding fine?
There’s no valid defence for speeding which means contesting a speeding fine is challenging in itself. That said, you could contest a fine for the following reasons:
- The Fixed Penalty Notice you received is incorrect due to clerical errors
- The equipment used to gauge your speed is faulty which is nigh on impossible to prove
Little-known speeding ticket loopholes. Are there any?
There is only one real speeding ticket loophole that may get you out of paying a fine. It’s when the Notice of Intended Prosecution doesn’t drop through your letterbox within 14 days of an offence.
Other than that, you could get away with not paying a fine if you’re a first-time offender. The authorities could let you go on a speed awareness course instead.
At the end of the day, there’s no excuse for speeding in the eyes of the law. Plus, the tolerance for speeding is never guaranteed. So the 10%+2mph may not always apply.
I hope the information on little-known speeding ticket loopholes helps you deal with the situation so it doesn’t cost you time and more money than it should!
Paid legal information: Continue to JustAnswer
Advertisement. Paid general legal information from JustAnswer. 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. No successful outcome is guaranteed. Thrifty Family may receive a referral fee.
Is it worth having a barrister or solicitor represent you?
You could have a solicitor or barrister represent you over a speeding fine but it could prove expensive. That said, it may be worth it if your job involves driving and you run the risk of being disqualified.
The majority of speeding offences get settled without going to court. So, you could just be given points on your licence together with a fine. Or you could go on a speed awareness course if it’s your first offence and not a repeat offender!
Before using a paid legal information service
Paid general legal information from JustAnswer.
Using a paid service is optional. Continue to follow the notice’s instructions and deadlines.
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. No successful outcome is guaranteed.
