Speeding Offences

The penalty you receive for speeding can vary depending on the circumstances of your case. Penalties can include: 

• A Speed Awareness Course
• A fixed penalty notice of £100 and three points on your driving licence
• A Magistrates’ Court imposed fine of £1,000 (£2,500 for motorway speeding offences) and three to six points on your licence
• Disqualification from driving

The police can offer a Speed Awareness Course as a penalty if the exceeded speed limit is lower than 10% of the actual speed limit, plus 9mph. For example, where the speed limit is 30mph, a speed of 42mph would warrant a Speed Awareness Course.

If you are prosecuted for a speeding offence in the Magistrates’ Court, any penalty is determined by ‘Sentencing Guidelines’ based on the speed at which you were travelling.

For example, if you exceed a 30mph limit by more than 20mph, the Magistrates’ Court Sentencing Guidelines indicate that you could face disqualification from driving for between seven and 56 days or six penalty points.

Depending on the facts of your case, yes there are a number of legitimate reasons you can raise in your defence against a speeding allegation. These include:

• Incorrect details on a  Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP)
• Receiving a NIP after the 14-day deadline in which it should be issued by police
• You were not driving the car at the time
• You were in an exempted vehicle attending an emergency
• Incorrect or absent road signs
• The speeding vehicle has been incorrectly identified
• A speed camera was not authorised or was operating incorrectly 

In some instances, you may be able to convince the Court of ‘special reasons’ that warranted excess speed, including:

• Escaping from an aggressive driver
• A genuine emergency (e.g. taking someone to hospital)
• A spiked drink

Yes. You have the right to challenge a speeding allegation or appeal if you are convicted of breaking speed limits. 

You can appeal either a conviction or sentence in the Crown Court and you can request that the Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court suspend your disqualification from driving pending the outcome of your appeal.

There are procedures that must be followed before anyone can be prosecuted for speeding.

1. You must be warned at the time of the offence about the possibility of prosecution, or;
2. You must have been sent a notice within 14 days of the alleged offence outlining the possibility of prosecution.

You cannot be convicted of speeding unless a policeman has stopped you at the roadside or you have been notified by post within 14 days in a written Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) for speeding. If you are unsure whether the rules have been adhered to, contact our motoring solicitors who will be able to assist you.

The national speed limits for standard vehicles in the UK are the following:

• Built-up areas – 30mph (unless stated otherwise)
• Single carriageways – 60mph (unless stated otherwise)
• Dual carriageways and motorways – 70mph (unless stated otherwise)