Speeding Fine FAQs: What To Do If You Get a Speeding Ticket

Have you found yourself on the receiving end of a speeding fine lately? You're not alone – the number of speeding tickets issued to drivers in the UK increases every year. It's no surprise, as digital speed cameras are becoming more advanced whilst variable speed limits on motorways catch many people out. Most speeding camera and variable speed limit areas are marked with signage to alert 

However, there is still a lot of confusion around what to do if a speeding ticket (or 'Notice of Intended Prosecution', to be formal) lands on your doormat. Here, we answer all your questions, from how much the fine will cost to whether it is worth contesting it.

If you are caught speeding, there are three possible outcomes: 

1. You get offered a speed awareness course. 
2. You get a speeding ticket, also called a Fixed Penalty Notice, along with a speeding fine and points on your licence. 
3. If your speed was excessive and dangerous, you could be summoned directly to court and prosecuted. If found guilty, you will get a fine, points on your licence and possibly even a driving ban.

A Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) is a document sent by the police to the vehicle's registered keeper following a speeding offence. It details the offence and contains instructions on what to do next. You will not receive a NIP if you were pulled over by the police for speeding and given a verbal warning of prosecution or if your speeding was a factor in a road traffic accident.

The minimum fine for a speeding offence is £100. However, if you are prosecuted for excessive or dangerous speed, the fine goes up to £1,000. The minimum fine rises to £2,500 for dangerous speeding on a motorway.

The table below shows how the bands are set in relation to speed limits. 

Variables including the time of an offence, driving conditions and circumstances can further influence the fine level. Aggravating factors such as these can push the offence into bands D, E and F, where the fines increase to between 200% and 700% of your weekly income (but the £1,000 and £2,500 limits still apply). 

An average speeding ticket (the most commonplacing in Band A) will result in three points, or endorsements, on your licence. It may rise to six points for excessive speed.

If you already have eight or more points on your licence, the police may choose to prosecute instead of giving you more points, and you could end up with a driving disqualification. 

When the NIP arrives, you must complete Section 172 confirming who was driving at the time, even if that person was not you but another registered driver. You must return this to the police within 28 days.

You will then receive a conditional offer of a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) from the police. If you are eligible for a speed awareness course, this notice will offer it as an alternative. Otherwise, you will have to accept the points and fine. 

You have 28 days to accept the FPN and pay for your speeding fine by cheque or card. If you are accepting points, you need to send off your driving licence. You should get it back within four weeks.

If you are taking a speed awareness course, you must do this within four months of the offence date. The course provider will inform the police when you have completed it, and the matter will be considered settled.

For minor offences, you may be offered a speed awareness course, to escape the fine and points on your licence. But it has to be offered – you cannot request it. 

You are only eligible for a speed awareness course if: 

• You have not been convicted of any other speeding offences in the last three years.
• You were not travelling more than 10% plus 9 mph over the limit (for example, 42mph in a 30 limit).

Speed awareness courses are run by external providers, not by the police, so you will be expected to pay for the course. This cost varies by provider.

If you were indeed speeding then you really have no defence, and the best thing to do is accept the ticket. But you can contest it if you weren’t speeding or you weren't the one driving at the time.

I wasn't driving at the time, is the ticket still viable?

If your car was stolen or sold, or someone else was driving at the time, you are not liable for the fine. You must respond to the NIP to tell the police this. If someone else was driving your car at the time, you must inform the police of who the driver was. It is illegal for you to accept responsibility for another person's offence.

It is also illegal to decline to provide the driver's details, whether it was you or another person. This carries a minimum sentence of six points on your licence or even a driving ban. 

I have received a NIP but weren't exceeding the speed limit; what should I do? 

If you believe you were not exceeding the speed limit and that the NIP was wrongly issued, you must be able to prove this to be able to contest the ticket. If you didn't realise you were speeding, didn't know the speed limit, or you were only speeding for a moment, the speeding ticket is still valid.

You can also plead mitigating circumstances, such as driving someone to the hospital in an emergency. For such circumstances, write up the details with the NIP and return it to the police.