Getting a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding can be a worry for many drivers. If you’ve received one or are expecting one, this guide is for you. We understand your concerns, such as dealing with debt, the rules and laws, and how long it takes for the notice to arrive.
Every month, over 130,000 people look to us for guidance on fines and parking tickets. We’re here to provide clear answers to your most pressing questions. In this guide, we’ll cover:
- What a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding is.
- Whether you have to pay it.
- How much it may cost.
- What happens after you get one.
- How to manage and possibly appeal it.
Many of us have been in your situation and know how confusing it can be. We’re here to support you through this process and help you understand your rights and options. Read on for clear, helpful advice on what to do if you get a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding.
Around 50% of Appeals Succeed
In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your speeding 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 fees, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.
Chat below to get stared with JustAnswer.
*Carwow reports around 50% of appeals are successful, so it’s well worth a try.
What is a Fixed Penalty Notice?
A Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) is a notification of a financial penalty for road traffic offences, which will result in prosecution if not paid. They can also be issued as penalty notices for disorder.
FPNs were first introduced in the 1980s to deal with some parking offences, but they’re now served for many different motoring offences. Parking offences on public land are now dealt with using Penalty Charge Notices instead.
The rest of this guide is all about Fixed Penalty Notices for speeding offences. If your FPN was issued for a different reason, head back to our council and police fines page.
Do You Have to Pay?
In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay a 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 fees, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.
Click here to get the trial offer with JustAnswer.
What is a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
A Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding is a financial penalty for speeding on a UK road.
Local police forces issue them to the person who committed the alleged offence.
There is a fixed process that comes before the Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding.
The speeding offence is usually caught on specialist cameras or by roadside police camera vans. The registered vehicle keeper receives a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within 14 days.
At this stage, the vehicle owner has the opportunity to tell the police that they weren’t the person driving at the time of the speeding offence. A form must be sent back to the police within 28 days as part of the process.
Once the police receive this form, they will issue the person who was speeding a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding.
If you are pulled over by a police officer, they might decide to give you a verbal Notice of Intended Prosecution instead. Thus, you will receive the Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding without first receiving a paper NIP.
Is a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding enforceable?
Yes, a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding is enforceable by the police. These financial penalties are essentially a conditional offer for you to accept guilt and pay the fine. If you don’t accept guilt and pay, the police will enforce the fine using other ways.
Can you go to court for a speeding ticket?
If you don’t accept guilt and refuse to pay the speeding ticket, you’ll be summoned to court.
What should you expect when you go to court over a speeding fine? Discover the details in our going to court over a speeding fine blog.
» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer
How much is a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
The cost of a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding is determined by your weekly income and the circumstances of the speeding offence. The minimum you can be fined is £100.
The most you can be fined for speeding on a motorway is £2,500 and the most you can be fined on other roads is £1,000.
The speeding offence will be classified into one of six bands from A to F. The primary factor which determines the band of speeding offence is how fast you were travelling above the speed limit.
For example, if you were 5mph over the limit, the speeding offence will be band A, but if you were 25mph over the limit, you could be put into Band C.
However, other factors can affect the classification and how much your speeding fine will be. For example, if the speeding offence took place near a school, the offence could be pushed into a higher band.
The band classification determines how much of your weekly income you’ll be charged.
Band A fines are between 25% and 75% of your weekly income, whereas Band C fines are between 125% and 175% of your weekly income. I have found out how weekly income is calculated for speeding fines, but the maximum fine always remains £1,000 on normal roads and £2,500 on motorways.
For help understanding how much you might be fined, read our speeding fine calculator guide!
Do you get penalty points for a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
Yes, all speeding offences result in at least three penalty points on your driving licence.
You will receive four or more penalty points on your driving licence if your offence was a Band B offence or above.
Band B offences and above can also result in a driving disqualification, starting at seven days and increasing with the severity of the speeding offence.
If it is your first speeding offence within the last three years and your offence was classified as Band A, you could be offered a speed awareness course to avoid having penalty points on your license. You will however have to pay for the speed awareness course and you must attend.
What happens after Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
As long as you pay the Fixed Penalty Notice by the deadline, no further action will be taken and the matter will be considered closed.
How do I get out of a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
The easiest way to get out of a Fixed Penalty Notice is when the local police station doesn’t send the Notice of Intended Prosecution to the registered vehicle keeper within 14 days.
When a NIP isn’t received within 14 days, no action can be taken against the motorist and they cannot be prosecuted for not paying the fine.
It’s quite rare for the police to miss the 14-day deadline, but it’s not impossible. The police could miss the deadline if there are delays with the postal service or they forget to factor in bank holidays.
How serious is a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
Fixed Penalty Notices shouldn’t be ignored. They become more serious if you don’t accept and pay the fine.
What happens if you ignore a speeding ticket UK?
If you don’t pay the Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding, you’ll be prosecuted and summoned to a court hearing.
The police have up to six months to send you a court summons. You’ll then need to attend and explain why you didn’t accept guilt and pay the fine.
If the judge decides you are guilty of the speeding offence, they’ll order you to pay a fine. Only this time, the financial penalty is likely to be bigger than it originally was.
Read more about what will happen if you ignore a speeding ticket with MoneyNerd.
Can I appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
Yes, you can appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding but most police forces don’t have a formal appeals process. You might only be able to contest a speeding ticket by allowing the matter to go to court and making your appeal in court.
If the police force that issued your FPN does have an appeals process, you might want to ask for the speed camera photo evidence they hold and use our free speeding fine appeal letter template!
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.
In partnership with Just Answer.
What happens if I appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding and lose?
If you appeal a Fixed Penalty Notice and lose, you’ll have to pay the fine and accept penalty points on your driving licence. The fine is likely to have been increased by the judge for not paying the Fixed Penalty Notice by the deadline.
This is why it’s only wise to appeal for very good reasons. There are minimal parking fine loopholes to get you off the hook, so it’s usually not worth appealing.
Do I need a lawyer for a speeding ticket?
You might need a lawyer to help with an alleged speeding offence if you have been summoned to court or if you’re going to try and appeal in court.
There are lawyers who specialise in road incidents and can assist with speeding tickets.
How long do the police have to Issue a speeding ticket?
The police have up to six months to issue a speeding ticket. There is a misconception that the police only have 14 days to issue you with a speeding ticket, but this is because the Notice of Intended Prosecution is confused with the Fixed Penalty Notice.
It’s absolutely right that the police only have 14 days to serve you with the Notice of Intended Prosecution, but as for the Fixed Penalty Notice, the police have as long as six months to serve you with it.
Do I have to disclose a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding?
Yes, you typically have to disclose a Fixed Penalty Notice issued for speeding to your insurer if the FPN was issued to you within the previous five years. This could cause your insurance premiums to increase.
You may also have to disclose this information on some visa applications to travel abroad.
Do Fixed Penalty Notices for speeding go on your record?
It’s unlikely that a court will give you a criminal conviction for speeding alone. Therefore they don’t appear on your criminal record.
Join thousands of others who got legal help for a £5 trial
Getting the support of a Solicitor can take a huge weight off your mind.
Reviews shown are for JustAnswer.
How long does a Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding stay on your record?
A Fixed Penalty Notice for speeding is highly unlikely to result in a criminal record. However, the penalty points you receive on your driving licence can remain for between four and eleven years!
How to avoid getting an FPN for speeding in the first place
To avoid getting another FPN in the future, consider:
- Consider limiting your vehicle’s speed if this feature is available
- Add speed notifications to a satellite navigation system
- Use a satellite navigation system that makes you aware of speed cameras
- Using cruise control to maintain a legal speed when safe to do so
- Read MoneyNerd’s additional top tips to avoid speeding tickets
Fixed Penalty Notice for Speeding FAQs
Is there a time limit on Fixed Penalty Notices for speeding?
Fixed Penalty notices must be sent by the police to the motorist within six months. But this can only be sent if the NIP was sent and received within 14 days. From there, you have 28 days to fill out the form to either admit guilt or challenge the NIP.
Is a Fixed Penalty for speeding a conviction?
You won’t be convicted for a speeding offence unless the matter escalates to court action and the court decides to convict you. This is more likely if you were speeding while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and caused injury or even death to another person.
Are some speed cameras faulty?
There have been cases in the past where a speed camera wasn’t faulty. However, due to modern technologies, faulty speed cameras are almost unheard of. They are now incredibly accurate.
What is a mobile speed camera?
A mobile speed camera is another term for a police van that parks on the side of the road and monitors passing vehicles’ speeds.
Do mobile speed cameras take a photo of the driver?
Mobile speed cameras don’t prioritise taking a photo of the driver. But they can take images of vehicles on both sides of the road!
There is also no legal obligation for the mobile speed camera van to be visible to motorists. They could be positioned in places you cannot see while driving your vehicle.
A speed camera has flashed me, when will I know if I am going to get a ticket?
If you were flashed by a speed camera and you’re certain that it wasn’t taking a photo of a vehicle nearby, there is a good chance you’ll be getting a speeding ticket.
But you won’t know for certain until 14 days have passed. If you haven’t received a NIP within those 14 days, you cannot be fined or prosecuted for speeding.
Read our dedicated guide on how to get out of a ticket from a speed camera if you do receive a NIP!
I have points on my licence, can I lie about who was driving my car?
It’s not recommended to lie about who was driving your car when the car was caught speeding. This is because you will be taken to court, and the judge will ask you to prove that you weren’t the one driving your car when the offence took place.
The judge will also have all of the necessary documents to prove you were lying, and if you’re caught lying, you could face a maximum penalty for preventing justice. You’re best off not lying in the first place.
What is the most common speeding fine to receive?
A lot of people wonder this, and the speeding offence code that accounts for about 80% of all speeding penalties is the SP30 speeding fine. It applies to any speeding violation on a speed-limited public road that is not a motorway, so if you’re caught speeding on any road that is between 10mph and 60mph, you run the risk of landing yourself an SP30 conviction code.
Are speeding fines treated the same in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Speeding in Wales works the same as it does in England. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, there are slightly different rules:
- In Scotland, people who speed get their cases sent to the procurator fiscal. When people don’t pay, they are usually sent to the district court.
- If a driver from Northern Ireland receives a speeding ticket in Great Britain, they can apply to the DVLA for a GB counterpart licence and take the endorsement points. This means that the driver can use the system of fixed penalties and won’t have to go to court.
Hire a Solicitor for less than a coffee.
If you’re thinking about appealing your speeding fine 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
In partnership with Just Answer.
