Have you received a speeding ticket and feel it’s not fair? You’re not alone. Each month, more than 32,000 people visit this site looking for advice on tickets and fines.
It can be confusing and worrying, but help is at hand. In this article, we’ll explain:
The reasons why you might get a speeding ticket
How much a speeding fine might be in the UK
How to appeal a speeding fine and win
What happens when you’re caught speeding
How to ask for photo evidence from a mobile speed camera
We know the worry about the legal and money problems a speeding ticket can bring. But we’re here to help you understand how you can handle it.
What happens when you’re caught speeding?
The police send you a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within 14 days of the offence when you’re caught speeding. That’s if you are the registered keeper and the offence was caught on camera.
If the police catch you in person, you’d be given a verbal Notice of Intended Prosecution. Therefore, you won’t get one in the post.
You must reply to the NIP within 28 days and fill out the form that’s attached to the notice telling the police who was driving at the time. The form is known as a section 172 request.
Moreover, it’s a legal requirement!
You could face prosecution when you fail to provide the information or you don’t send back the notice duly completed.
Do the police have to issue a NIP within 14 days?
Yes. If the NIP arrives later than 14 days after the alleged speeding offence, the police may not be able to prosecute you. But there’s no guarantee the authorities won’t take you to court because there are exceptions to the rule. Even when the notice arrives later than 14 days after the offence!
This can happen if the authorities send the NIP to the registered keeper which is a hire company. The police fulfilled their legal obligation by sending the NIP within the time limit in this instance.
It’s up to the hiring company to give a driver’s details to the police when they fill out the section 172 request.
What image does a mobile speed camera capture?
Mobile speed cameras are designed to capture images of speeding vehicles. But sometimes the images are blurry. The cameras don’t capture images of the drivers although it can happen from time to time. It’s more by accident than by design though.
As such, identifying a speeding driver is not really possible!
The placement of a mobile speed camera may leave the equipment visible to motorists or not. Plus, the cameras can snap speeding vehicles on either side of the road!
Do you get photographic evidence with a speeding ticket?
You may get photographic evidence with a Notice of Intended Prosecution, but it’s not obligatory. That said, you can request it.
When you are sent photographic evidence it could be:
In the form of a ‘code’ which allows you to view the proof online
Hard copy evidence of the speeding offence
You may be able to identify the driver in the image, but as previously mentioned, the image may not be that clear.
Do police have to send evidence you were speeding?
No. The police don’t have to send you evidence proving you were speeding. That is until the case goes to court. You can request evidence from the police, and they should send it to you.
However, even when a driver’s identity can’t be confirmed in an image, you won’t have grounds to dispute a speeding fine!
Mobile speed camera photo evidence, can you request it?
Yes. You can ask the police to provide photographic evidence of a speeding offence. That said, the image of a speeding vehicle is often blurry, and you may not be able to identify the driver.
However, if a case goes to court, the police must present photographic evidence you committed a speeding offence.
The main object of mobile speed cameras is to capture images of speeding vehicles. It’s more by accident than design when a driver’s image is captured!
I hope the information in my post about mobile speed camera evidence clears up any questions you may have about speeding fines and your rights!
What is a legitimate reason for speeding in the UK?
There aren’t really any legitimate reasons for speeding. That said, you could contest a speeding fine based on technicality, but only with the help of an experienced solicitor. Even then there’s no guarantee you’d win.
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