Motorway Speeding Fine – Do I Pay or Appeal?

Have you been given a speeding fine on the motorway and you’re not sure what to do next? You’ve come to the right place. Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website for advice on fines and parking tickets.†

In this guide, we’ll help you understand:

• Why you might get a speeding fine on the motorway
• If you must pay it right away or if you have other options
• How to make an appeal against the fine, if that’s the right step for you
• Situations where you might not have to pay the fine
• What could happen if you decide not to pay

A group of MPs and Peers say FPNs, which can cost up to £10,000, are hard to understand and might be unfair.¹ Our team has experienced these challenges as well, so we know how you feel.

Don’t worry; we’re here to help you understand what to do if you ever get a speeding fine on the motorway.

Why would I get a motorway speeding fine?

The most common offence on UK motorways and roads is exceeding the speed limit.

Therefore, a motorway speed limit must be respected, even when lowered because of road works or a traffic accident.†

Motorway speed limit enforcement, whether through a mobile speed camera or an average speed check camera, is very strict and allows little room for error or misjudgment.

You’ll get a Notice of Impending Prosecution (NIP) when you exceed a given speed limit and are caught on camera.

You could also be caught speeding by an unmarked police vehicle on a motorway using police radar guns. When pulled over for exceeding the speed limit, an officer gives you a verbal NIP as a fixed penalty notice as part of the UK Road Traffic Regulation Act.

In short, you won’t get a NIP in the post when you’re stopped for speeding by a police officer.

Note: The police don’t have to respect the 10% + 2mph tolerance!

You could end up in a magistrate’s court when you exceed the speed limit by more than 45%.

The result? A heavy fine or disqualification. However, it’s at the police’s discretion whether you’re prosecuted for speeding on a motorway.

I’ve been caught speeding on a motorway before. What happens next?

If you’re a serial offender, the chances are the police will prosecute you for exceeding the speed limit repeatedly.

You could be disqualified, have your licence suspended, and receive a hefty fine.

Is there a defence against a motorway speeding fine?

Challenging a motorway speeding fine could prove difficult. After all, the authorities will have caught you, or the offence will be recorded on camera.

That said, you could argue the following when contesting the fine:

• The details of the NIP are incorrect because some details are missing or wrong equipment used to measure your speed wasn’t correctly calibrated, which is hard to prove
• You were not the driver when the motorway speeding fine was issued. You must tell the authorities who was driving to avoid being fined for not doing so
• Did you get the NIP more than 14 days after the offence

Note: A good speeding fine lawyer may get you off on a technicality, but there’s never any guarantee!

Fixed Penalty Notice Appeal Reasons

I’ve put together this table detailing FPN appeal reasons, categorized based on the specific traffic violation.

Whether you’ve exceeded the speed limit or driven without a valid license, we’re here to help increase your chances of success.

Should I get legal advice if I get a fine for speeding on motorway?

You could seek legal advice if caught exceeding a motorway’s speed limit, especially if your licence is jeopardised.

That said, lawyers are expensive, so it’s worth weighing up the cost before challenging the fine.

How long will it take for a motorway speeding fine to arrive?

The police will offer you the chance to accept a fixed penalty notice if they stop you for exceeding a motorway speed limit.

You can either accept the fine and penalty points or challenge it.

Fixed penalty tickets/notices (FPT /FPN)†may be issued for road traffic offences and offer an opportunity to settle an offence without the need to go through the court system.

If you pay a fixed penalty ticket, all liability for the offence is discharged, and the offence doesn’t form part of your criminal record.

However, if the speeding offence is caught on camera, you’ll receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) in the post.

Moreover, you must receive the NIP within fourteen days when you’re the registered keeper.

Do I have to respond to a NIP for a motorway speeding fine?

Yes, you must reply to a NIP when you get it.

Plus, you must explain what you plan to do. Whether it’s to challenge the motorway speeding fine or if you’ll pay it.

Note: Your response to a NIP must be made within 28 days of receiving the notice.

Should I hire a lawyer when I get a motorway speeding fine?

If you think your licence is on the line, it could be worth seeking legal advice.

A lawyer could also represent you if the case goes to court. But lawyers are expensive, so you’d have to weigh the pros and cons first as well as the overall cost of speeding convictions on your driving record.

Speeding laws are cut and dried, and there’s typically no defence for breaking a motorway speed limit. Moreover, few challenges are successful unless a lawyer can get you off on a technicality.

Will I have to go to court if I pay a motorway speeding fine?

Just because you plead guilty and want to pay the motorway speeding fine doesn’t mean you won’t go to court.

It depends on whether the authorities want to prosecute you.

For example, if you were going well over the motorway speed limit, you could end up in court. Moreover, you’d have to pay court costs!

How much is a speeding fine on a motorway?

Fines for exceeding the speed limit on a motorway could be £2,500, which is the maximum.

Plus, you could be disqualified or have your driving licence suspended.

Motorways fines are calculated on a percentage of your weekly earnings, with a maximum of £2,500. So serious speeding offences could see you losing up to 175% of your weekly earnings!

First-time offenders may be offered a speed awareness course instead of a fine or penalty points.

New drivers can only accumulate six penalty points in two years before having their license revoked and having to sit a driving test again.

A maximum of 12 points can be recorded on your license before you receive a ban. Points stay on your license for three years.

What’s the slowest you can drive on a motorway?

Although there’s no official minimum speed limit on motorways, you could be prosecuted for careless driving when you travel too slowly!

Lastly, do you pay or appeal a motorway speeding fine?

Only a tiny percentage of challenges against motorway speeding fines are successful. So you need to weigh the chances of a successful outcome when contesting the fine.

A lawyer could get you off the speeding fine and any penalties on a technicality. But there’s never a guarantee this may happen.

My advice? Seek legal advice sooner rather than later when you get a motorway speeding fine and avoid the risk of disqualification!

References

1. UK Parliament — FPN