Speeding
Speeding
Motoring Offences – Speeding
Have you just received a speeding infringement notice in the post? Or been pulled over by the police and informed that you were speeding? If so, what do you do if you are sure that you were not speeding, or not going as fast as is being implied, or you feel that there are mitigating circumstances that should be taken into consideration?
Some individuals rely on keeping their licence to maintain their livelihood. We have argued many successful cases in front of Magistrates and can offer you clear, concise advice from the start of the procedure to the end. It may even be possible that you will not have to attend Court at all to defend a speeding charge. This will allow you to get on with your work, with the knowledge that your case is in the best possible hands.
The Penalties for Speeding
If you are caught speeding by the police or a safety camera then you may:
• Receive a verbal warning
• Be required to attend a speed-awareness course at your own expense
• Be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice
• Be prosecuted, which will require you to go to court
Can I Be Fined or Lose my License?
Yes, but it all depends on how fast you were driving. If you have been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (or a speeding ticket), you will be fined £60 and receive three penalty points. However, if you are prosecuted by the police for speeding, the fines can range from £1000 to £2,500 and you may be disqualified from driving.
If you are facing a criminal prosecution for speeding we understand that the uncertainty caused by not knowing what the outcome of the trial will be can be very stressful. We will therefore ensure that you are informed of the process every step of the way, and advise you on the best strategy to take to gain the best possible outcome.
Can I Contest a Fixed Penalty Notice or Speeding Prosecution?
Speeding fines and prosecutions can be contested. Within two weeks of being caught speeding, you should receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution and a Section 172 notice. You must send the Section 172 notice to the address stated, acknowledging that you were the driver of the car at the time of the offence. If you were not driving the car you will need to provide any information you have to hand about who was responsible for the vehicle at the time the speeding offence occurred. Failure to do so is a separate offence (failure to furnish information) and can be punishable by a fine and penalty points being added to your licence.
You need to complete and return the Notice of Prosecution within 28 days. We will advise you as to whether or not you stand a reasonable chance of being successful if you decide to contest the speeding offence. As the prosecution only have to prove that you were in fact driving above the legal speed limit, it is important to remember that defences such as, “I did not realise how fast I was going”, are not going to persuade the presiding Magistrate to let you off the charge. However, if your argument is more along the lines of “the speed limit was not clearly identifiable due to road works etc”, then we will have a chance of successfully pleading your case.
Our vast amount of expertise allows us to gather the correct evidence and put forward a well-structured, compelling defence on your behalf.
If you need to talk to someone about defending a speeding offence then please phone our office on 0207 797 7788, or simply fill in our contact form and we will get back to you.
