How a Speeding Lawyer Could Help you

If you are one of the many drivers who are allegedly caught breaking the speed limit you might want the help of a speeding lawyer. Specialist speeding solicitors use their knowledge of motoring law and enforcement technology to ensure a good case is built.

Here at DriveProtect, the speeding lawyers we use can help you build a successful defence using their experience. Did you know our lawyers have managed to get the police to offer a driver a place on a speed awareness course?

In this case, the driver had not been offered a place on the course yet our lawyers were able to help. This is the kind of expertise that they have.

If you Were Aware you Were Speeding

If you know that you were indeed speeding you could still benefit from the help of a lawyer. Road traffic lawyers can help to minimise the number of penalty points added to your driving licence.

A lawyer could also persuade the court not to disqualify you. It would be a shame if you were given a driving disqualification because you had second thoughts about hiring a lawyer.

Enforcement Thresholds

If you speed then according to British law you are committing an offence. However, police officers are issued with guidance by the Association of Police Officers which helps them decide whether they need to take action.

Police officers are encouraged can have a tolerance level which allows the speed limit to be exceeded. This level means the driver may not receive a speeding fine.

However, it depends on how fast they were driving. If you were driving above the following speeds you are likely to be prosecuted:

20 mph – driving at or above 35 mph
30 mph – driving at or above 50 mph
40 mph – driving at or above 66 mph
50 mph – driving at or above 76 mph
60 mph – driving at or above 86 mph
70 mph – driving at or above 96 mph

Using Special Reasons in your Defence

A speeding lawyer might be able to persuade the court that you were speeding for a special reason. For example, you might have been trying to get out of the way of a car that you could see was about to crash.

You might have been driving a pregnant woman to the hospital. Or you might have been one of the many drivers caught speeding thanks to the lack of signs on the road.

Another defence could be that the Notice of Intended Prosecution and the summons did not arrive in time. They should arrive within 14 days of the alleged offence.

One more defence that could be used relates to the speed detection equipment such as speed cameras. If they were not being operated or they did not work correctly there’s always a chance that your speeding ticket could be invalid.

Please note, the above defences are merely suggestions and are not guaranteed to work.

Penalties for Speeding

Many speeding tickets are handed out in the form of a Fixed Penalty Notice. In the notice, you will find a £100 penalty with 3 points added to your licence.

Please note, if getting 3 extra points on your licence means you have 12 or more points you could face a driving ban. This ban could last a few days or 56 days, depending on the circumstances.

If you are summoned to court the maximum fine is £1,0000. However, if you were speeding on a motorway the maximum fine is £2,500.

The magistrates court will look at their sentencing guidelines to help them determine the appropriate penalty. The penalty and the number of points you’ll receive will ultimately depend on how fast you were travelling.

For example, if you were found to be driving at more than 51 mph in a 30 mph zone you could be disqualified from driving. The disqualification could last from 7 to 56 days.

Alternatively, you might receive 6 points on your licence.

Fixed Penalty Notices

If you or the vehicle’s registered keeper are not offered the chance to attend a speed awareness course you might receive a fixed penalty notice. As we have already seen, in the notice you will find a £100 penalty with 3 points added to your licence.

An FPN is an alternative to formal prosecution or a speed awareness course. Please note, speeding offence solicitors are likely to urge you to accept the FPN.

This is because if you refuse, the court’s penalty is likely to be more severe. In other words, you could receive a larger fine or even more points on your licence.

Not Accepting the Fixed Penalty Notice

Please note, you are under no obligation to accept a Fixed Penalty Notice. If you do not think you were speeding or you have special reasons (or special circumstances) surrounding the speed you can reject it.

You can reject the FPN by filling in the back of it when it arrives. Once you’ve rejected the FPN you should speak to a lawyer who is registered in England so you can get legal advice.