Changes to the UK’s Speeding Ticket Cost

In 2017, the UK Government decided to change the laws that surround speeding penalties. Rather than punishing everyone who exceeds the speed limit the new changes now focus on punishing the worst offenders. This means that whether you’re travelling in a 30mph zone or an area that has a faster speed limit you’ll need to watch your speed.

As of 2017, driving at an excessive speed means the offender could be liable for a fine that is equal to approximately 150% of their weekly income. Before these changes were brought into effect the average fine for a speeding offence was just 50% of the weekly income.

This makes it more critical than ever to protect your driving licence by having a top notch speeding lawyer on your side.

The new ticket fines are reserved for the excessive speeds that can be found under ‘Band C’ in the table below.

Taking “Dangerous Drivers” off the Road

More than 100,000 speeding offences are recorded and prosecuted in the UK every year. The cost of the speeding tickets each year results in HM Treasury being paid millions of pounds. In addition to this, some of the UK’s most “dangerous drivers” are taken off the road. This is apparently thanks to the government’s desire to keep our roads safe.

The increase in the cost of a speeding ticket changed shortly after the government decided to boost the number of points on your driving licence. What this means is if you’re caught speeding you should expect harsher penalties.

If you have 12 or more penalty points on your licence you should expect to be disqualified from driving. This has not changed and is not expected to change in the near future.

Speeding Ticket Fine Bands

Before the new speeding ticket prices came into effect the most driver would be charged for speeding on a motorway was £1,000 or £2,500.

The table below illustrates the speeding bands that came into effect in 2017.

Speed Limit (MPH)		Recorded Speed (MPH)
	Band A	Band B	Band C
20	21 – 30	31 – 41	41 and above
30	31 – 40	41 – 50	51 and above
40	41 – 55	56 – 65	66 and above
50	51 – 65	66 – 75	76 and above
60	61 – 80	81 – 90	91 and above
70	71 – 90	91 – 100	101 and above
	3 points	4 – 6 points or 7 to 28 days disqualify	6 points or 7 – 56 days disqualify

A speeding ticket cost is now equal to 150% of a driver’s weekly income. Anyone who has been caught speeding will now face a possible fine and a ban from driving for up to 56 days. Alternatively, the offender may have to pay a fine and get six points added to their driving record.

The minimum fine of £100 plus 3 points on your licence is still the same. What’s more, is drivers who usually obey the speed limit may be able to prevent points being added to their licence. They could do this by attending a speed awareness course at a traffic school. Those who had previously been caught speeding were not given the opportunity to attend such a course. They would have seen even more points added to their licence.

Band A Violations and the Cost of a Speeding Ticket

The majority of Band A fines are likely to be equal to just 50% of a driver’s weekly wage. However, the ticket cost could be adjusted by the court at the discretion based on the specifics of the case. Variables such as the time of the motor vehicle offence, poor weather and the area’s population density could be taken into consideration. The driver’s previous convictions (If any) could also be taken into consideration.

Adjustments can be made to band B and band C fines too. The table below shows the variety of adjustment rates and the fine for speeding that you may receive:

	Starting Point & Percentage of Weekly Income	Range of Weekly Income
Band A	50%	25 – 75%
Band B	100%	75 – 125%
Band C	150%	125 – 175%

How Much a Speeding Ticket Really Costs

Back in 2015, the average cost of a speeding ticket was £188. More than 150,000 people were caught speeding in 2015 by speed cameras and police patrol units. However, now that the cost of a traffic ticket has increased by 50% the average cost of a fine could be as much as £282. Having said that, the £100 fine which is the most common fine may reduce the average.

The average salary of someone who lives in the UK is £27,500. If you’re caught speeding and you earn the average salary you could face a fine of approximately £265. This is if you were prosecuted under the Band A rulings. However, the circumstances surrounding each case of speeding tend to be different. The final amount a driver could be charged can range from 25% of their weekly wage to 75% of their weekly wage. The discretion is usually left up to the courts rather than the officer issuing the speeding ticket.

Factors that Change the Cost of a Speeding Ticket

There are different factors that could change the cost of a speeding ticket. Below are a few factors that could see you with fewer points added to your driver license:

There was a genuine emergency
You had no point violations previous to being caught
You show exemplary conduct or good character

Below you will find a few mitigating factors that could result in your having more points added to your licence:

The offence was committed while you were on bail
You were carrying a heavy load
You had passengers
Driving in poor weather conditions
Driving in poor road conditions
You’d been hired to drive
You were driving for reward
Driving with no car insurance
You’ve had previous driving bans
You’ve already had a lot of points added to your licence
You were near a location such as a school
You were driving an LGV, HGV or PSV, etc.
There were a lot of pedestrians around
There was a lot of traffic
The offence was committed on licence
The offence was committed post-sentence supervision
There is clear evidence of an unacceptable standard of driving over the speed limit
You were towing a trailer or a caravan

Your sentence may still be reduced if you plead guilty to the driving offence. Please note, if you’re caught speeding multiple times you could build up 12 points on your licence and face disqualification.

There are variable speed limits across the UK and drivers are urged to maintain the speed limit at all times. Remember, there’s always the chance that you could be disqualified from driving.

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