Speeding Ticket Lawyer Cost

The UK Government changed some of the laws surrounding penalties given to drivers who have been caught speeding. This change occurred in 2017, and focused on everyone rather than the worst speed offences.

This means is if you’re driving in a 50 mph zone, for example, or anywhere else that has a faster or slower speed limits, you could find yourself in trouble. If you are caught speeding you will have to pay a bigger fine.

This fine can be up to 150% of your weekly income. Before 2017, you would only need to pay 50% of your weekly income for a motoring offence.

Thanks to the changes, it is now more important to have speeding offence solicitors on your side. Please note, the new speeding ticket fines are reserved for those who travel at excess speeds.

Making the Roads Safer 

Every year in the UK, more than 100,000 speeding charges are handed out. This is a phenomenal amount and it results in HM Treasury being paid a lot of money every year.

In addition to the huge sums of money raised by fixed fees, the Government claims it has a desire to make our roads so much safer. However, it can be argued that they have done this to help raise more money.

Whatever the case may be, if you have been hit with a speeding charge you can expect to pay more money than ever before. Dangerous drivers won’t just have penalty points added to their licence, they will have to pay more.

Speeding Tickets and Fine Bands

Before the British Government decided to increase the charges, the most a driver could be charged was £2,500. However, things have changed.

Below, you will see a table that illustrates all of the speeding bands that police officers or magistrates use as a guideline:

 

Speed Limit                                                                                          Recorded Speed

(Miles per Hour)                                                                                   (Miles per Hour)

…………………….Band A…………………..Band B…………………………Band C……..

20                    21 – 30 mph                      31 – 41 mph                       41 mph and above

30                    31 – 40 mph                      41 – 50 mph                       51 mph and above

40                    41 – 55 mph                      56 – 65 mph                       66 mph and above

50                    51 – 65 mph                      66 – 75 mph                       76 mph and above

60                    61 – 80 mph                      81 – 90 mph                       91 mph and above

70                    71 – 90 mph                     91 – 100 mph                      101 mph and above

 

Band A penalty = 3 penalty points

Band B penalty = 4 to 6 points or 7 to 28 days disqualification

Band C penalty = 6 points or 7 to 56 days disqualification

The cost of a speeding ticket is now 150% of the driver’s weekly income. This means that if you have been caught be a speed camera or a police officer you could receive a fine and a ban.

Alternatively, anyone who has been found guilty of speeding could have to pay a fine. They could also have 6 points added to their licence.

This is why we are proud to offer you help from one of our lawyers. They have worked for a variety of law firms and know a lot about speeding, reckless driving and other traffic offences.

The Minimum Fine

The minimum speeding fine is £100, and 3 points added to your licence. This has not changed, and those who have been caught speeding might need to attend a speed awareness course.

This course is usually an option for drivers who have no previous history of speeding offences. Anyone who has previously been caught will not have the opportunity to go on the course.

They will simply have even more points added to their driving licence.

Speeding Ticket Costs 

Let’s imagine you have broken a traffic law by speeding and you have to pay a fine. If you have to pay a Band A fine they will be equal to 50% of your weekly wages.

However, a magistrates court can adjust the cost depending on your case. There are some variations that the court could take into consideration such as the weather, the population density in which you were speeding and other factors.

In addition to this, any previous convictions such as traffic violations could be taken into consideration. The court could also adjust the Band A and C fines at their discretion.

Below, you will find a table that shows the range of adjustment rates for speeding fines:

Starting point & % of weekly income                Range of your Weekly Income

Band A                  50%                                                          25 to 75%

Band B                 100%                                                         75 to 125%

Band C                 150%                                                         125 to 175%

The Real Cost of a Speeding Ticket 

In 2015, the cost of a speeding ticket was on average just £188. More than 150,000 had been caught speeding that year but times have now changed.

These days, the cost of a road traffic ticket is more than 50% higher. This means the average cost of a speeding ticket could be £282.

The good news is that most people pay £100 for their ticket. The UK’s average salary is £27,500.

If you earn this salary you should expect to pay around £265 for your speeding ticket. This is the case if you were caught speeding under Band A’s rulings.

However, the circumstances that surround your case might change the sum you have to pay. The good news is you won’t have to pay more than 75% of your weekly wage.

A magistrates court will ultimately decide if they want to adjust your fine. The officer who caught you will not have a say in how much you’ll have to pay.

If you think your case might end up in court please hire a lawyer. Legal representation could help you, and you could even dodge jail time or a driving ban.