Speeding Fines Not Slowing

By WebmasterAwareness, Law, Safety
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By Georgina Bailey
Marketing Executive

Speeding fines are increasing all the time over the years with no sign of slowing down. The average speeding fine handed out in 2015 was just £188 but the new laws being introduced will raise the bar to a potential £1,000 fine, increasing to a massive £2,500 for those caught speeding on the motorway.

Motorists will come up against a new set of regulations this month as fines for speeding offences are scheduled to rise from April 24th 2017. The minimum penalty you can currently expect to see is a fine of £100 and 3 points added to your licence, but the new changes will introduce a 3 band system. The system is designed to allow magistrates in England and Wales to harshly penalise the most serious offenders.

Band A

  1. This category covers speeding offences between 1 – 10mph over the speed limit.
  2. The fine will be equivalent to half of your weekly wage.
  3. You will also receive 3 penalty points on your licence.

Band B

  1. This category relates to speeding between 11 – 20mph over the speed limit.
  2. The fine will be equal to your weekly wage.
  3. In addition, you will also receive 4 penalty points on your licence.
  4. There is also the possibility of up to 28 days ban from driving.

Band C

  1. This category is for speeding between 21 – 30mph over the speed limit.
  2. The fine for this will be a whopping 150% of your weekly income.
  3. Alongside the huge fine, you will receive 6 penalty points on your licence.
  4. There is also the potential of a driving ban for up to 56 days.

Points vs. Disqualification

There may be the potential of being disqualified from driving if you are caught driving at a speed that is considered too dangerous for penalty points by magistrates. This would apply to you if you get caught driving at a speed that will land you with a Band B or C speeding fine. You may decide that you are better off being disqualified from driving for a short period rather than take the 6 points on your licence – especially if you’ve already racked up a certain amount of points due to previous driving offences that would take you over the 12 point limit, as this would lead to a 6 month driving ban.

Magistrates are aware of this potential ‘loophole’, so odds are that they would be reluctant to ban you for a short time in lieu of penalty points, especially if you have been consistently driving at dangerously high speeds. If this is the case, perhaps you should consider how fast you are going on the roads. The laws are made for everybody’s safety so it’s important to abide by them.

Magistrates are allowed some leeway when handing out convictions, and in the case of the new speeding laws, they have been instructed to take any mitigating or aggravating factors into account. Mitigating factors such as speeding because of an emergency could see a reduction in the fine issued, however an aggravating factor such as being a regular offender could see the fine rise considerably. The magistrates can also sentence outside of the guidelines if they feel that justice would be best served by doing so.