'14 day rule' for speeding tickets and how to legally avoid a fine
Motorists who have been issued a speeding fine have been urged to check one detail that could help them legally avoid having to pay the penalty.
Drivers have been given a tip that could help them avoid having to pay a speeding fine without breaking the law.
Whilst the easiest way to avoid speeding tickets is by keeping within the limit, there are a number of measures to make sure that all fines are issued fairly.
The financial advice service Money Helper suggested that drivers could be able to avoid paying their speeding fine if it was issued more than two weeks after the incident occurred.
They advised: "If the ticket was issued - written up, created - outside of 14 days after the speeding incident, then there may be a possibility the ticket could be time barred (cancelled).
"However, there's no guarantee, and by contesting the ticket, you could end up with a bigger fine and more points."
UK law states that police forces must issue the notice of intended prosecution (NIP) to the registered keeper of the vehicle caught exceeding the limit no later than 14 days after the offence occurred.
However, this rule does not apply if the vehicle caught speeding was a hire car or company car, with the motorist behind the wheel at the time typically being harder to identify within the time period.
Motorists thinking about challenging a speeding ticket that was issued two weeks after the offence should seek legal advice first, with a number of nuances meaning drivers may end up paying even more than they expected.
Money Helper noted that fines surrounding speeding depend on a number of factors, such as the recorded speed and the limit on the road.
They added: "Right now, the laws around speeding mean you get different punishments depending on how much you exceeded the speed limit.
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"Band A fines are for exceeding speed limits by smaller amounts, Band C for exceeding by larger amounts."
Generally, the most expensive speeding penalties are for cases that took place on roads with a lower limit, such as travelling more than 20mph higher on roads with a maximum speed of 20 or 30mph.
In these cases, drivers are typically issued six penalty points and a fine that equates to 125 to 175 percent of their weekly income.
Motorists could also be disqualified from getting behind the wheel for up to 56 days or, if they already have six or more points on their licence, a driving ban of up to six months.
