Skip to main content Skip to footer

Speeding Offence Solicitors

If you are caught speeding in the UK then you are breaking the law.

By just accepting the speeding allegation you could end up receiving unnecessary points on your licence, a disqualification through totting up or even a charge for dangerous driving.

 

 

I have a speeding ticket; what happens next?

Generally speaking, the punishment you receive for speeding will depend on the severity of the offence.

You will usually receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution which you have to respond to within 28 days stating who was driving the vehicle at the time of the road traffic offence. You may then either be offered a speed awareness course or issued a Fixed Penalty Notice of three penalty points and a minimum £100 fine.

However, if you accumulate more than 12 points within a three year period you will be automatically disqualified from driving. In other words, your licence will be suspended and you will have a driving ban.

Current speed limits in the UK are 20mph or 30mph in built-up areas; 60mph on single carriageways; and 70mph on dual carriage and motorways. Depending on the type and level of speeding driving offence you have committed, an endorsement code and a number of penalty points will be put on your driving record for four years. These include:

SP10 – exceeding goods vehicle speed limits; 3-6 points

SP20 – exceeding the speed limit for the type of vehicle (excludes goods or passenger vehicles); 3-6 points

SP30 – exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road; 3-6 points

SP40 – exceeding passenger vehicle speed limit; 3-6 points

SP50 – exceeding the speed limit on a motorway; 3-6 points

 

 

Can I challenge a speeding ticket?

There are reasons that you could challenge a speeding ticket. Common reasons for challenging them include:

  • you were not the driver of the car
  • the speed limit sign was missing
  • the speed limit sign was incorrect or not visible
  • the car was stolen

It is also important to know what reasons cannot be used to challenge a speeding ticket. Factors like typing mistakes or misspellings on the Notice of Intended Prosecution and not being aware you were speeding cannot be used for defence.

 

 

I already have points on my licence, what should I do?

If you already have 6 or 9 active points on your licence then you could be at risk of being disqualified from driving.

Once a person accumulates 12 points the Court will impose a ‘Penalty Points Driving Ban’. This driving ban will be for a period of at least 6 months.

Receiving a ban from driving could have a significant impact on your life. You might be unable to drive your family around, or a ban could make it more difficult to get to work. If driving is related to your occupation, you could also be at risk of losing your job.

In some situations, you may be able to enter an Exceptional Hardship Application. This is a legal argument submitted to the Court that could reduce or prevent your disqualification.

There is no set list of what is considered an exceptional hardship. However, simply suffering hardship as a result of disqualification is not an adequate enough argument.

For example, whilst you may suffer hardship from losing a job because of your disqualification, this is not considered exceptional hardship. However, should you lose your job from disqualification and you are the sole financial provider for your household, this may be considered an exceptional hardship.

Our motoring solicitors can help you put together an Exceptional Hardship Application. If you already have points on your licence and are facing disqualification, it could be beneficial to you to get in contact with us for a free initial consultation.

 

 

Should I get a solicitor for speeding?

Punishments for speeding offences usually fall into at least one of four different types:

  • fines
  • penalty points added to a licence
  • disqualification from driving
  • imprisonment

The majority of speeding offences are typically covered by fines or penalty points. In these, mainly minor, cases, seeking legal advice is probably not needed.

However, if a speeding offence could result in disqualification from driving or imprisonment, seeking legal advice could be beneficial. In these circumstances, solicitors could help you form a defence or show extenuating circumstances to help prevent disqualification or imprisonment.

 

 

 

Why use Rothera Bray for Speeding Offences?

At Rothera Bray our motoring defence team have considerable experience in challenging speeding offences on behalf of clients and appealing cases where a client has already been convicted.

We have a website dedicated solely to Motoring Offences whilst still using the same expert Transport solicitors. So if you’re looking for more information about types of road traffic offences then head over to KeepMeOnTheRoad.

For each case, we will assess your situation to best advise you on how to defend your speeding offence or get a reduced punishment.

Clients all over the UK can be represented by us.

Free initial consultations can be claimed.

Out of hours service is possible at any time of day

If you contest the charge at court we can advise and guide you through the court process.

We may be able to help you defend a charge even where there is evidence against you, such as being caught by a speed camera or police officer radar.

If you want to speak to one of the country’s leading transport Law teams, give us a call now on 08456 465 465.

We can help you with:

 

 

What should my next steps be?

Depending on the circumstances of your speeding offence, then your next steps will be different.

If the speeding offence was minor, or the punishment is a fine and/or penalty points that will not result in disqualification, then you may decide to accept the punishment.

If you believe you have grounds to challenge the speeding ticket, for example, you were not driving the vehicle or the speed limit signage was missing, you are entitled to take the case to Magistrates Court.

During the trial, the prosecution will need to prove that you were driving the vehicle and that you were driving above the speed limit. It should be noted that if you are found guilty at trial, then your punishment could be more severe. For this reason, if you are intending to challenge a speeding ticket, it is worthwhile to seek legal advice before you take your case to court.

Finally, if it is likely that your speeding offence could result in disqualification or imprisonment, then seeking legal advice could help reduce the severity of your punishment.

Free initial consultations are available with our motoring solicitors. In these sessions, our team will ask questions to understand the details and circumstances of your case. We may also be able to recommend if you have a legal case. Finally, we will also be able to inform you of what steps to take next and payment options that may suit you.

Arrange your free initial consultation by calling us on 08456 465 465 or completing our enquiry form.

 

Hourly rates apply, these are as follows:

Anton Balkitis

Partner

£290.00+VAT

Olivia Maginn

Barrister

£240.00+VAT

Lindsey Thorpe

Paralegal

£140.00+VAT

Georgina Power

Paralegal

£140.00+VAT

 

Contact our Motoring Offence Team

Send us a message

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Anton Balkitis

“Our experienced and specialist team represent clients nationally on a day-to-day basis”

Anton Balkitis
Head of Transport Law

If you’re happy then we’re happy too.

4.8 358 reviews

Posted 27/01/2020

Rothera Sharp Solicitors’ ‘skilled’ team handles personal injury claims including public liability, accidents at work and road traffic accidents often involving – among others – children and foreign nationals. Recent work included settling a claim for a pedestrian involved in a road traffic accident, acting for a child claimant following a hand injury sustained at a playground and representing a claimant in a public liability claim pertaining to fractures sustained on a slippery floor. Elisabeth Halls combines ‘good judgement with the right amount of scepticism and has a proven ability to optimise outcomes for claimants.

Legal 500, 2017

Posted 27/01/2020

I cannot thank you enough for all you have done for me. I don't know whether you can truly appreciate how incredibly important the success of this matter is to me. I couldn't have done this without you, and there just aren't the words to express my gratitude to you for all this. You have enabled me to have a peace of mind and you just can't put a price on that. Please tell Rebecca how absolutely thrilled to bits I am with the work you have done for me, which is beyond priceless and for which I will be forever grateful

Mediation Client

Posted 27/01/2020

I want to say a massive thank you for all your hard work….I will never forget how you were prepared to believe in me….you energetically pursued my case to achieve the best possible outcome

J Wilson

Posted 27/01/2020

My previous dealings with Rothera Bray have always been excellent-total efficiency and professional. Jayne Smith previously and now Emily Weston. I would always use Rothera Bray as my solicitors. Thank you.

David Armstrong

Posted 12/08/2020

I would highly recommend James Briggs, solicitor at Rothera Bray. He has been extremely helpful, patient and thorough whilst helping me with affairs following the death of my husband. Even during lockdown (covid) he maintained communication and kept me informed of what was happening. He successfully achieved the outcome I needed and I would not hesitate to recommend him.

Yvonne Gold

Posted 30/09/2020

We are in the middle of launching our own packaging agency and contacted Rothera Bray for some professional legal advice with regards to contracts. After an initial call with Billy, he made it clear what we needed and asked plenty of questions to understand what it was we needed. He was very responsive to our questions, whether it be over the phone or via emails and made the process really simple. We had little experience in this area so it was fantastic to work with Billy, who explained everything concisely. We were also really pleased with the quick turnaround and great value offered. Would thoroughly recommend working with Rothera Bray.

Tom Burden, Director of Rightbox Ltd

Posted 30/09/2020

Billy understood our requirement from the get go and really nailed down on what we needed in our commercial agency agreement. Billy kept us informed every step of the way and showed great professionalism. We would recommend his services to any start-up business who is in need of legal advice and guidance with commercial contracts.

Axl Barber, Sales Director of Rightbox Ltd

Posted 11/02/2021

I was extremely pleased with the service that Kerry provided in order to sell my mothers house. Good, prompt communication and all questions dealt with or answered as requested. Consequently I would recommend yours services to others.

Adam Stevens

Posted 07/06/2021

Dear Sally, I can’t thank you enough for today! You took the pressure off me and I felt so looked after and understood everything that was happening. Thank you so much!

Kelly Neave

Posted 07/06/2021

My experience with Rothera Bray was an easy and smooth process, regarding a settlement agreement with a previous employer. They helped me understand all the legal jargon and details and made it very clear what the agreement was asking of me and what they would provide in return without it seeming complicated. They were prompt and resolved any issues or queries I had and I found them to be friendly and professional. I would definitely recommend Rothera Bray to anyone seeking legal advice, even if you've had no experience with a solicitor before, as they're very welcoming and help you to understand everything.

E. Jackson

Posted 06/07/2021

Thank you for all your hard work, which paid off in the end. As well, thank you for your amazing service and support you provided for me all the way through. It was pleasure to work with you and I wish you all the best.

Patrik Fresko

Posted 27/09/2021

I recently had the good fortune to engage Rothera Bray for a company sale. From start to finish, Sandeesh Samra and the team were on hand to give practical and professional advice.

Alison Purchas

Contact our Motoring Offence Team
Motorist Offence Team
Anton Balkitis

Anton Balkitis

a.balkitis@rotherabray.co.uk

Anton Balkitis leads the Transport Law team and is a nationally recognised Transport and Motoring Law specialist at Nottingham-based law firm Rothera Bray Solicitors.

Olivia Maginn

Olivia Maginn

o.maginn@rotherabray.co.uk

Olivia Maginn is a transport and motoring law specialist at our Lace Market office.

Georgina Power

Georgina Power

g.power@rotherabray.co.uk

Georgina Power is a Paralegal in Rothera Bray’s Transport team and is based at our Lace Market office in Nottingham city centre.

Chelsey Sewell

c.sewell@rotherabray.co.uk

Chelsey Sewell is a paralegal in Rothera Bray’s transport and motorist offence department and is based at our Lace Market office in Nottingham city centre.

Lindsey Richmond

Lindsey Thorpe

l.thorpe@rotherabray.co.uk

Lindsey is a Paralegal based in our transport and motorist offence department in our Beeston office.

News

Care Quality Commission Maternity Survey

The Care Quality Commission (“CQC”) have released the results into a survey they conducted relating to the experience of women and other pregnant people who had a live birth in early 2023. The survey had national reach and responses were received from over 25,000, a response rate of 41%.

Animal penalty notices act

New penalty notices introduced for animal health and welfare offences

The Animals (Penalty Notices) Act 2022 is a new piece of secondary legislation which came into force from 1 January 2024. The act was passed following an 8 week consultation with various different parties with interest in animal welfare such as veterinarians, the National Farmers Union, the British Veterinary Association and the RSPCA.

Find out how Rothera Bray can help you