The speeding loophole that could help you avoid a fine

Getting a speeding ticket can ruin your day, but you may be able to appeal. This depends on whether police have adhered to the rules

The speeding loophole that could get you out of a ticket

Getting a speeding ticket can ruin your day, but you may be able to appeal. This depends on whether police have adhered to the rules in sending you the ticket.

If you’re caught speeding, a letter has to be sent that should arrive at your home within 14 days of the incident. If the date of the incident and the subsequent date the letter was sent don’t allow for that 14-day window, the ticket may not be enforceable.

It’s a rule that keeps the admin work of the police force tight. Yet it can also lead to speeders catching a lucky break.

The speeding loophole that could get you out of a ticket

To be clear, the date of the incident and the date the letter was sent must be within a decent likelihood of allowing the 14-day deadline. If the letter does arrive later than that, but should have come earlier due to delays in the post, it’s still enforceable. If it arrives four weeks after the incident, having been sent a week ago, clearly it isn’t enforceable.

“All the police need to do is show the ticket should have reached the vehicle’s registered owner under normal circumstances within 14 days,” says The Money Advice Service, which highlighted the rule.

“This means the letter could go to an old address if you’ve not updated your licence, it could go to a hire company or to your work address if the vehicle isn’t yours.”

Drivers mistakenly fined for speeding

Problems with the postal service, therefore, or the letter going to another address before it gets to you, won’t find you favour in court. If it was sent in a timely manner, it still stands.

Clearly, it goes without saying that the best way to avoid speeding tickets is not to speed…

Related Articles

Ethan Jupp
Ethan Jupp
I'm Content Editor at MR. Road trips music and movies are my vices. Perennially stuck between French hot hatches and Australian muscle cars.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Temerario! A deep dive into Lamborghini’s 920hp hybrid supercar

The hybrid V8-powered Lamborghini Temerario made its debut inside Britain’s first car factory. Tim Pitt speaks to the team behind it.

Vauxhall slashes prices for new Grandland Electric SUV

Reductions of up to £4,700 on the Vauxhall Grandland Electric mean prices now start below £40,000 for most models.

How to declare SORN and take your car off the road for winter

Planning to tuck away your classic car over winter? Here's how to make a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) and save money on car tax.

UK car industry demands urgent review of EV sales targets

Car manufacturers want immediate market intervention as weak demand for EVs and unsustainable costs undermine the automotive industry.