Sep 2010 In 2006 1.7 million speeding fines were issued in the United Kingdom, up by a million in ten years. Obviously this can be attributed to the increase in the amount of safety cameras, a number that has grown by 300 per cent in the same period.
A huge increase in revenue for the government. However, how many drivers question their fine? How many simply cough up? A very small number is the short answer. In fact, if an increasing number of drivers questioned their fine every year the whole speeding fine system would collapse. Or, at least, need to be severely re-evaluated by the Government. Perhaps this is a ‘stable door’ process however. A more sensible approach is perhaps to ask yourself how to avoid speeding fines in the first place?
Avoiding speeding fines from the outset may seem like a very simple thing to do. After all, if you weren’t speeding then you wouldn’t get the fine right? Well, this may very well be the case. But, in order for us, the drivers, to play fair, then fair play surely needs to occur on both sides. It is no secret that some police force’s cameras are in secluded spots, and mobile cameras are rarely very visible.
Police forces vehemently deny this. In fact, one senior police officer has made calls to the Government to make speed cameras more conspicuous, in order to ‘play by the rules’.
So, how to avoid speeding fines? If you are caught speeding by a safety camera you will receive a fine, if you refuse to admit guilt you will then receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution. If you do ask to be taken to court, you are more likely than you may imagine to receive a letter stating that no further action is to be taken. The courts are busy enough already.
Although, unsurprisingly this is not likely to happen if you were exceeding the limit by a very large amount, advice in that situation is to expect a lower penalty. The other avenue that you might take to avoid speeding fines is to address the fine on the basis of a technicality.
This will require the services of a solicitor with preferably an in depth knowledge of speeding offences, you are not likely to find one of these loopholes by yourself. This may be expensive but evaluate the risk, as if you win your costs will be paid, but if you lose your case, there is going to be an expensive bill.
On the other side of the argument, Road safety campaigners have called for more safety cameras to be introduced to increase revenue to fund more cameras. However, there seems to be a ‘smoke screen’ when attempting to discover where this money is being spent. It is extremely difficult to marry up the figure of the revenue gained from speed cameras and where that money is being spent. Near impossible perhaps, as there is no direct financial link between the ‘in’ and the ‘out’.
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