To ignore speeding fine

[wowimamazing]

Found out I had a speeding fine sent to an old address. Didn’t respond obviously and it’s been 10 weeks and not heard anything else. Should I just keep quiet.

I wouldn't ignore it. My bil did this it was a £60 fine I think. He ignored that it went to court he then got a letter with costs a further fine and obviously the speeding fine to pay. This took it to more than £200. He still ignored it and thought they had dropped it and some months later had bailiffs at the door demanding over £800.

Honestly don't ignore it you will be far far more out of pocket

No wonder everyone is in debt these days

Yeah cos hiring a lawyer and paying an increased fine then increased insurance because you've banned makes brilliant financial sense 🙄

*For example, if you are caught speeding by a camera and have not informed the DVLA that you have changed your address, the police will send the NIP to your old address. The consequences if this happens can be severe.

You have 28 days in which to reply to an NIP and state the identity of the driver, and failure to do so will result in your case being referred to court. A charge of failure to identify the driver can then be brought against you, the punishment for which is 6 penalty points and a possible fine of up to £1,000.* From the DVLA web site

I can't believe you're seriously thinking of ignoring it.

I was stopped a couple of years ago because one of my brake lights had broken and I hadn't realised. Talking it through with the policeman who'd stopped me and was checking my licence, I then realised I hadn't updated my address on my licence when I'd moved just over a year previously (don't know why - I'd managed to organise for DH and 2 DDs to change theirs . Anyway, I foolishly pointed it out to him and a couple of weeks later had a letter through the post. £250. And I deserved it. As do you, for speeding.

Why the hell would you ignore the Police, when they're only doing their job and trying to keep everyone safe?!

By the way I also got fined nearly £900

Anyone here beginning to think the OP is just a wind up merchant?

I do

Thanks a lot. I name changed for this as it’s obviously an embarrassing thing to admit.Some really unhelpful remarks

We are all such suck it up people? Hilarious! You’re not embarrassed in the slightest OP, you should be for the utter drivel you’re spouting though.

Yorick that’s brilliant

It's not about whether to fight or not fight...it is about choosing your battles wisely.

If you actually contacted them, let them know that you have moved and therefore unfortunately did not get their letter, chances are, if you are lucky, you might get just a speeding fine and 3 points (or equivalent).

If you mess around, delay even further or don't respond to their letter, it will escalate. That's when you can incur debts and bailiffs. Your choice though.

"You are all such suck-it-up people. Nobody has any fight these days. I am taking responsibility !!! I’m not blasé!! But I don’t have to sign my life away at every official looking document that comes through the letter box. No wonder everyone is in debt these days!"

Did you say this to your solicitor?

One of the main principles of law is "Ignorance of the law is no excuse". So not knowing you had to notify the DVLA of your change of address won't wash.

I can't believe I am still feeding this t*l.

Don't ignore a speeding fine. You will be sent out court dates and if you don't turn up a warrant can be issued for your arrest. Not pleasant spending time in cells over s speeding fine.....

exWife That sounds like a complete nightmare! I would have had kittens. Well done for sorting it out, at least they listened to you.

I’m leaving it there. I don’t think there is much more to be said I’m afraid.

Well, yes there is, actually. How about, "yes I'll 'fess up and pay the fine?"

You've been so blase and obtuse about this, almost deliberately provocative, that I think we might all have been feeding a troll.

Well I’m sorry you feel deceived octopus. What do you want?? A copy of the letter??

You are all such suck-it-up people. Nobody has any fight these days.

OP, you are (apparently unintentionally) the funniest thing I have read all day.

The fact is: You cocked up. They have you bang to rights with, essentially, irrefutable evidence. (Although I love the part where you're going to argue it, because you "don't think you were speeding" and anyway, you can't remember who was driving.) If you weren't going to update your address with the DVLA in short order, you should have had a postal redirect set up - and it would have probably been a good idea if you didn't get caught speeding in that time period too. The fact that you have a previous offence of some kind is probably not going to help.

Eagerly awaiting the update and thinking we're all going to be a tiny bit safer with you off the road.

What do you want?? A copy of the letter??
Yes. Post a pic here with personal details redacted.

How do you know about it if it was sent to the wrong address?

Nah. Don't actually give a shit. Apart from to hope that they do throw the book at you and you're off the public road asap.

I'm out.

"So out of interest what happens if two people drive and you aren’t sure who drove that day. Do they just fine the owner of the car?"

The registered keeper could be prosecuted for failing to identify the driver. The relevant law states

A person shall not be guilty of an offence by virtue of paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above if he shows that he did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have ascertained who the driver of the vehicle was.

This is a 'reverse onus' sort of thing - the defendant has to prove that they don't know who was driving, rather than the prosecution having to prove that the defendant does know.

If you get a Section 172 notice and don't remember who was driving, you need to try and find out. Ask if the police have a front photograph, look through old texts and emails, contact possible drivers, etc. And have a record of what you did, in case you need to tell the court that.

You should not guess, and definitely should not name someone falsely. Giving a list of 'possible' drivers isn't legally sufficient either, you are expected to name the actual driver.

But OP, if you deal with it pronto, I think there's a good chance the courts will accept 'resetting' the timescale, they won't take any action about the address problem or the late reply by you, and just send you a regular fixed penalty notice for speeding.

No we aren’t suck it up people. Just don’t believe in spending good money after bad. Therefore much less likely to be in debt than you.

There is no way I would lose my licence over a speeding ticket.

Errr, yes. Yes there is. As everyone has tried to explain to you

And when you do, once you get your license back, your insurance will be several times what it used to be.

You got the notice, just late. Better late than never and all that. Co-operate and there's a chance the courts will be lenient. Everybody involved would rather not be spending the time on a court case. But carry on pissing around and you'll get the book thrown at you.

I know someone who decided to play silly buggers with identifying the driver, after getting a speeding ticket. Continued to dispute it even when he saw the photo of him driving.
£500 fine & points (not sure how many) on licence. It's not worth thinking you are above the law.

"There is no way I would lose my licence over a speeding ticket."

I think the OP means that having understood now the process of the letters and the risk of the S172 before the actual speeding letter even appears , she is not going RISK losing her licence over one speeding ticket, so she is going to take advice.

Talking, today, to a motoring offence lawyer is a good idea, and is a significant step forward from 'just keep quiet', as she was considering doing in her OP.

I am a very organised, responsible sort of person. I know that I would have to inform my insurers, and the driving licence department. I might easily forget to do the Registered Keeper section of the log book. Especially if moving house at short notice and under upsetting circumstances like splitting up.

This thread is full of people with significant misunderstandings about the difference between a parking ticket and a speeding ticket - or else they have not read the op properly - and people saying 'pay the fine' because they haven't understood the process and all is required atm is to confirm who was driving.

OP - I am glad you are taking advice and getting it sorted.

wowimamazing
^I'm late to the party, but doesn't your insurance become invalid if you fail to update your address?

It’s no party. It’s a witch hunt. And no it doesn’t. ^

Keep your insurer informed

It’s your duty to inform your insurer when your circumstances have changed, as your premium may need to be adjusted. This includes when you move house, if you change careers, if the use of your car changes (for example if you start to commute), if you start to keep your car in a different place during the day or overnight, and if you start to drive considerably more.

If your circumstances change and you have not informed your insurer, your insurance may be invalidated and any claims on your policy may be rejected.

it seems my best defence is to say I simply never received notice of speeding. They would have to prove I did

I had a speeding fine from the other end of the country - I'd never been there and my car was in the car park at work at the time of the summons. It was a registration plate scam - same registration, completely different make and model. It was up to me to prove it wasn't me rather than them to prove it was, and it was made very clear if I didn't provide proof I'd be liable. It was unnerving.