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Original poster

To ignore speeding fine

278 replies

wowimamazing · 08/10/2017 23:25

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.

OP posts:
Original poster
wowimamazing · 09/10/2017 08:29

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?

OP posts:
c3pu · 09/10/2017 08:29

If I were you, I'd be falling over myself to get it paid and sorted out before it gets any worse.

MudCity · 09/10/2017 08:32

As previous posters have said, you need to respond to the letter. Failing to do so will incur further costs and penalties for you. Don't wait for them to contact you, you need to contact them.

KitKat1985 · 09/10/2017 08:34

As PP have said. Yes this isn't going to go away. And this will be escalated soon. If they didn't, no-one would bother paying these fines ever would they? In fact the case may have already escalated.

Here's an extract from the Q&A section of this website. www.ukmotorists.com/caught%20speeding.asp

--------------------

What happens if I ignore the notice?

Failure to respond to the notice could result in the matter being passed to the courts for failure to provide the required information and any further offences revealed. If found guilty you could be fined up to £1,000 and have penalty points added to your driving licence even if you were not the speeding offender.

Original poster
wowimamazing · 09/10/2017 08:41

I understand that Kitkat but in my experience ‘could’ often means ‘probably wont’. Which is why I asked in the first place.

OP posts:
SpamBurrito · 09/10/2017 08:45

If it does I shall probably argue it anyway as almost certainly not speeding

You could argue that you weren't driving. They'll have irrefutable evidence that you were speeding.

LoniceraJaponica · 09/10/2017 08:48

You are being astonishingly arrogant and blase about all of this Hmm

WitchesHatRim · 09/10/2017 08:50

I understand that Kitkat but in my experience ‘could’ often means ‘probably wont

Not in the case of a criminal offence it doesn't.

Badbadbunny · 09/10/2017 08:53

You are being astonishingly arrogant and blase about all of this

Stop trying to wriggle out of it. You did wrong, you were caught. You need to deal with it before it gets a whole lot worse for you. Police/courts don't just ignore people who ignore them - if they did then everyone would do it! Why do you think you're so special?

KitKat1985 · 09/10/2017 08:53

I understand that Kitkat but in my experience ‘could’ often means ‘probably wont’. Which is why I asked in the first place.

That would possibly be true in the case of a parking ticket with a private parking firm or similar, but not with the DVLA because speeding is a criminal offence and it will result in the courts becoming involved.

MudCity · 09/10/2017 08:58

Why would you take the risk of not responding OP?

Is it a money issue? Or is it the points that are worrying you?

I'm not sure I fully understand your reluctance to deal with it.

MudCity · 09/10/2017 08:59

Why would you take the risk of not responding OP?

Is it a money issue? Or is it the points that are worrying you?

I'm not sure I fully understand your reluctance to deal with it.

AdalindSchade · 09/10/2017 08:59

If you can’t remember who was driving (!) you have to decide who was most likely to have been driving and fill the form accordingly. Ultimately if you’re the keeper of the vehicle and you don’t have an account of who you allow to drive it and when then you’re culpable anyway. If you don’t send the form back you’ll get fined for the speeding and fined for failing to respond.

Bubblebubblepop · 09/10/2017 09:02

I think OP and some other posters are just confusing this with a parking ticket on private land which may or may not be pursued. However with a parking ticket, even if you ignore it and it is pursued, the only penalty is financial.

OP, the difference with this is this notice is from the police. They are pursuing you for a criminal offence. If you ignore it will go to court, and when you don't turn up to court a warrant will be issued for your arrest and the police will deliver you to the court. This happens every day, it's not something they just forget about.

LoniceraJaponica · 09/10/2017 09:06

“A couple of the insurance companies I take work from even pay me more to do a 5 am or 10pm call to catch people before leaving for work or just before bed.”

Sukistinks If the OP is a typical Mumsnetter she won’t be answering the door anyway Grin

thedancingbear · 09/10/2017 09:19

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?

They'll fine the registered keeper, which may or may not be the owner. The law says that the registered keeper has a responsibility to know who is driving the car, where and when.

It may take six months or five years, but this is going to go horribly tits up for you, OP.

Ifailed · 09/10/2017 09:23

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?

They may well send a photo, then it'll be obvious who is driving.

LadyWire · 09/10/2017 09:26

My DP was fined £900 for not changing his address after he got a speeding ticket. Actually went to court to plead all sorts of mitigating circumstances. That was eventually dropped in return for him getting highest possible fine and points for the speeding. Contact them asap!

deepestdarkestperu · 09/10/2017 09:32

The longer you leave it, the worse the fine and number of points will be.

If you'd moved out of your ex's, you should have gotten your mail re-directed while you were sorting out change of address on all your accounts and bits and pieces. I know it's a faff (I had to do it all last summer) but telling the courts you forgot to change your address is not going to work in your favour.

You need to respond to the letter and pay your fine. By now, it will be more than it states in the letter, but if you carry on ignoring it, you'll end up in court with an even bigger fine. If you ignore a court summons, you face a CCJ and even prison time. I know it's not nice dealing with official business and fines, but it's one of those things that's best sorted out as soon as possible.

coconuttella · 09/10/2017 09:34

Surely the anxiety, stress and cost of trying to evade and fight this is far greater than just settling and paying up!

Bubblebubblepop · 09/10/2017 09:35

Not changing the address doesn't really matter if OP deals with the speeding ticket now, then there won't be any consequences to that. So just write back saying who was driving the car on the day in question, or tell them you don't know who was driving and wait for their response. The lack of address changing is dealt with now and doesn't need to be thought about again .

eyebrowsonfleek · 09/10/2017 09:37

Don’t ignore it. I suspect that buying people’s debts is a booming business in this economic climate.

WitchesHatRim · 09/10/2017 09:40

Don’t ignore it. I suspect that buying people’s debts is a booming business in this economic climate

This is a criminal not civil offence.

CamperVamp · 09/10/2017 09:42

What happens if they can't establish who was driving?

The couple try and evade it, one or both end up lying in court, both end up in jail for 8 months and with huge (£78k and £49k) court costs awarded against them. Both careers wrecked.

Or is that just politicians? (Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce...)

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 09/10/2017 09:44

They'll catch up with you sooner or later, so pay the fine, and slow down

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