To worry DD25 could get a driving ban?

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DD26 has been driving for five years. She's usually a great driver & a sensible person all round.

On her way to work nights a couple of weeks ago, she went through a red light at speed. She knows how dangerous this was & was beating herself up about it. She couldn't slow down in time to stop safely (I know this is a speed issue).

She was rushing to get to work as she was going to be late & there were hardly any cars & no people around. However, she did think it was a 40 zone as the signage wasn't great, the other side of the road was a 40 limit, and the area used to be a 40 when she was last there many years ago.

Last week, she got the letter through asking for her to confirm she was driving when this happened. The letter mentions the speed but there's no clear mention of her going through the red light (though it was a speed and red light camera that caught her).

She hasn't had any previous driving offences. She isn't eligible for a speed awareness course as the speed is too high for that.

Understandably, she's now terrified she's going to get a driving ban (needs the car for work). Of course she knows it'd be her own fault, but she's sick with worry and has to wait for the next letter to find out what will happen.

Anyone know what the most likely answer is?

She needs to do more driving leesons for everyones safety.

Maybe a black box too.

No it doesn't change much. The reason we gave these fines is to make people stop and think. Hopefully this is a great lesson to her to go the actual speed limit and be glad there wasn't an accident

Well, @Fiddlerdragon has probably given you the best estimate any of us possibly can. When my DH got a speeding fine for doing 35 on a 30mph country lane he got a PCN straight off the bat. I do think it looks like a hefty fine and 6 points at least.

I hope she gets banned for this! It’s nearly twice the speed limit.

OP I know she’s your daughter but you ought to be less worried about her getting a ban and more worried about her causing a serious accident. This is horrendous driving and whatever penalty she receives she deserves. There is no excuse for it, at all, none. Anywhere 35-40 in a 30 is bad depending on the road, but this is altogether horrendous

How does the red light come into it then?

I was given 6 points and a £450 fine for doing pretty much the same speed in a 30mph zone on holiday in another part of the UK. I genuinely didn't know it was a 30, the only sign was apparently several miles before where I was stopped by Police who were parked up a side road in an unmarked car. Clearly it's an area where this happens regularly for them to be waiting there.

I was really worried as it could have meant a ban and/or a much bigger fine. I was the only earner in our household and work shifts so it would have caused real hardship for my family.
I wrote a letter explaining this to return with the completed documents sent to me. I think a long driving history with a clean licence helped.

54 in a 40 zone would still have been outrageous in my opinion. Hope she gets the book thrown at her. Tough.

I had to pay a fine and go on a speed awareness course for doing 23mph in a 20 zone.

Thank god she didn't actually go through a red light doing 54 miles an hour.

54 in a 30 limit; she's not normally a careful driver OP.

Maybe the potential loss of her licence will be the shock she needs to drive more responsibly.

I now drive 20 mph lesson learnt.

A 30 limit suggests it’s a residential area. Completely unacceptable she was doing such speeds in a 30!

The general consensus seems to be that she will get 6 points and a hefty fine. A ban seems possible but unlikely.

54 in a 30 should be an automatic ban. The chances of someone dying after being hit at 54 as opposed to 30 are massive. Take your mum glasses off.

Completely depends on the judge on the day and your daughters circumstances. My oh did similar but was ‘only’ doing 44 in 30. He was told to expect an instant ban. He pled hardship saying he had a family with 3 children to support and he’d lose his job, and not only that but he drove a company car and picked up and drove 3 colleagues to work who would also lose their jobs if he got a ban. He ended up with points and a large fine, but was told it was only because of his colleagues potentiality losing their jobs (his boss accompanied him to court and gave a statement) that swayed the judge with his decision.

This. She will have to face the consequences of her actions

"I was given 6 points and a £450 fine for doing pretty much the same speed in a 30mph zone on holiday in another part of the UK. I genuinely didn't know it was a 30, the only sign was apparently several miles before... "
I suggest you check the Highway Code where 30mph limits apply.

Probably not a ban but 54mph in a 30-limit zone is more than excessive speed no matter what the reason; and being 'late for work' is something many people face each day.

She can consider it a lesson learned which might not only make her a better driver from now on, but also maybe that her own 'needs' aren't always 'paramount' in day-to-day life.

@Fiddlerdragon presumably your husband had previous points which would have made him tot if he was told he would get an instant ban? And that's why he could plead exceptional hardship?

I have no idea what the penalty would be OP. Does she normally run late and have issues getting places? Any learning issues?

You say she works nights- I can only hope this isn't in heathcare where lives are at stake- more than those on the roads! Let us know how is goes OP.

No, a ban is very likely. You’re in the shit as soon as you’re 10% plus 2mph over the speed limit, the op’s daughter was 10% plus 26mph over the speed limit. My sister was banned for doing 48 in a 30. And the op’s red light part of the story is starting to sound a bit sketchy

I've just checked the RAC website out of curiosity:

'If you've been caught speeding and it's referred to court, you could face an instant ban.

Generally, magistrates will only consider imposing a ban if you've been caught driving a significant amount above the speed limit.

So, according to the Band C fines in the table above: in a 30mph limit you'll need to be driving at more than 51mph, 66mph in a 40, 75mph in a 50, 85mph in a 60 and 100mph in a 70.

Bans generally range from 7 to 56 days depending on the seriousness of the offence.'

I had to do a speed awareness course for doing 23 in a 20 zone! Lesson learnt now though & I am constantly being tailgated while sticking rigidly to the speed limit. One thing I will say though (& it doesn’t make it ok) is how many people I see that are going well over the speed limit. On mumsnet everyone seems very rule abiding but a lot of people aren’t in real life. I don’t know how they get away with it!

She's usually a great driver & a sensible person all round.

If she was doing 54 in a 30 area, even if she thought was 40, then she's neither.
People always like to act as though when they were caught speeding it was the first time ever they'd done it. It wasn't.

She's a dangerous driver and lacking in common sense.

i was just going to say this you dont need a sign to tell you its 30 and if you dont know that go and read the HC

op noone will know for sure but she was going nearly double so id expect alot of points and a big fine