From the 24th of April Speeding Penalty Fines are Increasing!


Don't risk it- next week in the UK new penalties will come into force.

Previously there was a maximum fine of £1,000 unless you were driving on a motorway where the cap was £2,500 but this has now been increased to a maximum of £2,500 across the board.

The penalties have changed as a result of a 2016 consultation where parties agreed that the amount of damage and harm that speeding can result in was not represented proportionately in the existing fines.



How it will work:

The minimum penalty for speeding will remain a £100 fine and 3 penalty points on your licence.

The decision had been made to ensure that drivers breaking the limit significantly are dealt a more severe fine. There will be three bands that will depend on the severity of the speed limit breach.


Band A = Half their weekly income (and 3 points)

Band B = Their whole weekly income (and a disqualification of 7 – 28 days OR 4 – 6 points)

Band C = Between 150% and 175% of their weekly income up to £2,500 depending on severity (and a disqualification of 7 – 56 days OR 6 points)


If an offender is driving well over the speed limit the court can consider a longer disqualification.

Remember: If you rack up 6 or more penalty points and you’re still within 2 years of passing your driving test, your driving licence will be revoked.


The bigger picture is however a very important message to drivers:

"The difference of a few miles per hour can mean the difference between life and death. The faster someone is driving, the less time they have to stop if something unexpected happens." (THINK!, Department for Transport)

The consequences of driving over the speed limit are numerous, and whilst the possibility of causing damage or harm to others should far outweigh the effectiveness of an increase in speeding fine, hopefully these increases will make people take speed restrictions more seriously.

It has been said that on a 15 mile drive if a driver broke the speed limit by 10mph with an average speed of 55mph, you would only save 3 minutes. Those calculations don't include the possibility of being caught in traffic or stopping at lights. Hardly worth the risk to themselves or others.

As drivers we have a responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe on the roads. Aside from adhering to speed limits and the rules of the road you must make sure that your car is road worthy and you are fully insured for every journey you make. After your car is over three years old an MOT is a legal requirement and you must have a service yearly or after a certain amount of miles, whichever comes first.