Speeding

If a speed camera has recorded you speeding, you will receive a notice of intended prosecution/conditional offer. The notice of intended prosecution will be accompanied by a Section 172 notice, which you are required to complete to confirm the identity of the driver. Failure to provide these details may amount to an offence for which a prosecution could be pursued.

There is a statutory duty on all keepers of motor vehicles to be able to provide details of who has been driving the vehicle and keeping records is obviously the easiest way of doing this.

If you suspect your number plates have been cloned, please see Q381.

Each force operates under their own guidance and although they are not obliged to provide the photographic evidence, some will. However, many forces will not release photographic evidence unless the ticket is challenged (plead not guilty). You can request the photographic evidence and in doing so you must provide your Notice number and vehicle registration number, and you must be the person named on the notice of intended prosecution. Your request will then be considered by the relevant force in line with their guidance and policy, and you may then be sent the evidence, which will usually include the photographic evidence and/or a statement.

Any person accused of a criminal offence has the right to defend themselves and in order to do this, evidence of the breach of law must be provided to them. There is no requirement as to exactly what that evidence must be, only that it is evidence of the breach of the law and that you will be able to have a fair hearing.

Speed cameras are calibrated once a year as per the set guidelines. The cameras very rarely malfunction and if they do the faults are spotted before any notices of intended prosecution are issued and sent out.

Please also see the link in Related Information for official Government documentation on this topic.

Towing a caravan/trailer is an involved matter. It's not possible to cover in detail all the various issues you will need to consider. However, basic information is provided below:

Driving licences
The link below explains about driving licence entitlement in relation to towing a caravan/trailer:

Requirements for towing trailers in Great Britain INF30 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

You can view your driving entitlement online via the link below:

View or share your driving licence information - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Passengers
It's against the law to carry passengers in a caravan when it's being towed.

Speed limits
It is also important to stick to the required speed limits – they are different for cars towing a caravan/trailer:

• 60mph - motorways and dual carriageways
• 50mph - single carriageways
• 30mph - built-up areas

Motorways – third lane
On the motorway, a car towing a caravan/trailer is not permitted to use the right hand (offside) lane on a motorway, which has three or more lanes open for use.

Mechanical condition
Make sure your car and caravan/trailer are roadworthy with regard to their mechanical condition e.g., lights, tyres, brakes, number plates, mirrors etc.

Weights and plates
Make sure the weight of your drawing vehicle, your caravan/trailer and the combined weight of your car and caravan/trailer doesn't exceed the various weights shown on the plates on your drawing vehicle and caravan/trailer.

Tow ball
Make sure you comply with any requirements in relation to your car's tow ball e.g., weights, heights and breakaway couplings.

Mirrors
The basic requirement is that you must be able to see clearly down both sides of your caravan and 4 metres either side at a distance of 20 metres behind the caravan. If your existing car mirrors cannot provide this or you are doubtful as to whether they can, it is safest to fit extension towing mirrors otherwise you may commit an offence.

Insurance
Make sure your insurance covers towing a caravan/trailer – most insurers will need to know if you fit a tow ball to your vehicle and want to tow a caravan.

Further information
It's important to realise that the above only represent a basic guide to what's required. If you need further information, we suggest you contact an approved dealer or an organisation such as the Caravan and Motorhome Club – please see the link below:

Caravan and Motorhome Club

The link below provides further information in relation to towing trailers:

Department for Transport - Guidance: towing a trailer with a car or van

If you're caught speeding, depending on the speed at which you were travelling, you may be given:

• a warning,
• an invitation to attend a Speed Awareness Course (see Q584),
• an endorsable fixed penalty notice/traffic offence report,
• a summons for court.

It's also more than likely that you will have to produce your documents (driving licence, insurance and MOT) at a police station of your choice within 7 days (unless you have all the necessary documentation with you).

Penalties
In relation to speeding it will all depend on the amount by which you exceeded the speed limit. If you are within certain parameters you may be offered a Speed Awareness Course and won't then receive points or a fine providing:

• You have admitted to being the driver of the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence and returned the documentation within the 28 day period calculated from the date the notice was sent to you.
• No more than 12 weeks have elapsed since the date of the alleged offence.
• There were no further offences committed at the time of the alleged offence.
• You have not attended a speed awareness course within the 3 years prior to the current offence.
• You were driving at a speed which qualifies as per the table below.

Alternatively, you could receive a £100 fixed penalty ticket and 3 points or if the matter goes to court you could receive a maximum fine of £1000 (£2500 if on a motorway) and 3 to 6 penalty points. If you were exceeding the speed limit by a great deal, you could receive a ban. As a general rule, if you're caught travelling in excess of 45%-50% of the speed limit you could be given an instant driving ban.

Foreign drivers
The above options also apply to foreign licence holders but it's a matter for the police to decide what action to take. Note that a foreign licence holder can take the Speed Awareness Course providing they are eligible - see Q584 for information on the Speed Awareness Course.

Yes, you can. The links below explain about the offence of speeding and the sentencing guidelines:

Speeding – Sentencing (sentencingcouncil.org.uk)

Speeding (Revised 2017) – Sentencing (sentencingcouncil.org.uk)

However, the threshold at which speed enforcement begins is at the discretion of each individual police force. Below are the recommendations from the Association of Chief Police Officers as to what the minimum speed for enforcement is and what is the minimum speed for court proceedings.

*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BELOW ARE ONLY RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICE FORCES ARE NOT BOUND TO FOLLOW THEM SO YOU CANNOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION. IT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED HERE AS A GUIDE ONLY ***

Please see details of how long penalty points / endorsements may stay on your licence below. 

No, it's against the law.

Any interference with the number plate to make it less easily distinguishable to the eye or which would impair the making of a true photographic image is against the law.

Although the spray does interfere with flash photography, many speed cameras have Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology that uses infrared, thereby making the spray ineffective.

You could be liable for a substantial fine if you are found guilty of using such a spray.

Maximum speed limits are displayed by circular signs with red borders. The signs may be displayed on poles at both sides of the road or on lampposts / poles along the road. On motorways the speed limit may be displayed on signs above the carriageway.

The presence of street lights generally means that there is a 30mph (48km/h) speed limit unless signs say otherwise.

The link below lists the speed limits applicable to different vehicles:

https://www.gov.uk/speed-limits

A vehicle's speedometer must be kept free from any obstruction that may prevent it from being read and shall at all times it is used on a road be maintained in good working order. The only exceptions to this are when:

• The speedometer became defective during the journey being undertaken, or
• Steps have been taken to have the defect remedied by replacement or repair as soon as possible.
• The vehicle has an approved tachograph.

There is nothing in law that states that any speed camera device, whether fixed or mobile, must be marked in any way, signed or at a particular position. There are codes of practice and best practice guides that are set by police forces themselves but these are policies rather than law.

Twelve penalty points on your licence within 3 years will mean that you face disqualification under the 'totting up' procedure.

If you have 9 or more penalty points on your licence then you cannot accept any further fixed penalty tickets and must go to court.

For further information see Q368 (how long penalty points last) and Q713 (penalty points for newly qualified drivers)

Guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) suggests when enforcement action will be taken against speeding motorists – this is usually when the relevant speed limit is exceeded by 10% plus 2 mph. However, this is for guidance purposes only, a police officer has the discretion to act outside it. Some drivers wrongly interpret it to mean that they can legally exceed the speed limit – this is most definitely not the case.

Gatso cameras are the most commonly used speed cameras on UK roads. They use radar technology to measure how fast a vehicle is travelling. If a vehicle is exceeding the speed limit for a given road, a camera and high powered flash take two photographs of the rear as it passes. The cameras only take rear facing photographs so the high powered flash doesn't blind drivers.

The Truvelo camera is usually forward facing (it can be rear facing) and uses four piezo sensors embedded in the road surface at set distances to measure the speed of passing vehicles.

SPECS cameras record a vehicle's average speed over a given distance. They are often used on motorways/dual carriageways or road works.