Speeding tickets in the UK: 14 days for the letter, 28 days for your answer

A camera photographs the car, and from that point everything turns on two letters and two deadlines. Missing either costs more than the fine itself: ignore one envelope and the case goes to court, where the ceiling is several times higher.

What is the minimum speeding penalty?

GOV.UK states it plainly: a £100 fine and 3 penalty points on your licence. That is the floor, not the usual outcome — the rest depends on the limit and how far over it you were. One threshold is worth carrying in your head permanently: 12 or more penalty points built up within 3 years can get you disqualified from driving.

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What arrives after a camera, and when?

Within 14 days of your car being caught speeding you are sent two documents: a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) and a Section 172 notice. The second one is not a formality. You must return it within 28 days, telling the police who was driving. GOV.UK warns separately that you may have to go to court if you ignore the notice — silence does not make the case go away, it makes it worse.

Once the Section 172 notice is back with the police, you are sent either a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or a letter telling you to go to court.

What if the police stop you instead?

They have three options: a verbal warning, an FPN given or sent to you, or an order to go to court, in which case you receive a letter telling you what to do.

What do you do with a Fixed Penalty Notice?

You choose whether to plead guilty or not guilty. Plead guilty and you pay a £100 fine and get 3 points, unless you are given the option of a speed awareness course. How you pay depends on where you were caught: online in England and Wales, or by the other methods on the ticket; Scotland has its own route; in Northern Ireland you contact the Laganside Courts Complex.

And for anyone who thinks a paid fine is a closed matter: the code stays on your driving licence for 4 years.

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When is a course offered instead of points?

A speed awareness course is an option, not a right, and two conditions must hold at once: the police must decide it is appropriate for your offence, and you must not have been on such a course in the past 3 years. That second condition is why a second speeding offence inside three years almost always ends in points.

What is the risk of going to court?

Plead not guilty and you go to court. GOV.UK warns that you can be fined more and get more penalty points if the court finds you guilty. The fine is usually a percentage of your weekly income, up to a maximum of £1,000 — or £2,500 if you were driving on a motorway. The court can also disqualify you or suspend your licence.

How is it different for new drivers?

Sharply. If you are still within 2 years of passing your test, your licence is revoked if you build up 6 or more penalty points. Two ordinary 3-point speeding offences and the licence is gone, while an experienced driver still has six points of headroom.

How long does the record last?

Endorsements must stay on your driving record for 4 or 11 years, depending on the offence, and you can view your driving licence record to see what points you have and when they will be removed. One case to know about has no points at all: if you are disqualified for 56 or more days without penalty points, you will have to pay to renew your licence, and you can only do so after the disqualification period ends.

ONLYWAY NEWS note: endorsement codes and processes in Northern Ireland are different; the above is the GOV.UK procedure as it applies elsewhere in the UK.