The minimum fixed penalty fine is three penalty points and £100. If the driving offence involves a court summons, the maximum fine increases to £1,000. If the speeding offence took place on a motorway, this can incur a fine of £2,500. Up to six penalty points can be issued for a speeding offence, or a disqualification from driving.

If you plead not guilty to a speeding offence, you must attend a court hearing. If the court finds you guilty of speeding, you may receive a larger fine and more penalty points at the end of this process.

A fixed penalty notice is issued in the event of a minor speeding offence and is designed to eliminate the need for a court appearance. If you plead guilty, you must pay the fine immediately. Alternatively, you may be given the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course if this is your first offence.

You can plead not guilty to a speeding allegation, which will result in a court hearing. This is an opportunity to mount a defence and present your version of events. However, there are potential downsides to this, including the possibility of more severe penalties if you are found guilty by the court.

You can also contest the details of the fixed penalty notice. For example, you may want to acknowledge you were speeding, but contest the speed at which the police allege you were driving. You may receive a reduced punishment if your case is successfully defended.

If you wish to contest a fixed penalty notice, contact a solicitor who can advise you further. This is vital, as it is important to understand the potential consequences of any decisions you make during this process - the wrong move can take you a step closer to losing your licence. Working with expert speeding solicitors means you will be able to achieve the best possible outcome based on your circumstances.

Penalty points are issued following a speeding offence and are placed on your driving record, where they will stay for three years from the date of the offence. If you accumulate 12 or more penalty points within a three-year period, then you could be disqualified from driving.

If you have not exceeded the speed limit by an excessive amount (which is determined by individual police forces), or it is your first speeding offence, then you may be invited to attend a speed awareness course instead of getting penalty points on your licence. The course is offered at the discretion of the police force in question. You cannot apply to attend, and can only attend this type of course once every three years.

If you accumulate six points within two years of passing your driving test, then your licence will be revoked by the DVLA. If you wish to get your driving licence back, you must re-apply for a provisional licence and pass the written and practical driving tests again.

In most speeding offence cases, the severity of punishment will depend on the amount by which you were exceeding the speed limit.

In the event of a prosecution, you will receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution. This will outline the details of your motoring offence. You will need to respond with details about the incident, including identifying the driver who was behind the wheel at the time of the offence. Failing to do this can result in other punishments beyond those for a speeding offence, including additional penalty points.

Once you have submitted the requested details, you will receive information about your court hearing.

You are legally liable for a speeding fine as soon as you exceed the limit. This is the case whether you are doing 31 mph in a zone with a 30 mph limit, or 71 mph on a motorway.

There is guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) that recommends giving drivers a so-called ‘10% plus 2’ leeway, designed to give police officers ‘discretion'; however, this is only a recommendation and not the law. The best advice is to not speed at all.

Under Section 1 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, a notice of prosecution must be given to the registered keeper of the vehicle within 14 days of the offence. The notice of prosecution can be given verbally at the scene if you are stopped by the police, or it can be in writing if you are caught on camera. If you are told at the roadside, the 14-day rule does not apply, as a verbal warning was provided at the time. 

The only time where this requirement does not apply is if:

• A fixed penalty has been given
• An accident occurred due to the presence of your vehicle on the road

It can be possible to avoid a driving ban by pleading what is known as “exceptional hardship”. In this instance, you must be able to show the court that, if disqualified, you would suffer exceptional hardship beyond the mere inconvenience of not driving. Your reasons will need to be “out of the ordinary” and you will need to show supportive evidence.

If you are concerned that you may receive a driving disqualification then you should instruct a solicitor at the earliest opportunity.

If your vehicle has been caught on a camera somewhere that you have never visited, it may be that your vehicle has been cloned. This means that a stolen vehicle is using your registration number.

In these cases, we will normally try to have the case dismissed by proving to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that your vehicle has been cloned.

To do so, we can ask the prosecution to disclose the evidence, which is usually a photograph or video of low quality, gather evidence and make written submissions on your behalf in an effort to have the case dropped. However, this is entirely at their discretion.

In some circumstances, speeding allegations can be defended by arguing that the speed limit was not clearly marked and visible. A solicitor can help to gather the necessary evidence to write to the prosecution and persuade them to drop the case at their discretion.

If you are unsure how many points you have attached to your driving licence, you can find out by visiting gov.uk. You will need your driving licence number, your National Insurance number and the postcode on your driving licence.