There have been some recent changes in motoring laws that may have caught your attention. Most notably the doubling of penalty points for using your mobile phone whilst driving. But did you know that as of the 24th April 2017 speeding fines are also set to change?
Click to read our blog ‘Penalty Points Double For Using A Mobile Phone Whilst Driving’.
Speeding Fines – What is changing?
The current speeding fine laws mean that anyone caught speeding can expect to receive a fine ranging from 25% to 125% of their weekly salary. This would be decided by the Magistrate and is dependent on how fast you were driving over the speed limit.
As of the 24th April 2017 the speeding fine laws will have an upper limit of 175% of the drivers weekly income. That’s a massive 50% increase!
The severity of the offence and the amount you would be fined will be determined by a new grading system. The new grading system has three grades (A, B & C) and is based on how much over the speed limit the offender was travelling.
You can view a copy of the new grading system below.
Why are speeding fines changing?
Speeding fines are being changed as the Sentencing Council found that the existing speeding laws didn’t reflect the damage excessive speed can cause.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, found that excessive/inappropriate speed was a factor in 24% of fatal collisions. Their hope is that the new speeding fines will be enough of a deterrent to make drivers think more about the dangers of speeding.
Who determines the speeding fine?
As with current speeding fines the Magistrates’ will follow guidelines
that suggest which band a speeding fine should fall into. 
There are of course factors which could lead to a driver receiving a harsher punishment at the top end of the scale. These include the weather conditions at the time, being in a school zone & being in control of an HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle).
Can I be banned from driving?
As with other areas in the new speeding laws, the rules around disqualification are also set to change. Magistrates’ are now being more
readily encouraged to give an instant disqualification if the driver has exceeded the speed limit by 10mph. As with any case, they do have their own discretion, allowing them to impose 6 penalty points instead of banning a driver. However, if a driver is disqualified this will usually be between 7 and 56 days. This can be raised if you were found to be driving well over the speed limit.
Are speed awareness courses still an option?
2015 saw over 1 million drivers opt for a speed awareness course (if they were offered one) instead of receiving points on their drivers license. When the new speeding fines come into effect, the rules surrounding speed awareness courses remain unchanged.
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