The majority of people will never have been caught speeding and will likely never have to worry about it. But, it is worth knowing what punishments would befall you if you did decide to speed. Some of us make mistakes and others do it deliberately, but we all need to know.
How penalties work from April 24th
The range of sentencing for speeding is defined by the Sentencing Council. There are three bands of sentencing, Band A, Band B and Band C. Each comes with its own punishment, getting more severe the worse the perceived offence.
Band A
| Speed Limit | Recorded Speed |
| 20 MPH | 21-30 MPH |
| 30 MPH | 31-40 MPH |
| 40 MPH | 41-55 MPH |
| 50 MPH | 51-65 MPH |
| 60 MPH | 61-80 MPH |
| 70 MPH | 71-90 MPH |
If you are caught speeding in the Band A category, you will receive 3 points on your licence. You will also receive a monetary fine that ranges from 25-75% of your relevant weekly income. Whilst you do have that range, the majority of fines for a Band A offence will be 50% of your weekly income. That sounds bad enough and yet that is the lowest Band.
Band B
| Speed Limit | Recorded Speed |
| 20 MPH | 31-40 MPH |
| 30 MPH | 41-50 MPH |
| 40 MPH | 56-65 MPH |
| 50 MPH | 66-76 MPH |
| 60 MPH | 81-90 MPH |
| 70 MPH | 91-100 MPH |
In Band B offences, you either receive 4-6 points on your licence or you must endorse and may be disqualified for 7-28 days. One cancels out the other so you can either take the points or you can be disqualified from driving for a set number of days. On top of that, the monetary fine ranged from 75-125% of your weekly income. However, it is usually set at 100% of your weekly earnings.
Band C
| Speed Limit | Recorded Speed |
| 20 MPH | 41+ MPH |
| 30 MPH | 51+ MPH |
| 40 MPH | 66+ MPH |
| 50 MPH | 76+ MPH |
| 60 MPH | 91+ MPH |
| 70 MPH | 101+ MPH |
Band C is the harshest sentence and to be in this band, you have to be excessively speeding. If you are caught in a Band C offence, You will either receive 6 points on your licence or you will be disqualified for 7-56 days. You will also receive a fine of 125-175% of your weekly income. This will likely be a fine of 150% of your weekly income.
For those offenders who will drive grossly in excess of the speed limit can expect even harsher punishments. These will likely come in the form of being disqualified for longer than the stated 56 days. All these punishments are easily avoidable by sticking to the speed limit.
Aggravating factors
There are aggravating factors that will ensure you get a harsher sentence than would normally be applied to you if you were caught speeding. There are a few factors that will reduce the seriousness of the crime, but they are few where the aggravating factors are many.
- Previous conviction (The nature of which are taken into account)
- Offence committed whilst on bail
- Offence committed on licence or post-sentence supervision
- Poor weather & road conditions
- Towing caravan or trailer
- Driving LGV, HGV, PSV etc
- Carrying passengers
- Carrying a heavy load
- Driving for hire or reward
- Evidence of unacceptable standard of driving over and above the speed limit
- Location such as near a school
- High levels of traffic or pedestrians
Mitigating factors
- No previous convictions or relevant convictions
- A person of good characters and exemplary conducts
- Genuine emergency established
These new sentences come into effect from the 24th April 2017. They aim to deter people from speeding and to keep our roads safer for all. You can avoid becoming a victim and possibly creating more victims by driving safely at all times.
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