A recent Freedom of Information request by LV=car insurance has revealed a substantial increase in the number of people who have received a court summons in relation to a speeding offence.
In 2011 around 44,000 court summons were issued for speeding offences, compared to around 48,000 in 2012 - an increase of almost 10%. At the same time the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued for speeding fell 6% to 492,479. This suggests that more drivers are committing more serious offences because, in general terms, a court summons is only issued where the speeding offence is considered to be particularly serious.
According to LV=, Lancashire Constabulary issued the most court summons in 2012 - 10,641 compared with 52,751 FPNs in the same year. Hampshire Constabulary was the next highest, issuing 6,778 court summons and 34,405 FPNs; followed by Nottinghamshire Police who issued 4,771 court summons and 23,597 FPNs.
Separate research among motorists has also revealed that almost one in six (16%) drivers who have been caught speeding were driving more than 25 mph over the limit at the time. This would be above the threshold for a court summons in most cases.
Official guides from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) suggest that enforcement of a speed limit will normally occur when a driver exceeds the speed limit by a particular margin. This is normally 10% over the speed limit plus 2 mph.
ACPO also sets guidelines for when it would not be appropriate to issue an FPN but to issue a summons instead. However, these are guidelines only and police officers have discretion to act outside of them providing they act fairly, consistently and proportionately.
Contact Lewis Nedas’ Criminal Lawyers in London
If you have received a court summons for speeding and require specialist legal advice, please contact our solicitors Jeffrey Lewis or Siobhain Egan on 020 7387 2032 or complete our online enquiry form here.
This blog post is intended as a news item only - no connection between Lewis Nedas and the parties concerned is intended or implied.
