Document Actions
I have received a NIP for doing 36mph in a 30mph zone. I don't believe I was doing this speed and have a faulty speedometer. I am disabled and cannot afford to pay the fine. Can I contest this?
I was caught by a speed camera doing 36mph in a 30mph zone. I now have to either pay £60.00 and have points on my licence or attend a speed awareness workshop for three hours (which I can't do as I have to care for my disabled daughter) and still pay £60.00. I am on disability and the reason I was "speeding" at 6mph over was because my daughter had called me to say she was having a panic attack and needed me at home. I also have a speedometer that I'm not sure is accurate, sometimes it moves very little even when I'm changing gear so there is a certain amount of guesswork about the speed I'm doing. I rarely go faster than 25mph anyway and the clock did show just a tiny bit over 30mph ... certainly not 6 though. I cannot work due to my disability so money is very tight and I can't afford to pay the fine at the moment. Can I contest this NIP? All that money and hassle because of a "estimated" 6mph ... which I don't believe due to my speedometer. What will happen if I contest it?
The only way that you can contest this is by asking for a Court hearing and trying to persuade the Magistrates that there are special reasons for the speed i.e. the defective speedometer and the emergency with your daughter. This involves giving evidence on oath. If the Magistrates agree then they may agree to give you no points and a low fine or perhaps an absolute discharge.
If they don't agree then you risk three points, a bigger fine and Court costs. It's a gamble. You could try and persuade the fixed penalty office to waive the ticket but they probably won't agree.......
We hope this information answers your question and that you found our free service fast, comprehensive and useful. We answer questions on any legal matter so please tell anyone else who you think might benefit from our free assistance.
It would also be a good idea to bookmark http://www.lawanswers.co.uk in case you need free advice on any other legal question.
Please come back to us if you have any other legal matter we can assist with in future.
Answered by: Emma Patterson
Important! Ask your own free questions... Questions are answered accurately at the time they are posted but the law can change or your circumstances may differ in an important but not obvious way from those mentioned. For fast, free and up-to-date personal legal advice direct to your inbox about your own individual case ask Law Answers your own free legal question.
