Can You Get a Speeding Ticket Removed from Your Record?

Receiving a speeding ticket is usually considered a relatively minor motoring conviction but, nevertheless, it can come with serious penalties. 

Declaring a motoring offence to your insurance company can increase your car insurance premiums, even if you received the ticket years ago, and a speeding ticket will also come with a minimum of 3 points on your driving licence. If you get more than 12 penalty points on your driving record in any three-year period - or only 6 points if you passed your test within the last two years - you can have your licence taken away and be forced to retake a driving test before it is returned. As such, many drivers wonder whether there are time limits for points on their licence, or if they can have a ticket removed from their licence. 
While the safest way is to avoid speeding tickets by driving safely, it is important to know that there are also ways to have a speeding ticket removed from your driving record under specific circumstances. You might be offered a speed awareness course or decide to contest your ticket in court. Here, the motoring offences experts at JMW explain how speeding ticket dismissal works, and what you can do if you are concerned about receiving too many points on your licence.

Can a Speed Awareness Course Protect Your Driving Record?

There are two primary ways to respond to a speeding ticket and avoid getting points on your licence. The approaches that are available to you depend on how the police decide to prosecute you for a speeding offence and the circumstances under which you are accused.

Speed Awareness Course

1. The first approach is to take a speed awareness course if you are offered the opportunity to do so. For minor speeding offences, drivers may be offered the option to attend a course in their local area. This is only available if you have not attended a similar course in the last three years, and often only for a first offence. The speed awareness course is offered at the discretion of the local police in the area where the alleged offence occurred, so there is no guarantee you will receive the offer.

If you accept the speed awareness course, you will not receive penalty points or a fine, although you must pay the cost of the course yourself and it is often equivalent to the minimum £100 fine associated with a fixed penalty notice. While the offence will not appear on your driving licence record held by the DVLA in these cases, the offence will still exist on police records for enforcement purposes. As such, while it can prevent you from losing your licence through "totting up" (receiving too many points), it may still affect insurance premiums.

Contest the Ticket in Court - Can You Defend a Ticket at a Court Hearing?

1. Another approach is to contest the speed ticket in court. While this can result in your conviction being overturned and prevent it from appearing on your driving record, it is not without significant risk - if you fail to defend yourself successfully and are found guilty in court, you may be given a much more significant penalty. It is important to speak to a solicitor and make an informed decision about how to proceed.

There are several potential defences that can be used to fight a speeding ticket. For example, if you believe the speeding ticket was issued in error (for example, due to faulty speed cameras or incorrect signage), you can choose to plead not guilty and attend court to contest the offence. You will need to reject the Fixed Penalty Notice when you receive it and request a court hearing.

At the hearing, you must provide evidence to support your case, which could include dashcam footage, witness statements, or evidence from experts on the calibration of speed equipment. A solicitor can advise you on building a strong case and evaluate your odds of success. If you are found not guilty at the end of the court process, the ticket and points will be voided.