What Happens if You Ignore a Speeding Ticket?

While speeding offences are often viewed as relatively minor in the UK, and a speeding ticket is one of the most common convictions drivers receive, they are still taken seriously by the law and it is important not to dismiss them. A speeding ticket - whether that means the initial Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) you receive after you are caught speeding, a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) after you plead guilty, or a court summons in the most serious cases - demands action from the recipient. Ignoring the ticket can come with serious consequences.

This is true even if you ignore the ticket for what you believe is a legitimate reason - for example, if you were not the person driving the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence, or you have received the NIP outside the required 14 days after the offence. In these cases, you may still have a legal duty to provide details of the responsible driver, and even a late speeding ticket may still apply in certain cases. If you ignore the ticket, you could receive much more significant penalties than you would for a speeding conviction, even if you were not involved or guilty of the original offence.

You should not ignore a Notice of Intended Prosecution or a Fixed Penalty Notice under any circumstances, and the best option is often to speak to a solicitor if you believe you have been unfairly accused or are unsure of how to comply while protecting your rights. Here, the expert motoring defence solicitors at JMW outline the different stages of the speeding ticket process that demand a response, explain your options if you intend to defend yourself and cover the penalties you can receive if you ignore an NIP or FPN.

The Notice of Intended Prosecution

When a vehicle is caught speeding by a speed camera, the registered keeper of the vehicle should receive an NIP within 14 days of the offence. A Section 172 notice may accompany the NIP, and includes a request for details of who was driving the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence.

After you receive an NIP because your vehicle was caught speeding by a speed camera, you must respond - either by providing details of who was driving at the time, or by identifying yourself as the driver. The NIP will give you a time period within which you must respond and, by failing to do so, you may be at risk of stricter penalties or even an additional offence.

Even if you do not know who was driving your vehicle at the time of the offence, you must make every effort to find out. Failing to provide driver details comes with a higher minimum penalty than exceeding the speed limit, and you may receive this penalty for ignoring an NIP even if you were not involved in the original offence.

If you receive an NIP outside of the 14-day window, it may be deemed legally invalid, but this is not automatic. The requirement is that the police force that intends to prosecute you sent the document with the expectation that it would arrive within 14 days, and not necessarily that it arrives within that window. As such, if the NIP arrived late due to unexpected postal delays, it may still apply even outside the 14-day notification window, and it is important not to assume that the prosecution cannot go ahead.

Speak to a solicitor if you believe that an NIP arrived late and is therefore invalid. A motoring offences expert can evaluate the circumstances and let you know whether you are in a position to defend the ticket on this basis, and help you to determine the next steps.

The Fixed Penalty Notice

After you have responded to an NIP or Section 172 notice, the driver who was caught speeding will usually receive a Fixed Penalty Notice offering a fine and penalty points on their driving licence. In some cases, drivers facing a first offence may be offered the chance to attend a speed awareness course, which allows them to avoid the fine and any penalty points. While you will need to pay for the course, this remains a reduced penalty that is sometimes offered for minor speeding offences. For more serious speeding offences, you may be summoned directly to court.

You will be given a time period in which to respond, and have the option to plead guilty and accept the penalties you have been offered, or to defend the matter in court. Even if you plan to contest the charge, you should follow the deadlines as you may be found guilty of a separate offence (such as failing to provide driver details) even if you are not guilty of exceeding the speed limit. Meeting the deadlines for responding to these matters is vital to your defence, and ignoring an FPN, an NIP or a court summons will always make matters worse without making the problem go away.

Consequences of Ignoring a Speeding Ticket

Potential penalties for ignoring a speeding ticket may include court hearings, penalty points on your licence, a fine, and in more serious cases, disqualification.. If you do not respond to the NIP within the required time or fail to provide driver details, the matter can be referred to the Magistrates’ Court and you could face much higher penalties for an additional offence of failing to provide driver details. 

Once in court, the fine could be significantly higher than a typical FPN. The maximum is up to £1,000 (or £2,500 if the initial offence took place on a motorway). You may receive more penalty points on your licence and potentially a driving disqualification, depending on the seriousness of the underlying offence and the number of penalty points already on your driving licence.

The consequences you are likely to face depend on the initial offence and the circumstances under which you failed to respond. For example, if you ignore the initial FPN, you will lose the opportunity to attend a speed awareness course, or accept the points and fine offered. If you ignore court directives (meaning that you fail to attend court after receiving a summons), the court may issue a warrant for arrest or take other enforcement measures.

The consequences are even more severe for new drivers. Those who passed their driving test within the last two years who accrue six or more penalty points will not only face a driving ban, but have their licence revoked. This means that you need to reapply for a provisional licence and pass a new driving test before you can return to the road. Failing to respond to a Fixed Penalty Notice or NIP, or to attend a court hearing, can result in six points on your licence automatically if you are found guilty.