What Changes Are Happening And When?
As of 24th April 2017, being caught speeding will carry a harsher punishment. The previous common fine for speeding was £100, but these new changes could see drivers being fined as much as 150% of their weekly wage (up to a maximum of £2,500). This has come into place as the old punishments were thought to not reflect the potential harm of driving over the speed limit.
Details Of The New Law
The top level fines will be issued to those caught speeding on the motorway as this is where the danger is most severe. Anyone caught speeding elsewhere can expect to be fined up to a maximum of £1,000. There will be different levels of fines issued and the further above the limit you are going, the more you can be fined. The increase in fines is around 50%. The fines are split into 3 bands, A,B and C. C is the highest band carrying the biggest fines.
Magistrates will have the choice to decide on the exact punishment based on factors such as weather conditions and previous convictions. Speeding is amongst a list of crimes that are looking at receiving tougher sentencing, including TV licence evasion and animal cruelty.
In 2015, 166,695 people across England and Wales received sentencing for speeding offensive and the average fine was £188. The higher fines are likely to be applied more with the new guidelines, so speeding will now be costlier than ever before. It is hoped that this will see a decrease in the amount of drivers going above the speed limit and therefore a decrease in road traffic accidents.
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