New Speeding Fines and What it means for you

New Speeding Fines – Smile Servicing

4 things you need to know about the new speeding fines in England and Wales

Last month the law for how speeding crimes are punished changed in England and Wales. Speeding penalties are now a lot stricter and you might even have to pay up to 150% of your weekly income in worst case scenarios. It was previously only 100% of your weekly income in worst case scenarios.This is just one example of the drastic changes that have been made in a bid to make motorists think twice before speeding. At Smile Servicing, we want our customers to stay safe on the roads and having people stick to the speed limits can help that. But what exactly are the changes to the new speeding fines and how will they affect you?

What is changing?

In a bid to get drivers to think twice before they race their car down the road, speeding fines have been changed and the punishment for speeding is now more severe. An example of how they’ve changed is drivers who are caught doing 51mph in a 30mph zone will be fined 150% of their weekly income as opposed to the previous 100%. In some cases, you may even be banned from driving for a certain period of time.

Why are speeding fines changing?

This change shows how the punishment for speeding is being taken more seriously – it was previously argued in a 2016 consultation that the punishments for speeding didn’t match the risk it puts people at. 244 people were killed in car crashes as a result of drivers breaking the speed limit in Britain in 2015. When you see figures like this it reinforces the seriousness of speeding and reminds you that it can have serious consequences. New speeding fines are thought to help to prevent this and keep people safer on the roads.

How are speeding offences now being categorised?

Fines were previously held in a minimum and maximum cost, for example, the minimum fine was £150 and the maximum fine was £1,000 or £2,500 if you were speeding on a motorway. But fines are now being categorised by the severity of the offence – Band A is 50% of someone’s weekly income, Band B is 100% of someone’s weekly income and Band C is 150% of someone’s weekly income. There are also new extended fines for specific speeding incidents which are listed below:

• Driving 41mph in a 20mph zone
• Driving 51mph in a 30mph zone
• Driving 66mph in a 40mph zone
• Driving 76mph in a 50mph zone
• Driving 91mph in a 60mph zone
• Driving 101mph or over in a 70mph zone

Speeding fines aren’t the only thing changing

What do we mean by this? Well, you might be fined soon if you don’t update your satnav. It’s been reported that 78% of drivers use their mobile phone or satnav to advise them on speed limits and what’s worrying is that only 58% of these drivers regularly update their devices. This can lead to drivers having the wrong information while they’re driving and could potentially lead to them breaking the speed limit. If a device is displaying out of date information it could cause accidents and compromise the safety of the driver and others near their car. It’s just rolled out this week, so we’ll keep you posted with any new updates.

What do you think about the new speeding fines? Are they fair?

Smile Servicing provides van and car servicing, MOT tests and general car repairs on all makes and models of vehicles in Portsmouth. If you’re looking for get your car repaired or for an affordable, reliable MOT test or service, then Smile Servicing is here for you!