Speeding

Both the photocard and the paper counterpart are required in order to pay the fine and have penalty points endorsed. It is advisable to apply for a new licence straight away, as a new licence may be issued before the due date on the Conditional Offer of a Fixed Penalty Notice expires. You should also inform the issuing office.

If at the end of the 28 day period you still do not have your driving licence and therefore you are unable to make payment, a police report will be raised for the Procurator Fiscal for their consideration of prosecution.

If it was a safety camera that detected your vehicle, on the reverse of the Notice of Intended Prosecution there are three parts you may complete, if you were not the driver you should complete part two naming who was the driver. Or if you were not the owner or the keeper of the vehicle at the time of the offence you should complete part three.

Under Section 172 Road Traffic Act 1988 it is the responsibility of the registered keeper to know who is driving the vehicle at all times. Failure to do so in itself is an offence punishable by a fine of up to £1000 plus 6 penalty points.

If a safety camera detected your alleged offence contact the relevant Partnership for further information. Contact details can be found at the website in related links.

The cameras are calibrated once a year as per the set guidelines. The cameras very rarely malfunction and if they do the faults are spotted before any notices of intended prosecution are sent out.

If you get stopped by a police officer for speeding, depending on the speed at which you were travelling, you may either be given an endorsable fixed penalty ticket at the scene or a citation for court will be sent to you.

Either way, it is more than likely that you will have to produce your documents (driving licence, insurance and MOT) at a police station of your choice within 7 days (unless you have all the necessary documentation with you).

If you were travelling a certain set amount over the speed limit then you may get a citation to attend at court.

If you are a new driver and you get 6 points on your licence within the first two years then you will have your licence revoked and revert to learner status and you will have to apply again for a new provisional licence.

If you have held a full licence for more than two years and you get 12 or more points within a period of 3 years, you'll be disqualified under the Totting Up system, but at the end of the disqualification the points accrued in those three years will normally no longer count against you.

Yes you can.

If you are a new driver and you get six points on your licence within the first two years then you will have your licence revoked, you will revert to learner status and you will have to obtain a provisional licence, drive as a learner (L-plates and supervisor etc.) and retake both your theory and practical tests in order to regain your licence.

If you have held a full licence for more than two years and you get 12 or more points within three years, you'll be disqualified under the Totting Up system.

Yes, this is illegal.

Any interference with the number plate to make it less easily distinguishable to the eye is illegal. You could be liable for a substantial fine if you are found guilty of tampering with the number plate.

Although various prosecution diversionary schemes exist in England and Wales, in Scotland we do not yet offer any alternative penalty for speeding or red light running offences.

When entering a new speed limit the limit is displayed on circular signs at the side of the road. If there is street lighting you can presume the speed limit is 30mph unless it is signposted otherwise, in which case there will be repeater signs reminding you of this. Note there is no requirement to have repeater signs in a 30mph limit. However, care must be taken because 20mph limits in built up areas are becoming increasingly common.

On roads where the national speed limit sign is displayed, the actual speed limit you must comply with will vary according to whether the road is a single or dual carriageway and if your are driving a car or a light or heavy goods vehicle. See website in related information for the speed limit table.

The registered keeper or the named person in charge of the vehicle concerned is required by law to name the driver or person responsible for the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence. It is not acceptable to simply say you cannot remember or do not know who was driving it at the time.

If you are unsure who was driving it is advisable to check any records you may have, for example if it is a company vehicle check log books, delivery sheets etc. If it is a family car check diaries, phone records, bank statements etc.

Under Section 172 Road Traffic Act 1988 it is the responsibility of the registered keeper to know who is driving the vehicle at all times. Failure to do so in itself is an offence punishable by a fine of up to £1000 plus 6 penalty points.

There is nothing in law that states safety cameras must be marked or signed in any way and lack of warning signage is not a defence against prosecution.

However, in Scotland all safety camera partnerships comply with the rules and guidelines of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, which are based on the principle of a highly visible deterrent. This includes information signage on the approach to all safety camera sites and conspicuity of all camera installations and enforcement vehicles.

If you have had your licence for less than two years:
Under legislation covering new drivers, gaining six or more penalty points on your licence within two years of passing your test will lead to your licence being revoked. You will need to resit and pass the theory and practical driving tests in order to regain your full licence.

If you have had your licence for more than two years:
Twelve points or more on your licence may lead to disqualification from driving. The Court will decide on the length of any disqualification.

Having penalty points on your driving licence may affect your insurance costs and employment.

Please note from 1st March 2017 the penalty for using a mobile phone whilst driving will increase to 6 penalty points and a £200 fine. For newly qualified drivers this could result in your licence being revoked for a single offence.

Under the New Drivers Act, drivers will have their driving licence revoked automatically if they accumulate six penalty points within two years of passing their driving test. They would be required to re-sit and pass both the theory and the practical test again in order to regain their full licence.

There isn't another 2 year period if you pass a test for another category of vehicle e.g. to drive a heavy goods vehicle.

Police Scotland comply with the Lord Advocates Guidelines in all speeding cases.

Gatso cameras are the most commonly used speed cameras on UK roads. They use radar technology to measure how fast a vehicle is travelling. If a vehicle is exceeding the speed limit for a given road, a camera and high powered flash take two photographs of the rear as it passes. The cameras only take rear facing photographs so the high powered flash doesn't blind drivers.

The Truvelo camera is usually forward facing (it can be rear facing) and uses four piezo sensors embedded in the road surface at set distances to measure the speed of passing vehicles.

SPECS cameras record a vehicle's average speed over a given distance. They are often used on motorways/dual carriageways or road works.