Speeding fine postcode lottery: will your ticket be overturned?

Londoners twice as likely to have speeding fines waived than the rest of the UK.

You’re more than twice as likely to get away with a speeding ticket in London than anywhere else in the UK.

Figures from Auto Express, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show that almost a fifth (17.4%) of appeals against speeding camera fines in the capital are successful, followed by Northants (16.8%) and Greater Manchester (13.6%). Drivers stopped by Sussex Police weren’t quite so lucky, with only a 0.4% chance of their fine being waived.

More than 7.6 million speeding tickets have been issued since 2011, with 8.4% successfully appealing the fine. In 2014, drivers had a success rate of 9.2%.

Are you among the best or worst affected in this motoring postcode lottery?

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Top 5

Met Police	17.4%
Northants	16.8%
Greater Manchester	13.6%
Merseyside	11%
Leicestershire	9.9%

Bottom 5

Sussex	0.4%
Cleveland	1.3%
Durham	2.1%
Cumbria	3.9%
Norfolk	4.8%

Challenging times

Many motorists challenged fines because the camera misread the number plate, the cars in question were stolen or the fined driver proved they weren’t actually driving at the time.

When you make an appeal, acceptable defences include:

You weren't speeding
It wasn't you driving when the speeding offence happened
There wasn't proper notice of the speed limit
The speeding vehicle caught on camera has been misidentified

There’s no guarantee a written or informal appeal will be successful and you may have to go to court if you want to challenge the fine.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, told Auto Express: “We’d like to see no speeding tickets overturned, as it can send the message exceeding the limit is something that you can get away with.

“Variations between forces are a matter of concern and we’d welcome more transparency. No safety camera partnership should want a reputation as an area where a speeding ticket is worth challenging.”

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