Need help? Call 0345 838 4074 Register Login

Speeding offences

The speed limit

The speed limit varies according to the type of vehicle and the type of road. The following table is a summary of the UK speed limits. The limit can also be fixed by traffic signs, which specify the limit in a particular area. Some of these traffic signs can be temporary and are taken away after the particular hazard has gone.

Vehicle typeBuilt-up areasSingle carriagewayDual carriagewayMotorway

Cars

30 mph

60 mph

70 mph

70 mph

Vehicles towing

30 mph

50 mph

60 mph

60 mph

Coaches / buses

30 mph

50 mph

60 mph

70 mph

Lorries up to 7.5 tonnes

30 mph

50 mph

60 mph

70 mph

Lorries more than 7.5 tonnes

30 mph

40 mph

50 mph

60 mph

There is no set minimum speed limit; although if you drive too slowly, you can be charged with inconsiderate driving (Motoring offences).

Evidence of speeding

Evidence of the speeding can be from:

  • An observation by 2 policemen
  • An observation by one policeman plus the mechanical evidence from a speed gun
  • A speed camera of an approved type
  • Expert evidence about skid marks
  • A time and distance device installed in the police vehicle

How do the police decide whether to prosecute?

The action taken mostly depends on how much over the speed limit you were driving. Although individual police forces can use their discretion, the Association of Chief Police Officers suggests the following when enforcing speed limits:

Speed limitMin. speed for a speeding ticketMin. speed for prosecution

20 mph

25 mph

35 mph

30 mph

35 mph

50 mph

40 mph

46 mph

66 mph

50 mph

57 mph

76 mph

60 mph

68 mph

86 mph

70 mph

79 mph

96 mph

Defences

It's not a defence if you say you didn't see or you weren't aware of the sign. However, it can be a defence if you can prove that the traffic sign was broken or had been taken away in an area where a specific speed limit had been imposed.

In order to challenge photographic evidence of a traffic or speed camera, you'll need to support your argument with expert evidence of possible inaccuracies.

Related services

What is the law guide

The Desktop Lawyer law guide aims to present the law to you in a comprehensive yet jargon-free and easy-to-read format. Our law guide is constantly kept up to date with changes in business and family law by our team of in house solicitors, and includes information across all the legal jurisdictions in the UK.

Our law guide is free to use. Where we provide documents related to this area of law, or where they may help you with any legal issue in this area, they will be listed to the right of this message.

Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We would also like to set some optional cookies. We won't set these optional cookies unless you enable them. Please choose whether this site may use optional cookies by selecting 'On' or 'Off' for each category below. Using this tool will set a cookie on your device to remember your preferences.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, see our Cookie notice.

Necessary cookies

Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Functionality cookies

We'd like to set cookies to provide you with a better customer experience. For more information on these cookies, please see our cookie notice.