Forum Topic

URGENT: Solicitor for road traffic offences

Please could someone recommend a local solicitor to help my son who has inadvertently clocked up 3 speeding offences.

Sara Ioannides ● 4d47 Comments

Suggest you look for a specialist road traffic offence lawyer - not necessary a local solicitor. Plenty via Google.  Local lawyers are unlikely to cover that kind of thing in detail.

Jackie Elton ● 4d

Thank you, Jackie.  I didn't word my request very well.  I was hoping to find a solicitor specialising in these cases who also is quite local.  Google had left me rather confused, though I have subsequently spoken to one not too far away who was quite helpful.

Sara Ioannides ● 4d

Thinking to the future, if his car has cruise control...use it.  If not then change it for one that does. Skoda does cruise control starting at 15mph.

James Petri ● 3d

Better than cruise control, which is about staying at a particular crusing speed, is the limiter, which means you can go at any speed up to the limiter speed set. As a suitable legal speed in town is often below the limit (it's a limit, not a target) and you're always slowing and stopping it means you don't have to reset the cruise control all the time, just leave the limiter set.A car I drove had both, and I used the limiter in town, but cruise control, with automatic distance keeping, on motorways.

Paul James ● 3d

It might be easier just to use Waze or another satnav app which gives warnings of when you are over the limit and speed cameras. I use it now even for short journeys because new cameras are appearing all the time.  On the legal question — put the details of the offences into AI and ask if it would be worth getting legal representation. That would circumvent the possibility of you paying for a consult and being told your son is bang to rights.

Francis Rowe ● 3d

Waze and iPhone maps are both good at giving you advance notice of cameras, however they aren't 100% reliable about what the speed limit is. Sometimes they will inform you the speed limit is higher than it is.

Andrew Jones ● 3d

Many thanks, all: some helpful advice here.  He is generally careful re speed limits but got caught out on the A316 after they reduced the previously 40 MPH stretch to 30.  Does anyone remember when exactly they did this?

Sara Ioannides ● 3d

Probably not very helpful, but I got caught out in the same place for the same reason. I was going 37mph, without realising the limit had been reduced. I contested it, arguing the signs were not clear, and at the time there was only one. I argued it didn't give one enough time/notice to safely slow down to the new limit, but unfortunately they rejected my challenge and I had to pay the fine...

Mark Edwards ● 3d

WHy do you need advance warning of cameras? Are you speeding all the time?

Paul James ● 3d

Check the signage, Paul, before you ask yet another daft question.There are plenty of examples where the camera sign appears before the trap. Which is something I always found quite funny. But hey ho, that's how you guys roll. In fact, given the prevalance of them, one would think legally the precedent has been set by authorities so it is a reasonable expectation to find such signs at every location.As for technology being accurate, I think that's part of the problem. Your car could be doing 30 and you could get caught out doing 31. There is no margin of error for something not in your control. The other day I was was using cruise control and rather than the car reading the speed for the lane I was in, it read the speed for the exit lane and overpass which would cause one to slow down prematurely/unnecessarily and cause risk where risk needn't be.

David Lesniak ● 3d

Thanks for this, Mark.  I am sure you and he are not the only ones to have got caught.  He was going 35 or 36 (2 separate occasions) but just did not notice that the previous 40 mph sign had been removed.  Your failed challenge does not bode well for him!

Sara Ioannides ● 3d

>Check the signage, Paul, before you ask yet another daft question.How is "are you speeding all the time" to somebody said they need to know where the caemea are a daft question?>Your car could be doing 30 and you could get caught out doing 31. Pretty sure not. If a speed camera reads you at 31mph I very much doubt it would go further, even if you were going at 31mph, which is illegal, but...>The other day I was was using cruise control and rather than the car reading the speed for the lane I was in, it read the speed for the exit lane and overpass which would cause one to slow down prematurely/unnecessarily and cause risk where risk needn't be.I've never seen a cruise control that changes the set speed from the road signs it reads, is that what you're suggesting? If so what car does this?

Paul James ● 3d

>I've never seen a cruise control that changes the set speed from the road signs it reads,Hmmm, apparently it is a feature in some cars, never driven a car that does that though.I would turn that off sharpish. I see even Tesla say its car can do it but you shouldn't use it as it can get things wrong.

Paul James ● 3d

Hi Sara,Sorry to hear about your son’s situation, it must be incredibly stressful. While seeking professional legal advice is a wise step to fully understand his options, please be aware that taking this to court might not be the best or cheapest option unless he has a highly specific legal loophole.The Legal "Norm": Why Court is RiskySpeeding is a strict liability offence. Legally, it doesn't matter if it was inadvertent or a genuine mistake—if the camera caught him over the limit, the offence is proven.• Fixed Penalties (The Safer Route): For driving 35–36 mph in a 30 mph zone, each offence typically carries a £100 fine and 3 penalty points. If he accepts the fixed penalties, he will accumulate 9 points and £300 in fines.• The Danger of Court: Going to court without a concrete defence risks significantly higher income-based fines (up to £1,000), victim surcharges, and heavy court costs, on top of receiving the exact same penalty points.• The 12-Point Limit: Accumulating 9 points puts him very close to a "totting up" driving ban, which triggers at 12 points. Additionally, if he passed his driving test within the last two years, his licence will be automatically revoked if he reaches 6 points or more.The "Maybe": The Specific A316 Local CircumstancesThe only reason to consult a specialist road traffic solicitor is to see if he can exploit the chaotic rollout on the A316 stretch, which TfL recently reduced from 40 mph to 30 mph. A solicitor would need to check the exact dates on his Notices of Intended Prosecution (NIPs) against this timeline:• The Streetlight Trap: Richmond Council publicly criticised TfL for poor signage, but legally, because that stretch of the A316 has streetlights, it is classified as a "restricted road." By law, permanent 30 mph repeater signs are actually prohibited here. Drivers are legally expected to know the limit is 30 mph purely because the streetlights are there.• The Signage Timeline: TfL only put up temporary "New 30mph Limit" warning signs, and these were officially removed on 19 September 2026. If he was caught after that date, there were no warning signs left at all.• The Enforcement Date: While the limit changed earlier in the year, the Metropolitan Police didn't actually start issuing fines on the A316 average speed cameras until July 2026 after a grace period.If a solicitor cannot find a technical defect in the official Traffic Regulation Order or the camera calibration, fighting this is highly unlikely to succeed. If there is no loophole, accepting the fixed penalties is usually the safest way to cap the financial damage, though he will need to drive incredibly carefully moving forward.Best of luck to him.

Hans Lund-Sorensen ● 3d

...and never mind how bleeding ridiculous it was to reduce it from 40mph on such a stretch of road!

Nicholas Jenkins ● 2d

I rely on my car’s limiter to dial in the relevant speed limit and let it take the strain. Problem today is frequently changing limits for no apparent reason, such as going between 20 and 30 at a borough boundary in the same street, or a ‘lower’ limit being applied to a wide dual carriageway ‘to make the world a better place’. The challenge now is to spot the ‘gateway signs’ as you move from one limit to another, and to realise that unlabelled street lights mean it’s 30 and anything else should have a reminder number on the occasional lamp post. If querying a penalty, it’s worth checking the signage is correct as sometimes it isn’t.  I’m suspect checking for cameras is something of distraction from checking your speed!

Peter Evans ● 2d

Daft because it comes with your brand of holier-than-thou crap and finger wagging.Meanwhile, I see you've researched a bit on technology. Which you both encourage to be used but then tell people to shut it off. Also daft."pretty sure not" and "illegal, but" - facts, Paul. People get PCNs for going 1 mph over the limit. That could be a sneeze, a glance left/right/both to check for cyclists, etc., something caught in the eye or that blasted technology not regulating properly as often happens on inclines/declines. I do so love the equivocation of "illegal, but." Which gets us back to the OPs concern of how these measures threaten the livelihoods of people simply attempting to abide by the law yet running into the ever growing minefield of road closures mixed with dubious technology. SATNAV into an LTN anyone? Happens all the time.Even Hammersmith equivocates. It opens the door for businesses to register for access to Weltje Road. Surely, surely, that practice should apply to all roads within the local business community. If not, why not? LBH simply just says "no deliveries" and yet you all wonder why SMEs struggle. Amazon does what it wants when it wants with non-union drivers who don't make minimum wage while SMEs are paying at least that if not the London Living wage and yet we're the ones that get penalized left, right and center.

David Lesniak ● 2d

A simple solution to knowing what the speed limit is wherever you are is to get the Google Maps app and enter a destination...check but i dont think it even has to be your correct destination. Press Destination, then Start and up pops the speed limit on your screen. And when you go through a speed limit sign the new limit shows on your screen extremely quickly.

James Petri ● 2d

Needs something like that so not continually watching the speed when should be eyes on the road, no wonder people miss signage.

Janice Evans ● 2d

>Needs something like that so not continually watching the speed when should be eyes on the road, no wonder people miss signage.Drivers need to do both when driving. If they can't or fail to do so then they fail their test.I don't have to "watch" my speedo when driving to keep under the limit, nobody does.

Paul James ● 2d

>People get PCNs for going 1 mph over the limit.No they don't.So whilst 31mph in a 30 limit IS illegal, you won't get a penalty notice for it, that's the but there.>Which you both encourage to be used but then tell people to shut it off. Also daft.No I didn't. Speed limters are good, but I would not rely on the car setting the limiter itself based on what signs it spots, I will do the limit setting thank you, not the car.I sometimes rent a car so I always get bang up to date ones, and to this day I've not had a car that set the limit/cruise control speed itself based on the signs it sees, although they do see the signs and show them on the dash.>It opens the door for businesses to register for access to Weltje Road.I think Weltje Road should just be blocked off at the bottom at the A4, I've said this before, lots of times.But then I also think the anacronism that is the A4 should be deleted, replaced with a tram/train etc with local access for motor vehicles...

Paul James ● 2d

I also think :ALL side roads should be LTNs as well, A roads and B roads should be used for getting across areas, and unclassfied roads should not present through routes.Default speed limit in the UK should be 20mph not 30mph, and all roads inside urban areas should be 20mph regardless.

Paul James ● 2d

People get PCNs for going 1 mph over the limit.No they don't.Yes, they do, Paul. I have.What was your other idiotic comment? People don't watch speedometers was it?

David Lesniak ● 2d

So if you were prosecuted for 31mph, your speedo was reading 33-35mph right?>What was your other idiotic comment? People don't watch speedometers was it?Nope, didn't say that.

Paul James ● 2d

The speed limit can change 3 times on the same stretch, you do hav to keep looking at the speedo.

Janice Evans ● 2d

> you do hav to keep looking at the speedo.That's a bit different from what you said earlier, "continually watching the speed[o]"Yes you do have to check your speedometer sometimes and you do it when it's safe to do so.You don't need to "watch" it, if you drove along watching it you would fail your driving test.One good piece of good advice is that the speed limit is a limit, not a target.

Paul James ● 2d

"I don't have to "watch" my speedo when driving to keep under the limit, nobody does"Nobody watches yet they keep under the limit. Ergo, everyone watches. Even you. If not, surely you'd be negligent."So if you were prosecuted for 31mph, your speedo was reading 33-35mph right?"Work on your comprehension, Paul. I said people get penalized for going 1 mph over the limit. I got a PCN for doing 21 in a 20.

David Lesniak ● 1d

>Nobody watches yet they keep under the limit. Ergo, everyone watches. Even you. If not, surely you'd be negligent.No, the common phrase is "staring at my speedo", so this is people moaning that to keep under limit they have to literally "watch" their speedo. Which is nonsense of course. What they are _really_ saying is that don't like the speed limit and want to drive faster.> I said people get penalized for going 1 mph over the limit. I got a PCN for doing 21 in a 20.So an indicated 22 to 24 right?

Paul James ● 1d

Shouldn't one be offered a speed awareness course for the first offense?

Mark Edwards ● 1d

https://www.speedingfinesuk.co.uk/

Hans Lund-Sorensen ● 1d

One is offered a speed awareness course for a first offence, and most of the people one met there had been 'caught out' by 'new' 20mph limits dotted around London in, some would say, unlikely and unexpected places. For example, six lane Park Lane had recently been changed from 40mph to 20mph and many 20mph signs have appeared in local streets for no apparent reason other than you're going from Brent into Ealing!As well as the lecture on relative stopping distances, the course leader reminded people to look out for signs, particularly those which might have recently appeared on regular and familiar routes, and to use any speed limiter they might have in their cars, which is 'usually on a switch somewhere near your cruise control'!

Peter Evans ● 1d

I can highly recommend Ann Crighton: 07956945647. She is locally based.

Jenn Irvine ● 23h

Um, no, Paul.People monitoring the info and technology displayed in their cars is considered safe driving. Not sure why you're trying to weaponize watching a speedometer, but here we are.No. 21mph in a 20mph zone.I believe your words were "illegal, but..."Try the crow. I hear it's delicious this time of year.

David Lesniak ● 12h

>People monitoring the info and technology displayed in their cars is considered safe drivingNot by the people who say they have to "watch" their speedos because of the speed limit signs. They say having to do that makes things less safe as they are having to stare at their speedo and not look at the road.This is an admission of bad driving for me, but not for them it seems.

Paul James ● 11h

>21mph in a 20mph zone.I'm still chinny reckon on this.It's well known the police apply an enforcement threshold, and whilst an actual 21 mph (indicated 22mph/23mph) in a 20 limit or zone IS breaking the law, the police generally aren't going to issue a FPN unless you're doing an actual 23mph or 24mph."Typical enforcement threshold: current national police guidance uses thresholds equivalent to 10% + 2 mph. So, for example, enforcement would normally start at 35 mph in a 30 or 24 mph in a 20."

Paul James ● 11h

Paul, watching your speed does not mean you are not watching the road,You seem stuck in a vortex somewhere.

Janice Evans ● 10h

>Paul, watching your speed does not mean you are not watching the road,No it doesn't of course, but we all see people writing they have to "stare at their speedo instead of watching the road".

Paul James ● 9h

>21mph in a 20mph zone."I travel the Westway every week. With the variable speed limit in place (now being investigated, I know) I've gotten a ticket for going 31mph in a 30mph that used to be a 50mph."You've had a speeding ticket for 31 in a 30 AND 21 in a 20?

Paul James ● 9h

"they have to "watch" their speedos because of the speed limit signs"Paul, your daftness knows no bounds.Precisely what do you think people will be doing when the speed limit changes within a road time and time again in one journey?The car I drive sounds an alert each time the speed limit changes. Not really rocket science that I would then look to see what's going on and if a response is required. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't as previously discussed.

David Lesniak ● 8h

Paul, you're wrong. That is a myth.Take a speed awareness course and you will learn the error of your ways.

David Lesniak ● 8h

Yes.And?

David Lesniak ● 8h

The claim that someone got a speeding ticket for doing 31 mph on the Westway is mathematically and operationally impossible.To clear up the confusion on this thread: 20 mph and 30 mph are the absolute legal limits under Section 89 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. However, what drivers call the "10% + 2 mph rule" is strictly an administrative decision set by national police guidance (NPCC), not a statutory right.Because it is purely an administrative policy, the government or the police could reprogram the cameras overnight to enforce a "zero-tolerance" policy if they chose to. But as it stands right now, the Met Police operate strictly to that 10% + 2 mph trigger threshold. On the Westway’s 30 mph stretch, those average speed cameras are physically hardcoded to trigger at 35 mph. They simply do not flash or log offences at 31 mph.People are heavily conflating Police offences with Council civil contraventions here. The rules are entirely separate:• FPNs (Fixed Penalty Notices): These are criminal matters issued by the Police for speeding violations. An FPN costs £100 and puts points on your licence. The police can also issue an FPN for blocking a yellow box junction, but only if an officer is physically standing there on the street to witness it.• • PCNs (Penalty Charge Notices): These are civil penalties issued by the Local Council. If you are caught by an automated camera blocking a yellow box, driving in a bus lane, or entering a School Street / LTN, you get a PCN from the council. These are purely financial fines and never result in points on your licence.• If anyone received a notice through the post involving the number "31," it was either an official police speeding ticket stating they were clocked at 35+ mph (and they just misremembered their speed), or it was a council-issued civil PCN for a completely different restriction on the connecting junctions.The Met Police do not issue points and fines for 31 in a 30. Paul is entirely right to question it—the "1 mph over" speeding ticket is an urban myth fuelled by people misreading their paperwork.

Hans Lund-Sorensen ● 7h

Many thanks, Jenn.  I've also had a private recommendation for Ann Crighton so will definitely bear her in mind if it comes to the crunch.

Sara Ioannides ● 7h

Dear Hans,Please forgive my delay. I am really grateful for your detailed and clearly knowledgeable reply.  Thank you so much.

Sara Ioannides ● 7h

Over the years I have experienced a small number of occasions where I have needed to suddenly accelerate to avoid danger. I can do this in cruise control but not with a speed limiter.

James Petri ● 3h

> I can do this in cruise control but not with a speed limiter.Limiters cut out if you push the accelerator most of the way down.Like perhaps if you're driving down a mountain and a massive boulder starts rolling down behind you? Is that the sort of thing you're thinking of?

Paul James ● 3h

This article might help:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/11/01/sadiq-khan-covered-up-unlawful-speed-limit-change/It appears as if a speed limit change in another part of London was put in unlawfully by TFL. You might want to use the same lawyer as this one and check whether the same team were involved putting in this speed limit.  But I really don't think it matters if the solicitor is local - what matters is if there is a flaw in the process - which in the case above there definitely was.

Jackie Elton ● 1h