British motorists are facing speeding ticket uncertainty according to a major new report from the RAC which shows that 400,000 tickets were ripped up last year.

Of the 2.4 million speeding penalties issued in 2021, one in six were cancelled due to a variety of factors ranging from faulty and incorrectly calibrated speed cameras, while many other fines were not collected as there was too long a delay in issuing the notice of prosecution. The window of opportunity for authorities to hit drivers with a speeding fine is relatively short, as it needs to allow for motorists to have an opportunity to appeal.

A large number of the speeding tickets are actually issued to vehicles which have a legitimate reason for driving fast, such as emergency service vehicles. There are also a growing number of incidences of fines being issued against cloned number plates.

The RAC data also reveals that just one in three speeding tickets issued actually results in a fine, with more than 40 per cent being cancelled as drivers take the option of a speed awareness course.

Steve Gooding, from the RAC Foundation who commissioned the report has said that more needs to be done to provide greater consistency in issuing speeding tickets, to ensure that those who do commit motoring offences are actually paying the penalty.

He said: “It is correct that drivers caught speeding should face the consequences, but it is also important that the systems of detection and prosecution are robust.

“The hundreds of thousands of cancelled offences each year indicate they are not. At the very least it is an administrative burden the police could do without.

“We urge the Home Office to start collecting data from police forces about these cancelled offences so we can understand where the problem lies.”

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