How to respond to a speeding ticket

The addressee on the speeding ticket must either respond using the Public Access System or complete all three steps of the Reply to Notice Form and post it to the Speed Enforcement Unit or within 28 days of the issue date.

You can respond, or view photos of the alleged offence, using the Public Access System (PAS) if your 16-digit reference starts with 0523. To access the PAS, you will need the:

16-digit reference
PIN

Both the reference and PIN can be found in your speeding ticket.

To respond by post using the Reply to Notice Form, you must complete:

Step 1 – Addressee details
Step 2 – Your response
Step 3 – Signature and date

If you are late responding, write a cover letter to explain what steps you have taken and why you are sending the Reply to Notice Form in late. The address is in your speeding ticket.

Identifying the driver

From the date the speeding ticket was issued, the registered keeper has 28 days to tell us who was driving the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence.

If we do not receive a response 21 days after the speeding ticket issue date, the registered keeper will be sent an automated reminder letter to say have seven days left to respond.

If the registered keeper does not respond before the deadline, they may be prosecuted.

If the vehicle is owned by a:

limited company or plc, the company secretary must respond
private company, a director or an owner must respond

Failure to supply the driver’s details can carry a maximum fine of £1,000 (£2,500 if committed on a motorway), and either:

six points added to the registered keeper’s driving licence
disqualification at the court’s discretion

What happens if…

I need help identifying the driver?

Check the PAS to view photos of the alleged offence
In your speeding ticket, you will have a 16-digit reference – this must start with 0523 – and a PIN number. Use these to access our Public Access System (PAS).

Once logged in, you will be able to:

view a photo of the offence
request a hard copy of the photo

The photo will not necessarily show a face, but you may be able to recognise who was in the vehicle at the time to help you identify the driver. Do not contact the Speed Enforcement Unit.

Check who has access
Contact all the possible drivers who had access to the vehicle to find out if they were driving. Include a copy of the PAS photo, if necessary.

Check your records
Check your diary, phone records, bank statements, company records for evidence of where you were at the time of the alleged offence.

If you still cannot identify the driver

complete the Reply to Notice Form by marking step 2, box 4
include a letter explaining what steps you have taken to try to provide this information

I want to view a photo of the offence?

You can view photos of the alleged offence using the Public Access System (PAS) if your 16-digit reference starts with 0523.

In your speeding ticket, you will have a 16-digit reference and a PIN number. Use these to access the PAS.

Once logged in, you will be able to:

view a photo of the offence
request a hard copy of the photo

If you cannot or do not have access to the PAS, contact the Speed Enforcement Unit.

the registered keeper no longer owns the vehicle?

If you have informed the DVLA you are no longer the vehicle’s keeper, you can still receive a speeding ticket, if:

you remain on the DVLA database as the last known keeper until the new keeper provides the DVLA with their details
the garage you sold your vehicle to has not resold the vehicle
you have hired, bought, returned, leased, or lent the vehicle

You will need to complete step 2, box 2 on your Reply to Notice Form, providing details of the person or company you sold the vehicle to.

Do not contact the Speed Enforcement Unit.

I would like to appeal?

If you want to appeal, you have to go through a magistrates’ court – not Avon and Somerset Police.

You must complete parts 1, 2 or 3 on the speeding ticket to identify the driver, whether that was you or someone else, and return it to us within 28 days. Failure to do this is a criminal offence.

Once you send us this information, we will write to you to outline your options, including how to appeal. For more details, see speeding outcomes.

You can view photos of the alleged offence using the Public Access System (PAS) if your 16-digit reference starts with 0523. To access the PAS, you need the reference and your PIN which are in your speeding ticket.

a company owns the vehicle and there are insufficient records?

If the vehicle is owned by a:

limited company or plc, the company secretary must respond
private company, a director or the company owner must respond

Companies are expected to:

keep records of who is driving their vehicles at any given time
produce those records to identify the driver

If there are insufficient records and they are unable to name the driver within 28 days, they will be prosecuted and fined.

If you still cannot identify the driver

Complete the Reply to Notice Form by marking step 2, box 4
Include a letter explaining what steps you have taken to try to provide this information

it was not my vehicle at the scene of the offence?

Check the Public Access System (PAS)
As long as your speeding ticket starts with 0523, you will be able to view a photo of the offence on our PAS. On your speeding ticket, you will have received a 16-digit reference and PIN to logon.

Check the PAS to view photos of the alleged offence and see if the vehicle matches yours.

You are advised to check your records for evidence of where the vehicle was at the time of the alleged offence. Check your:

diary
phone records
bank statements
company records

If you still believe your vehicle was not at the scene of the offence
Complete the Reply to Notice form by marking step 2, box 3.

Enclose a letter explaining your dispute and include:

evidence of the vehicle’s whereabouts
colour photos of all sides of the vehicle
any differences you have noticed with the vehicle shown in the PAS

the person the speeding ticket was for does not live at this address?

Should you receive a speeding ticket for a person who no longer lives at your address and they did not leave a forwarding address, mark it “Recipient not known” and post it back to the Speed Enforcement Unit.

I received a reminder speeding ticket, but do not have the original?

If you receive a reminder speeding ticket but did not see, or have misplaced the original, contact the Speed Enforcement Unit who can reissue it for you.

I am out of the country and unable to sign the form?

If you are out of the country and cannot reply to the speeding ticket, contact the Speed Enforcement Unit who can email you a copy of it for you to print, sign, scan and email back to them.

I want to contact you?

See contact the Speed Enforcement Unit.

For information on speed awareness courses, Fixed Penalty Notices and fines, or court summons see speeding outcomes.