Almost one in four speeding tickets are cancelled in Bedfordshire

According to the governments' data, almost one in four speeding tickets are cancelled every year in Bedfordshire.

Analysis by the RAC Foundation showed that of the 2.4 million speeding cases in the UK during 2020/21, 404,335 tickets were dismissed.

This is the equivalent of one in six fixed penalty notices in England and Wales being cancelled, but this does vary from county to county.

In Bedfordshire; almost 25% of all speeding fines were cancelled. Of the 51,862 fines that were issued, 11,969 fines were cancelled.

Of the fines issued in Bedford, 51,528 came from speed cameras, and police officers gave 334 speeding tickets. The likelihood of having your penalty cancelled is increased if a speed camera catches you by over 20%.

There are some reasons as to why it could be overturned:

1. There is a faulty speed camera
2. If the vehicle has cloned your number plates
3. Emergency vehicles lawfully breaking the speed limit
4. Delays in issuing the prosecution notice
5. There are a lack of resources to bring the case to court

RAC Foundation director, Steve Gooding, 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."

If you are taking driving lessons with us, especially in the Bedfordshire towns of Bedford or Luton, all of our driving instructors will show you the best ways of staying within the speed limit. All of our instructors will make sure that you are not only safe on the road but that you are also following the highway code.

You can read more on the story by visiting Bedfordshire Live.