And this could have further repercussions. If you’re disqualified for 56 days or more (see also the more serious single-offence bans, above) you’ll need to apply for a new licence, and this may even entail retaking your driving test.
How will speeding penalties affect my car insurance?
Insurers will generally regard drivers who’ve accrued penalty points for any offence – including speeding – as a higher risk and are likely to impose a higher premium as a result.
While penalty points for speeding are generally only valid for three years as far as totting up endorsements and a potential ban goes, they remain visible on your licence for four years.
Most insurance companies will ask you to declare any motoring offences in the past five years, and if you withhold information, it could affect a future claim, so it’s important to be honest when searching for new quotes.
The worst speeding fines issued in the UK
The world’s first speeding fine was issued in the UK.
Driving his new Benz, Walter Arnold was nabbed at four times the national speed limit in Paddock Wood, Kent. Granted, it was in 1886 when the speed limit was just 2mph, but to make matters worse for Arnold, he was reprimanded for not having a red flag waver walking in front of him too.
From one extreme to another: the UK’s fastest speeder was caught in 2015 travelling at 192mph in a Nissan GTR. A 28-month custodial sentence followed and Northamptonshire police banned him from driving for 10 years. In 2003, an off-duty policeman was caught driving his unmarked Vauxhall Vectra at 159mph on the M54.
In Switzerland, a driver was caught at 85mph in a 50mph zone driving his Ferrari Testarossa. Swiss authorities base fines on your financial worth, and with £14.1 million in the bank, this driver ended up with a £180,000 ticket.
Another Swiss millionaire managed 180mph on local roads in his Mercedes-AMG SLS and set a new speeding fine world record at $1,001,400 (£727,166).