New guidance states their is a threshold of 10 per cent plus 2mph – cutting the boundary to 24mph in a 20 zone – in which the police can be more lenient.
Research, by the RAC, found most speed cameras will snap your licence if you are driving 10 per cent above the limit, plus 2mph.
Sarah Lewis, a spokesperson for the AA said: “There used to be an unwritten rule that as long as you are driving within approximately 10 per cent of the speed limit, you would be unlikely to be handed a fixed penalty or speed awareness course.
“Ultimately it would be down to the discretion of the police force but it would be unusual for someone to be booked at 32mph.”
Sarah continued: “The idea that there is an allowance of around 10 per cent of the speed limit stems from general guidance for enforcement to account for the inaccuracies of some speedometers.
“We wouldn’t normally expect to see somebody penalised for driving a couple of miles per hour either side of the limit. However, that’s not to condone speeding and this shouldn’t be used as an excuse to habitually exceed the limits.”
HOW MUCH IS A SPEEDING FINE?
There are different bands of speeding offences, that warrant varying degrees of punishment, in the eyes of the law.
If you are caught driving between 21mph and 30mph in a 20mph zone, this is considered band A, and the penalty is three points on your licence and/or a fine of 50 per cent of weekly income.
Band B is categorised by travelling at 31mph to 40mph, and this carries a disqualification punishment anywhere from a week to 28 days.
Or, four to six points can be added to the licence, with a fine of 100 percent of weekly income.
However, someone with a recorded speed of 41mph and above could see disqualification for up to 56 days, six points, or fine of 150 per cent of weekly income.
The bands and penalties work their way up in the same way for all the speed limits, 30mph, 40mph, 50mph, 60mph, and 70mph.
A notice of intended prosecution is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle.
But, for minor offences, police will often offer the chance to take a speed awareness course instead points or financial penalty.
The course is not free, but it does keep your license clean.
Those who already have points on their license, or have committed more serious speeding offences, will get a minimum £100 fine and three or six penalty points on their license.
The penalty can rise as high as £1,000, or £2,500 if you were caught on a motorway.
If you collect more than 12 points within a three years, you face being disqualified from driving and waiting four years to see the points wiped.
