Know the Speed Limits and avoid speeding fines

Many people are not fully aware of the speed limits on UK roads, particularly the limits for larger vehicles and those towing trailers. If you want to avoid getting a speeding fine or to ensure you don't get caught by a speed camera, it is important to know the speed limit for the vehicle you are driving on the road you are driving on.

The National Speed Limit for cars on UK roads is 60mph on single carriageway roads and 70mph on dual carriageways. Some people get confused and think the national speed limit is 30mph. What the national speed limit means is the top speed that is allowed on any road in this country. 30mph is the normal speed limit in a built up area. A built up area is usually understood to be an area where street lights are less than 200 metres apart.

The speed limit in a built up area may be lower than 30mph - for instance near a school. If the limit is 20mph or less, then there should be signs to indicate this and there should be some form of traffic calming measures.

Speed limits for Trucks, Vans, HGV, LGC and Towing

The speed allowed in a national speed limit area mentioned above is for cars and other small vehicles. Consult the Highway Code for speed limits for larger vehicles and vehicles that are towing. The speed limit for vehicles that are towing on a dual carriageway or motorway is 60mph.

Some speed cameras can differentiate between different sized vehicles and will activate at a lower speed for larger vehicles.

If you get caught speeding it is worth checking the speed limit of the road you were in, and whether the limit was clearly signposted. You may also consider a mitigating plea against speeding fine or convistion..