Here’s how speeding fines could see you paying £2,500
BRITISH motorists who are caught speeding can end up forking out up to £2,500 in fines.
Currently, the maximum possible fine for driving above the speed limit on motorways in £2,500, with £1,000 fines the limit for drivers on other roads.
When the law changes on April 24, offenders can be charged up to 175 per cent of their weekly income if they are caught speeding.
Fines are divided into three bands - A, B and C, which correspond to how serious the speeding offence is.
Drivers caught at speeds up to 10 mph over the limit are classed as band A, with band B fares relating to offences where motorists were clocked at 11-21 mph over the limit.
The most serious category of offence is band C, which applies to drivers exceeding the limit by greater amounts.
These band C offenders face fines between 125 and 175 per cent of their weekly wage, which could see the wealthiest motorists slapped with penalties close to the £2,500 limit.
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Meanwhile, band B offenders can expect fines between 75 and 125 per cent of their weekly wage, and band A offenders could be slapped with fines equalling 25-75% of their weekly wage.
The Sentencing Council, the body which determines the punishments for UK lawbreakers, said fines are being increased to ensure that there is a "clear increase in penalty as the seriousness of offending increases”.
First time speeders can avoid the increased fines if they take a speed awareness course, although this option does not apply to repeat offenders.
The move to tweak fines comes after Green Flag warned that the number of speeding offences has risen by 44% over the last five years.