Safe Speed Forums

Hi, I got a "Notice of intended prosecution" thing through the post, notice of issue date was the 14th April, I had no arguments I knew I was speeding and I accepted the fixed penalty and sent the correct form off the next day with my license and credit card details for the fine.

Anyway its now 5th May and I still haven't received my license back and the money for the fine has not been charged to my card yet. Is this normal? does it usually take this long and how much longer is it going to take?

DVLA take a good 3 weeks to issue new licenses. (I only found that out because of a new driver in the family). I'd guess it probably takes about the same to return existing ones sent for points, change of details etc. I'd start chasing them if it doesn't turn up by the end of the week.

Yeah thats what I was thinking im just worried that next week I will get a "Summons to court" notice as you only have 28 days from receiving the "Notice of intended prosecution" to accept the fixed rate penalty.

Ah, sorry. Wasn't thinking properly before. You'd have sent it all off to the clerk of the court that's dealing with it right? Presumably if they're really camera happy round there your form could still be halfway down the pile of details sent by all the other drivers they've zapped recently.
When I got my last NIP some years ago I asked for the photo and it hadn't arrived by the time the 28 days was up. I rang 'em up and was told not to worry, as they would send a reminder out if they didn't get the form in time. Sure enough I got a nagging letter not long after saying they'd give me another week. (Bloody photo never appeared though, I gave up on that in the end).
Two caveats about that. For all I know the not-so-gentle reminder I got might be unique to Thames Valley. Plus it was about five years ago, pre-pratnership days anyway, and they've not exactly got more forgiving in the meantime have they?
Maybe it's better to chase them sooner rather than later. The form could be under a chair in a sorting office somewhere, and I wouldn't trust them not to blame you for not sending it recorded or paying by phone.

I got caught in Illminister in Somerset which isn't where im from thats just where I happened to get caught. I think I had to send the form off to some national saftey cam office. I did think about asking for the picture but I thought that might complicate things.

Anyway I think they may have taken the fine because the avaiable balance on my account has reduced by £60 (the amount of the fine) so within a few days a charge from the DSA should appear or so I hope.

I wasn't trying to make things difficult for them, tempting as it may be . I only wanted the photo because I wasn't sure it was me they'd zapped. After excuses about lost letters, not receiving my letter (for which I got the blame - bollocks since they'd acknowledged receipt) they said I'd have to go to court to see it. Would have cost me more to take the day off than the £40 fine, so I gave up and became one of Britain's alienated motorists instead . Maybe I was speeding, maybe I wasn't - it's one of life's little mysteries. The points are gone now, so it's pretty academic really.
I didn't realize that you had to send the fine to the pratnership these days, though I suppose it's not surprising. It must go straight into their wage bill.

Are they sending the fixed penalty notice out with the NIP now?

Are you sure you should have sent your licence etc? And not just filled in and returned the NIP, then waited for the FPN?

First off my license came back yesterday with the penalty points so all is now sorted. But to answer your question when I received the NIP it had the usual stuff and the bit saying this can occur a maximum penalty of £2000 and 6 points etc, etc but there is a fixed penalty avaiable if you do not wish to challenge the conviction of 3 points and £60. So I did get the fixed penalty notice with the NIP.

Bit of an assumption on their part.

So they ask you who was driving then in the same breath say they know it was you, hand over the cash?

I smell a cost cutting exercise here.

Shame the network nazis here have blocked access to a certain other forum (no idea why and I'm not asking) because I am sure they aren't supposed to do it that way.

Well what happened was the car is registered under my mum so she first of all got the NIP which had on it the bit about the fixed penalty but it also had a form she had to fill in to say I was driving (thanks mum) she then sent that off instead of the fixed penalty form and 2-3 weeks later I got a NIP and sent off the Fixed penalty form.