This one is different. Unlike every other notice on this site, a NIP cannot be fought with an appeal letter. It has a legal response you must make, and ignoring it creates a separate, more serious offence.
What you’ve received
After a camera or police allegation of speeding, the registered keeper is sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) together with a Section 172 notice requiring you to say who was driving. Two deadlines matter:
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| The 14-day rule | The first NIP must be served on the registered keeper within 14 days of the alleged offence. If it genuinely arrived later — and you’re the first keeper in the chain — that can be a complete defence. (Posted-on-time but delayed letters and hire/company cars complicate this — take advice.) |
| 28 days to respond | You must return the Section 172 naming the driver within 28 days. Failing to respond is itself an offence — 6 points and a bigger fine than most speeding penalties. |
Your realistic options
- Speed awareness course. For minor cases, if you haven’t done one recently, you may be offered a course instead of points. It costs about the same as the fine but keeps your licence clean — usually the best outcome on offer.
- Fixed penalty. Accept the standard fine and points and it ends there.
- Contest it in court. Only worth it with a genuine defence: you weren’t the driver, the NIP was out of time, or there’s a real question over the device or the limit. Speeding is strict liability — “only a few mph over” is not a defence — and losing at court usually costs more. Get a specialist motoring solicitor before going this route; many offer free initial calls.
What never to do
- Don’t ignore it. The s.172 offence (failing to identify the driver) is worse than most speeding outcomes.
- Don’t guess or falsely name a driver. Perverting the course of justice carries prison time — people have gone to jail for exactly this. If you genuinely can’t tell who was driving (shared car), say so on the form and explain the steps you took to find out.
- Don’t pay for “loophole” services. Websites promising to get anyone off with template tricks take your money for arguments that fail in court every day.
Got a parking or traffic PCN too?
Those are appealable with a letter — and our free tool writes it for you:
Appeal letter generator → For council PCNs, private parking charges, bus lane and ULEZ fines — free, in your browser.