Guide For Drivers-Dealing With The Penalty Points And Notice of Intended Prosecution
A Notice of Intended Prosecution is a notification you receive from the police that states that they are considering prosecuting you for a driving offense. There is a possibility of being prosecuted within 14 days of an alleged offense.
Upon receiving it, you may find it confusing to deal with NIP. The paperwork may not help you enough as it doesn’t comprise simple instructions on what you need to do. Here is a guide for you that will help you deal with the notice properly.
Why Have I Received a NIP?
The moment you get caught by a speed camera or unluckily witnessed by the police, your driving falls far below the required standard. Such driving offenses lead to the arrival of Notice of Intended Prosecution to your place.
This official notice from the police notifies you that the incident has been reported for which you may or may not get prosecuted. Receiving NIP after 14 days makes it invalid, in which case your solicitor gains the advantage to defend you against the original offense.
The NIP may get issued for various motoring offenses, for instance, speeding, reckless driving, multitasking while driving like using mobile phones, and breaking traffic signals.
Dealing With the NIP the Right Way
It is crucial to deal with the notice of intended prosecution correctly. You need to personally complete, sign, and post it. First and foremost, ensure that the notice contains your correct name, address, and date of birth. If you find any errors in the details, correct them in your reply.
Next, you need to sign and date the notice personally. Don’t forget to keep a copy of the complete NIP with you. It is wise to keep a record of when and where you posted it.
You have a legal obligation to provide the information within 28 days of receiving the NIP. Thus, whenever feasible, get proof of your posting.
In case you fail to provide the information within the required time. You may get prosecuted for another offense of not furnishing the driver’s information, which has six penalty points along with a fine.
All About Driver’s Points on License
Penalty points are added to your license for breaching the laws on public roads. Different offenses carry different penalties or a ban on driving license if you collect enough points in a specific period.
Points on your license are directly proportional to the severity of the motoring offense. The more serious the violation of laws, greater will be the points on your license. The severity of the offense decides for how long the points will stay on your license. Points on your license stay between 4 to 11 years, depending on the severity of the driving offense.
Points on your license can lead to disqualification of your driving license, the only legal remedy of not getting disqualified is to avoid reaching 12 or more penalty points within 3 years. Reaching 12 or more points in 3 years makes you prone to the totting up procedure. According to this procedure, your driving license gets disqualified for 6 months.
To your fortune, in case of incorrect endorsement details on your license, you can appeal to the High Court, or the Crown Court to rectify the mistakes.
Takeaways
Providing points on driving licenses prevents dangerous drivers from using the roads, thus avoiding mishaps. Notice for intended prosecution and penalty points on the driving licenses are legal measures to ensure the safety of the citizens. However, errors may occur at times which upon your request gets corrected.