# Lost speeding ticket, how to pay fine?



## tml (29 Aug 2011)

Hi,

I got a speeding ticket in the post at the beginning of June, it was the day before I went on holidays and I completely forgot about it until now, problem is I have lost the ticket so am wondering how do I go about paying this fine?


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## niceoneted (29 Aug 2011)

AFAIK you get 28 days to pay those fines so you have gone past the pay by date thus the fine doubles. I would contact the road transport authority I think it is in Shannon who ( I think they deal with it). Or ask in the local post office as they can process fines and may be able to do so with just the reg no.


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## colm5 (30 Aug 2011)

There is a special phone number to ring to have these re-issued. Get if from a cop station.


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## tml (30 Aug 2011)

thanks for the replies, I rang the Garda fines office in Thurles and apparently because it is more than 56 days since the fine was issued I cannot pay it and have to go to court as a summons will be issued.

Anyone know what I can expect in court - do I need to organise a solicitor?

Sorry I am completely clueless about these things!


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## Guns N Roses (30 Aug 2011)

I'm also in the same boat. I forgot to pay my fine within the 56 days. When I discovered my error, I rang them to pay and was told that they could not accept the payment and that I would be receiving a summons for court.

What annoys me most about this system is that instead of me being allowed to pay my fine and accept my penalty points, I now have to go to Court and waste my time, my solictor's time, the judge's time, a Garda's time etc. 

What a waste of tax payers money. Surely there has to be a better system than this? Why can't they accept the fine after 56 days and cancel the summons?


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## tml (30 Aug 2011)

Completely agree with you, I just want to pay the fine and accept my penalty points, I do not want to contest it, total waste of the courts time.

I also think it is ridiculous that they do not send even 1 reminder. In my case the ticket arrived when I was on holidays my mother opened it and told me about it but then the letter was mislaid (or "tidied away" somewhere!) so by the time I got home 2 weeks later I had completely forgotten about it, if a reminder had come out after 28 days I would have paid it immediately.


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## JoeB (30 Aug 2011)

It's pretty simple, they have to impose a limit of some sort. Otherwise many people would continue to forget. 

You had the 56 days.. and you's didn't pay. So now you have to go to court. The fine doubled after 28 days, so they offer every incentive to pay quickly.

It's not a waste of your solicitors time if you bring him, he'll get paid.

Penalty points are doubled in court, .. I'm not sure if the judge has discretion over this, I think he may do.

I agree that a reminder should be sent out, .. as someone may not have got the original fine.


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## Guns N Roses (30 Aug 2011)

JoeBallantin said:


> It's pretty simple, they have to impose a limit of some sort. Otherwise many people would continue to forget.


 
I agree that they have to impose a limit. I've been waiting for over a year for my summons. I'm not contesting the offence. Surely during that year they could just accept payment of my fine, apply the points to my licence and then not proceed with the summons. 



JoeBallantin said:


> Penalty points are doubled in court, .. I'm not sure if the judge has discretion over this, I think he may do.


 
Actually the penalty points are doubled once you go over the 28 days. The only thing the judge can impose is a higher fine. 
(see the extract from the Citizens Information Board below)

"The penalty for speeding offences is a fixed-charge fine of €80, together with 2 penalty points on your driving licence. If you have been caught speeding on police traffic camera, you will receive notice of your fine and penalty points of the offence by post. You have 28 days in which to pay your fine from the date the notice issues to you to pay your fine.
If you fail to pay your fine, the fine then increases to €120, which you must pay within 28 days. If after this time, you still have not paid your fine, you will have to go to a District Court. If you are convicted in court of speeding offences and non-payment of fines, you will automatically receive 4 penalty points and a fine to a maximum of €800."


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## Mrs Vimes (31 Aug 2011)

Hi Guns n Roses,

The extract you quote does not say the points are doubled after the first 28 days.

The judge does not have discretion to only apply the 2 penalty points. I have heard of judges in exceptional cases dismissing the charge entirely because they felt it would be unfair to apply 4 points and didn't have the option to apply 2.


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## JoeB (31 Aug 2011)

I consider it exceptionally unfair that the judge has no discretion, and it may even be unconstitutional. I have asked this question before and not got a definitive answer.

The problem is that you have a right to have the case proven against you,.. but here the state is offering a clear disincentive to you doing that,.. by the threat of an increased penalty. In other words, the State isn't allowed to offer you incentives to plead guilty, yet here they do. (An increased penalty if going to court is exactly the same as an incentive to plead guilty and not have the case heard.)

While the purpose is to prevent the courts being filled with cases it is still unfair. There are legitimate reasons to go to court, and there shouldn't be an increased penalty if one does so. 

In court the judge can only dismiss the case, or apply a penalty of double penalty points... it seems he cannot find guilty and not apply the extra unfair penalty points.


On another slightly related note.. in around 2006 to 2008 there were many speeding cases in court. Recent legislation had required that the speed detecting equipment produce a paper printout showing the speed, .. that requirement was there in black and white. The Garda didn't have suitable equipment and no paper printouts were produced.

The DPP, supposedly independent, and only interested in the question of whether the state has the required evidence to successfully prosecute the case in court,.. the DPP allowed thousands of cases, or tens of thousands to go forward, knowing full well that the State could not successfully prosecute those cases.
Can someone explain how that wasn't a massive mistake from the DPP... none of those cases should have gone ahead on grounds of insufficient evidence,. (I.E. the State couldn't meet the minimum evidential requirements, so no defense would be required in court,.. the prosecution would be null and void.   Yet some prosecutions were successful.)

We hear all the time of the DPP not prosecuting criminals because of a lack of evidence, but he is prepared to prosecute thousands of ordinary Joe Soaps knowing full well that the required evidence doesn't exist.


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## Mongola (31 Aug 2011)

Guns N Roses said:


> I'm also in the same boat. I forgot to pay my fine within the 56 days. When I discovered my error, I rang them to pay and was told that they could not accept the payment and that I would be receiving a summons for court.
> 
> What annoys me most about this system is that instead of me being allowed to pay my fine and accept my penalty points, I now have to go to Court and waste my time, my solictor's time, the judge's time, a Garda's time etc.
> 
> What a waste of tax payers money. Surely there has to be a better system than this? Why can't they accept the fine after 56 days and cancel the summons?


 

People who commit an offence and try to get out of it by contesting this or that, are a different story altogether but this is not what you are saying at all. I completely agree with what you say, it is a complete waste of time & money of the Courts, Gardai & yours. 
The fine should indeed have been paid but it was not. Shoudl there not a be system in place where let's say after the 28 days, the fine goes up by a certain amount? A reminder is sent out by post with the new amount to be paid. Then, if not paid within that new time frame, they can then persue it via the Courts! I think such a system would make more sense!


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## Mrs Vimes (31 Aug 2011)

So, basically the system that exists now but with a reminder that the initial 28 day period has elapsed and it's next stop court. I think that would be a definite improvement, wonder how many cases like the OP's there are each year?


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## Guns N Roses (31 Aug 2011)

Mrs Vimes said:


> So, basically the system that exists now but with a reminder that the initial 28 day period has elapsed and it's next stop court.


 
I agree. A reminder letter after the 28 day period would definately improve the system by allowing those who genuinely forgot, an opportunity to pay the fine and avoid wasting the Courts time.


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## Guns N Roses (31 Aug 2011)

Mrs Vimes said:


> The extract you quote does not say the points are doubled after the first 28 days.


 
Actually you're right. I meant to say 56 days. 

The extract says that the Court will automatically double the points if they can prove that you were speeding. (Which I assume they will do in 99% of cases.)

In my situation, I am not going to contest the case. So does that not mean that the Judge must impose the doubling of the original 2 points?


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## Vinnie_cork (12 Nov 2012)

What was the outcome for you Guns N Roses and for you tml? My partner now in same situation re trying to may payment after the 56 day period, only collected post and found the fine at weekend from tenanted house as lives with me, the payment date was up and tried to pay in Post office and received a payment rejection receipt, also tried in Garda station and told they can only take payment up to 56 days.

Tried emailing court officer to ask, but no responce yet, did ye have to go to court? What happened with fine and points?


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## Guns N Roses (12 Nov 2012)

Vinnie_cork said:


> What was the outcome for you Guns N Roses and for you tml? My partner now in same situation re trying to may payment after the 56 day period, only collected post and found the fine at weekend from tenanted house as lives with me, the payment date was up and tried to pay in Post office and received a payment rejection receipt, also tried in Garda station and told they can only take payment up to 56 days.
> 
> Tried emailing court officer to ask, but no responce yet, did ye have to go to court? What happened with fine and points?


 
Even though it's been over 15 months since I forgot to pay the fine, I have yet to receive a summons to appear in Court. I assume the Courts are very busy.


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## Time (12 Nov 2012)

Once the 56 days are up there is no way they can avoid court.


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## Time (12 Nov 2012)

Guns N Roses said:


> Even though it's been over 15 months since I forgot to pay the fine, I have yet to receive a summons to appear in Court. I assume the Courts are very busy.


I would expect your case has fell through the cracks and has been forgotten about.


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## Rushman (11 Dec 2012)

I just Recived speeding fine,after 30years driveing in uk and Europe it finally happened on the M1 north bound at the Airport I was done by a camera van which was parked inside the roadworks with no markings! How long will the points stay on my licence ? 
I was doing 80kh in a 60kh


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## vandriver (11 Dec 2012)

Rushman said:


> I just Recived speeding fine,after 30years driveing in uk and Europe it finally happened on the M1 north bound at the Airport I was done by a camera van which was parked inside the roadworks with no markings! How long will the points stay on my licence ?
> I was doing 80kh in a 60kh



3 years from when the points are applied.


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## Rushman (11 Dec 2012)

Thanks vandriver


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