Traffic fines – good news

HAVE you ever been in a situation where you receive a traffic fine in the post but you were not the one behind the wheel?

This happens more often than you would think.

The standard response would be, "Can I be fined if I am not the one driving?”

The answer is simple – yes, you can.

However, the good news is that the law always seeks to prosecute the offender.

In the case of traffic offences, provision is made for the registered owner of the vehicle to notify the authorities of who was driving their vehicle at the time of the alleged offence.

The fine will be redirected to that person.

If you run a business where you have several vehicles registered under one name, the fines will come to the person who is the registered proxy of the business.

"It is the proxy’s responsibility to provide the traffic authority with the details of the driver concerned, after which the fine will be re-issued to the alleged offender,” says Gary Ronald, head of public affairs at the Automobile Association (AA).

"To prevent receiving fines for a vehicle you no longer own, it is essential to submit your copy of the change of ownership forms within 21 days of the sale of the vehicle to the vehicle registering authority.

"Resolving fines for a vehicle you no longer own can be a very frustrating and tedious process but the good news is that it is possible to have these fines scrapped,” said Ronald.