Free Traffic Legal Advice

If you do just plead guilty (and word any mitigation carefully to avoid it being taken as a not guilty plea) the fine would typically be half a week's wages (max 1000) less 1/3rd for early guilty plea plus victim surcharge (40%) plus 90 costs (may have gone up a bit).

You will also  have a criminal conviction which you must declare if asked, all insurers seem to ask (for any form of insurance).

Edit: forgot surcharge.

Damn... I work in healthcare. So all my enhanced DBS will show with a criminal conviction?

If you plead guilty, you’ll get a fine, court costs and victim surcharge. If you tell the court what you tell us (i.e. put it on the online form) then it’s likely that the court will reject your guilty plea, as it seems that your mitigation amounts to a defence.

Okay - I think I'm going to guilty plea and just explain my situation and apologise. I won't mention my brother forgot, I'll just mention I forgot and I didn't receive the intermediate fine which I would have paid and avoided this fiasco.

What would happen if I plead guilty? What could potentially happen? Is it just a fine?

Am I able to enter the reasoning for why this silly mistake happened on the online portal?

Sorry for all the questions. Quite worried about this...

Thanks for your reply. I didn’t give enough context, so I appreciate you pointing that out. I thought itd be more helpul with the links

 Apologies for dropping the scans without explaining everything properly!

To clarify the situation:

I received a Single Justice Procedure Notice under Section 144A(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 for not meeting statutory insurance requirements, and it mentions that a Fixed Penalty Notice was sent earlier in accordance with both Section 144A and Section 144C.

The offence seems to be that I didn’t declare the vehicle as SORN after changing the number plate, even though the car was insured the entire time. I forgot to notify the DVLA, as my brother usually handles this, and it was an oversight on our part.


I did receive a letter from the MIB informing me I had 28 days to act, but due to recovering from knee surgery, I didn’t respond within that time. After that, I should have received a letter with a small fine, but I never received that. Instead, I’ve now been sent this Single Justice Procedure Notice, which includes the possibility of a larger fine or court appearance.

Here are my main concerns:

1. Am I being penalised for both Section 144A and Section 144C, or is Section 144C just referring to the process of issuing the notice? From what I understand, Section 144C seems procedural, but I want to make sure I’m not being charged for both.


2. If I plead guilty, what is the likely fine, and would it be reduced by 33% for an early plea? I’m worried about the potential costs, especially since the notice mentions a fine and possibly a sentence. I'd also like to avoid court if possible, but if I plead guilty, is attending court mandatory?


3. Is there any way to resolve this by paying the original small fine that I would have been willing to pay if I had received the letter? I’m frustrated that I never got the opportunity to pay that smaller fine and would much prefer to settle the issue in that way if possible.


4. Can I still contact the DVLA or another authority to try to settle this without going to court, or is it too late now that I've received the Single Justice Procedure Notice? I’ve read that some people were able to sort these issues out with the DVLA, but I’m unsure if I’ve passed that point.



Ultimately, I’d prefer to settle this with the original fine if that’s possible, but I’m lost on how to proceed. Any guidance or advice on the best way to handle this would be really appreciated!

Thanks again for your time and help.