what to do about speeding tickets

my partner has just gotten a speeding violation notice in the mail and also a notice that she ran a red light.
does anyone know what the penalties are like, and if US citizens without UK or EU driver's licenses get points on their licenses?  we do live here right now and it is my car, but we are both students.  any and all advice would be welcome.  thanks.

c.

From what I've heard, if/when your partner gets her UK license, they'll track her down and automatically add the points onto it. I'm not sure what would happen if she is only here temporarily and doesn't need to get a UK license. My guess is she'd be OK.

The standard fixed penalty for a speeding ticket at the moment is a £60 fine plus 3 penalty points. 

However, I've seen some references which suggest that if you don't have a U.K. license then you cannot opt for paying the fixed penalty, and will instead receive a summons to appear in court.  A court appearance would normally result in a higher fine (assuming you plead or are found guilty, of course!), but whether your non-U.K. license status would be taken into account and the standard £60 fine applied,  I have no idea.

Hi,

Bit of a grey area for most posters knowledge, on top of that differening experiences also can account for no set in stone procedures/penalties/outcomes.

I suggest you phone the DVLA and pretend you are newly arrived or calling from the USA and finding out alot of info - and see what they say. The points held in suspense until you are issued with a UK licence and then they are transferred does seem plausible, yet the flipside is no one currently knows for sure.

I guess you could search out solicitors/lawyers with expertise in the motoring offences field and find out more that way

Another flipside is, one of my visits to the USA a couple years ago, I picked up 3 speeding tickets in about 5 days of driving between NYC >Cincy >Detroit > NYC. All my family and friends laughed they're asses off at me and I laughed at how slowwwww you lot drive! - I paid all the fines, got my confiscated UK license back but didn't get any points on my license here (I'm pretty sure USA uses the points system as well? right?) at all - no communication or anything indicating my USA felonies (is that the right word?!) would be enforced here.

Fingers crossed, it'll be the same for you and yer other half!

Cheers!
DtM - West London !

(I'm pretty sure USA uses the points system as well? right?)

Everything related to driver licensing, vehicle registrations etc. is handled at state level rather than federal, so there can be wide variations in practice from one part of the U.S. to another.

rats- i just posted a big post and it never took.  needless to say i will first explain what SHOULD happen and then what has happened to me.

1-   Your wife fills out NIP.  Attaching US license & cover letter saying she has US license.  Does not have UK license
2-   You should get a letter back saying that as the Fixed Penalty offers cannot deal with non-UK licenses, the issue is being referred to CPS (crown prosecution service).
3-   You should be summoned.  You can do this all by mail.  You plead guilty by post.  You pay 60 pounds (not sure about red light though). 
4-   The DVLA makes a ghost license for you and applies these 3 points to this ghost license
5-   If/when she goes for a uk provisional/full license these points will be transferred to this license.

Now- what has actually happened to me in actuality-?
1-   US license.  Sent back US license details.  Heard nothing back
2-   US license.  Sent back US license details.  Plead guilty by post.  Points never put on UK ghost license.
3-   US license.  Sent back US license details.  Plead guilty by post.  Points put on UK ghost license. Points successfully transferred to my new UK license.

You may want to check you this website http://www.pepipoo.com/

Feel free to ask any and all questions- I know far too much about this subject.