Driver jokes about 'hack to avoid speeding tickets' but people don't see funny side

A driver has shared a “hack” to avoid getting a speeding ticket but it’s left everyone saying the same thing. Speeding is dangerous and can come with serious consequences, as well as fines incurred for those caught going over the permitted speed limit.

According to Gov UK: “The minimum penalty for speeding is a £100 fine and three penalty points added to your licence. You could be disqualified from driving if you build up 12 or more penalty points within a period of three years”. If you’re caught speeding, you can expect to receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) within 14 days, as well as a Section 172 notice which must be returned within 28 days, informing the police of who was driving the car.

If this notice is ignored, you may have to go to court. Once the Section 172 notice has been sent back, you’ll receive either a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) or a letter telling you to go to court.

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One woman took to TikTok with a humorous spin on avoiding this process entirely. In the short clip, she can be seen removing double sided tape from the back of a large autumnal leaf.

She then sticks the leaf to her licence plate, obscuring a section of her vehicle’s registration number. In the UK, it’s illegal to cover or obscure your licence plate, the number needs to be readable by police and automated systems like cameras.

Covering a UK licence plate can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and a failed MOT test. Police can also give you penalty points, seize the vehicle, or even issue a vehicle defect rectification notice requiring the driver to fix the issue within 14 days. Other penalties can include an increased insurance premium, and in serious cases, potential imprisonment.

Over the top of the clip, she added text which reads: “It’s that time of the year where you can say goodbye to speeding tickets."

In the comments section, many people took the video at face value and assumed she was being serious. They were quick to share their disapproval.

One person said: “Or maybe just maybe let’s not speed and risk the lives of other people on the road, how about that?!!”

Another agreed: “You know how to get rid of speeding tickets? By NOT SPEEDING."

A third said: “Show this to the families that have lost loved ones due to speeding."

Another quipped: “Yes then you get pulled over for them to tell you it’s blocking your reg. Then they find out it’s on there purposely. Then you get an even bigger fine than the speed ticket. Smart."

Someone else simply said: “There's a much easier way to avoid speeding tickets."

But other TikTok users were disappointed that people failed to see the woman was joking with her video “hack”.

One person said: “I fear this comment section is enemy territory."

Another commented: “Holy the amount of people who haven't seen the joke in this."

Someone else agreed: “I replied sarcastically and a bunch of people are hating on me for it [crying laughing emoji] like God forbid a girl wants to joke on the internet."

While another added: “I get the joke really! It’s cool! But let’s not normalise speeding."

The creator of the video added: “This video is based on entertainment, not that actually people drive around like this (including myself)."