What does SP30 mean on a driving licence?

Well, it does not look pretty, that’s for sure. It means that you have been naughty on the gas pedal, and have exceeded the speed limit on a public road. A public road is typically a non-motorway, whereas an SP50 is given when your exceeding the speed limit on the motorway.

So the number does not actually mean that you exceeded over 30 mph, it is just a code given to the offence type. Here is the complete set of SP code and reasons

SP10 Exceeding goods vehicle speed limit
SP20 Exceeding speed limit for the type of vehicle (excluding goods or passenger vehicles)
SP30 Exceeding statutory speed limit on a public road
SP40 Exceeding passenger vehicle speed limit
SP50 Exceeding speed limit on a motorway

How much will I be fined for an SP30?

Prior to April 2017, the fine for the speeding offence was £100 and 3 points issued by a police officer or a speed camera. However, the minimum fine now depends on the amount of speed limit exceeded and your salary!

The maximum amount that can be given depends on how much you are exceeding the speed limit by. The table below shows the fines, points or disqualification you can recieve depending on your speed and the speed limit of the road.

* You will get points or a disqualification
Speed Limit (mph)	Recorded speed (mph)
	Band A	Band B	Band C
20	21 - 30	31 - 41	41 and above
30	31 - 40	41 - 50	51 and above
40	41 - 55	56 - 65	66 and above
50	51 - 65	66 - 75	76 and above
60	61- 80	81 - 90	91 and above
70	71 - 90	91 - 100	101 and above
Points	3	4 to 6	6
Disqualification (days) *	-	7 to 28	7 to 56
Weekly income fine	50%	100%	150%

Some examples

If your annual salary is £25,000, and you are travel at 40mph on a 30mph road, you could be fined up to £240 and 3 points on your licence.

If your annual salary is £25,000, and you are travel at 45mph on a 30mph road, you could be fined up to £480, and you can either have 4-6 points added to your licence or be banned for up to 7-28 days.

If your annual salary is £25,000, and you are travel at 55mph on a 30mph road, you could be fined up to £720, and you can either have 6 points added to your licence or be banned for up to 7-56 days.

How long does an SP30 remain on the licence?

The SP30 is valid for 3 years. However, it cannot be removed for 4 years. The DVLA will automatically remove the penalty points.

Note that most insurance companies will ask for any convictions in the last 5 years, irrespective of whether the endorsements are actually present on your licence. It is not worth lying about the offences, because you could potentially make your insurance policy void, or only covered for 3rd party.

Can I check how many penalty points I have?

With your driving licence and national insurance number, you can check your points here

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence