Safiya Hussain, solicitor and director of www.NoParkingFine.co.uk tells Confused.com motorists how to avoid being stung by unfair parking fines.
There are few things that make motorists angrier than parking fines – especially if they are illegal.
Government statistics show that a shocking two-thirds of the 10 million parking fines issued in England and Wales every year could be legally invalid. That’s £500 million wasted by us. But only a very small minority of drivers bother to appeal.
Why are so many parking fines illegal? And how on earth are the parking authorities getting away with this?
Well, firstly, it can take a trained legal eye to spot the illegal parking fines. There are hundreds of laws which the local authorities have to abide by in order to give out parking fines. These complex rules are hidden in the hundreds of pages of legislation. If one minor rule is broken, then it renders a parking fine legally invalid. Our study has shown that these rules are being broken– for example signs are drawn incorrectly, road markings are marked wrongly, legal permissions have not been sought and so on.
But when was the last time the average motorist read the 157 pages of the Road Traffic Act 1991 to know that the council have broken a rule? This is why the parking authorities have been getting away with this, so make sure you know how to beat the parking fine trap.
Here’s what to do if you get a parking ticket:
1. DO NOT DESPAIR if you have received a parking fine – there is a chance it is legally invalid.
2. DON’T PAY IMMEDIATELY- You will have between seven and 21 days to pay at the discount rate so bide your time while you plan your next move.
3. TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS. This part is crucial. When you have been ticketed, immediately whip out your camera phone and take a few pictures. Take photos of the position you were parked, include signs and road entrance signs, road markings and anything else relevant.
4. LEGALLY INVALID? Carry out your legal research into the traffic laws to see whether the parking authority has broken any laws. Or if you don’t want to do the research yourself, email your details to www.noparkingfine.co.uk, where the legal team will take a look at your parking fine and advise whether it is legally invalid or not. A fee will be charged for this service although they do give 50% of profits made to charity. Basically, weigh up the cost of your fine and if this is worth it for you.*
5. APPEAL or PAY: If your parking fine is legally invalid then send a legal appeal letter. If your parking fine is not invalid then pay it immediately at the discount rate and forget about it and don’t make the same mistake again.
* After a free initial consultation, Noparkingfine.co.uk takes on cases on a no-win no-fee basis. The company’s fee is half of the parking fine that was originally charged (including discount if the case is taken on during the discount-rate period).
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