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Covering letter with my reply naming the driver (Great Britain)
England, Scotland and Wales · in English
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16 questions · about 7 min
Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
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For the registered keeper of a vehicle in Great Britain who has received a notice under section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 asking who was driving, usually with a speeding or red-light notice of intended prosecution. Fill in the police form sent with the notice, then send it with this letter, which names you or another driver, names the keeper if you had sold the vehicle, or explains what you did to find out. Reply within 28 days: failing to name the driver is an offence carrying six penalty points and a fine.
- Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- A speeding notice asks you, as the keeper, to name the driver of your car in England, Wales or Scotland.
- Someone else was driving your car when the speed camera flashed and you need to name them.
- You sold the car before the date on the police notice and want to explain that with your reply.
- You do not know who was driving and want to explain what you did to find out.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Your full name
- Your address (flat, house number and street)
- Town or city
- Your postcode
- Date
- Police force or central ticket office that sent the notice
- Address for replies, as printed on the notice, with postcode
- Reference number on the notice
- Vehicle registration number (number plate)
- Date of the alleged offence
- Place of the alleged offence, as on the notice
- Your answer about the driver
- Name of the driver or keeper you name (leave empty if it is you)
- Their address, with postcode
- What you did to find out who was driving, or other explanation (date of sale, receipt)
- Attachments
Common questions
- Can I name the driver online instead of replying to a section 172 notice by post?
- Often yes: many police forces and safety camera partnerships let you name the driver online, free, with the reference on the notice. Use the route the notice gives. Whichever route you use, complete the police form fully; this covering letter adds a dated record and any explanation, and is not a substitute for the form.
- What if I genuinely do not know who was driving my car?
- Section 172(4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 gives a defence if you did not know and could not, with reasonable diligence, have found out who the driver was. It is for you to show the enquiries you made — for example asking each person who uses the car, checking diaries, asking the police for the camera photograph — so keep a record of them.
- I had sold the car before the date on the notice to name the driver. What do I do?
- Reply anyway, within 28 days: say that you were not the keeper at the time, give the date and time of the sale and the buyer's name and address, and enclose a copy of the sale receipt. Tell DVLA about the sale too if its record is still wrong. Ignoring the notice is what leads to the offence.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Letter to DVLA after selling a vehicle still registered to me (UK)
For a former keeper in the UK who sold or passed on a vehicle but is still shown on DVLA's record and is getting reminders, a late licensing penalty or fines for it. If you still have the log book (V5C), tell DVLA first with GOV.UK's free online service, which updates the record at once. The letter is for what that cannot fix: it gives the date and time of the sale and the new keeper's details, says how DVLA was told, and asks DVLA to correct its record and stop action for the time after the sale. Sent first class to the address on DVLA's letter.
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