Did your notice arrive in time?

The rule

For speeding and most camera offences, nobody can be convicted unless a notice of intended prosecution was served within 14 days of the offence, on the driver or on the registered keeper. Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, section 1.

• The 14 days run to the keeper's address on the DVLA record, not to the driver. A company car or a hire car gets its notice through the fleet office, and the driver hears later. That later letter is not late.
• A notice sent by first-class post is presumed to arrive in the ordinary course, about two working days. One sent by recorded delivery counts as served even if it never arrived.
• The law presumes the 14 days were met unless the contrary is proved. Keep the envelope. The postmark is the evidence.
• No notice is needed if you were stopped and warned at the time, or if there was an accident.

After the notice, the keeper has 28 days to name the driver. Not doing so is a separate offence, with 6 points. Whatever the dates say, answer that part on time.