Compounding of offence

Compounding of an offence is the process where certain traffic offences are settled by paying a fine to the authorities instead of being prosecuted in court.

A late police report after an accident is one example of an offence that can potentially be compounded, and paying the compound does not by itself defeat an injury claim, contrary to a common worry addressed in the late police report myth. It is a separate matter from any civil compensation claim.

Whether an offence is offered for compounding is at the authorities’ discretion, not an automatic right for the driver.

Compounding closes the criminal side of the matter but says nothing about who was at fault for the accident itself, which the insurer or court still assesses separately.