Drink Driving Offence
Drink Driving Offence
If you are accused of a drink driving offence and you need to protect your driving licence, you are strongly advised to speak to expert drink driving offence lawyers.
At Parnell and Peel, we have over two decades of experience in handling drink driving cases. We will examine the details of your case and discuss the best way of mounting a defence. There may be circumstances which mean that you should not have been charged, or the police, laboratories or prosecuting authorities may have made mistakes that could allow us to ask for your case to be dropped.
To speak to one of our drink driving offence solicitors today, please call us on 033 00532252 or make a Free Online Enquiry for immediate assistance. All enquiries are completely confidential.
First Time Drink Driving Offence
It can be distressing to be charged with a drink driving offence, and the penalties can be severe, depending on the circumstances of your case. Obtaining legal representation is strongly recommended. Our solicitors can look at the details of the charge against you and provide expert advice on the right course of action.
A range of defences and mitigating circumstances can apply, including:
• Your drink was spiked without your knowledge
• Inaccuracies in the measuring or processing of your sample
• Incorrect procedures by the police or other authorities
• Alcohol consumed after an incident, such as a road traffic accident
• The driving was not done on a public road
• You were not driving the vehicle, nor were you intending to drive it
• You had to drive through necessity, for example, in an emergency situation
• You were placed under duress and forced to drive by someone else
While a prison sentence is possible for a first time drink driving offence, one will only be given for a more serious offence with aggravating factors. These could include exceptionally poor driving, carrying passengers at the time of the offence, injuring someone or causing an accident.
Drink Driving Penalties
Drink driving cases are generally heard in the Magistrates’ Court, and there is a statutory minimum driving ban of one year for anyone who is convicted. The magistrates will also impose a fine and have the discretion to commit an offender to prison.
Being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit or unfit through drink
• 3 months’ imprisonment
• up to £2,500 fine
• a potential driving ban
Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or unfit through drink
• 6 months’ imprisonment
• an unlimited fine
• a ban from driving for at least 1 year
Refusing to provide a specimen of breath, blood or urine for analysis
• 6 months’ imprisonment
• an unlimited fine
• a ban from driving for at least 1 year
Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink
• life imprisonment
• an unlimited fine
• a ban from driving for at least 5 years
2nd Drink Driving Offence
The penalties imposed will be substantially more severe for a 2nd drink driving offence.
As well as an unlimited fine and the increased risk of a prison sentence, those convicted of driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or unfit through drink or refusing to provide a specimen, will face a minimum ban of 3 years if their previous conviction was in the past 10 years.
Because of the seriousness of a 2nd drink driving offence, you are strongly advised to speak to expert drink driving offence lawyers.
If you ask us to represent you, we will look at all of the details of your case and identify issues that could assist in your defence. Should the police have failed to follow the correct procedure in stopping you, arresting you, or in taking a sample, we can ask for your case to be discharged.
Contact Our Drink Driving Solicitors
Our specialist drink driving solicitors are highly experienced and will put together a robust case on your behalf.
Call us now on 033 00532252 or make a Free Online Enquiry for immediate assistance. All enquiries are completely confidential.