Drug Driving First Offence UK – What Does It Mean?
Drug Driving First Offence UK – What Does It Mean?
A drug driving first offence in the UK only very slightly mitigates the penalty you may face if found guilty. Read on to discover more about drug driving first offence UK and what it means.
Make no mistake, this is a very serious charge. If you have been arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, the first thing to do is to source experienced legal representation from a specialist drink and drug driving solicitor as soon as possible.
Reach out to one of our specialist drug driving solicitors today – for FREE and with no obligation – by giving us a call on 033 03411690 or by completing a Free Online Enquiry with zero commitment to use us.
“My family and friends were sceptical about using Solicitors after I was stopped for drink driving. Parnell & Peel Solicitors were willing take a case on that others told was hopeless. I am astounded by Abdul and his teams brilliance in helping me to avoid conviction. If you have been stopped for drink driving do not hesitate to use Parnell & Peel Solicitors.”
I was stopped for drink drive I was devastated as I stood on the verge of losing everything
I spoke to Abdul and he was reassuring and informed me that we could put a technical defence forward.
The prosecution on the day of the trial offered no evidence.
I am so grateful to the team at Parnel.
My experience was excellent particular thanks go to Abdul
It is also worth understanding exactly how this offence is treated and the potential consequences you could be facing:
What Is Drug Driving?
In the UK, it is illegal to drive if you have more than set levels of certain drugs (some illegal but also some legal medications) in your blood – even if this does not impair your ability to drive. This is a form of “dangerous driving” offence that is often referred to as “drug driving”.
It is a surprise to many people that of the 17 controlled substances that are listed in the relevant drug driving legislation, some (including diazepam and lorazepam, used to treat anxiety orders) are actually legal prescription medications.
Each of those 17 controlled drugs has a different legal limit for how much you can have in your system. These are often set to the lowest possible level where your ability to drive might start to become impaired. However, they do also rule out passive smoking as a cause.
If you are found to be over the legal limit of any of these legal or illegal substances, you may be guilty of drug driving.
Testing For Drug Driving – Providing A Sample To The Police
If the police have reason to believe your ability to drive might be impaired, possibly because you have taken drugs, they may pull you over.
They may then administer what is called a FIT (Field Impairment Test). This involves the classic coordination tests like walking in a straight line and touching your nose.
The police may also require you to provide a sample for a roadside screening kit. These tests can usually only pick up cocaine and cannabis. If the police still suspect you are over the legal limit of a controlled substance, they may require you to accompany them to the station for a blood test.
It is important to note that it is an equally serious offence to refuse to provide any samples of blood, urine, or saliva when required to do so by the police. The penalty for refusing these requests is just as serious as the offences themselves, making it normally sensible to provide the samples.
Blood test results take a while to come through though, so after you have been tested, the police may release you if you are not being charged with any other offences. This may be the situation you are in now.
Will I Go To Jail For Drug Driving?
Even a first-time drug driving offence in the UK carries a potential penalty of up to six months in prison.
Whether or not you will be sentenced to actual “time” will be down to the specific circumstances of your case. Technically speaking, there aren't yet any set sentencing rules for drug driving. There are, however, official suggested guidelines.
These list a number of mitigating and aggravating factors that might apply to your case. For instance:
- Aggravating factors – might include a history of past similar offences, also being over the alcohol limit, or speeding through a crowded city centre at the same time. These might make a magistrate more likely to view even a first offence as severe.
- Mitigating factors – might include that you drove in an emergency for a very short distance. The magistrate might mitigate your penalty accordingly, but still usually has to impose a driving ban if you are found guilty.
Do You Lose Your License For Drug Driving?
If you are found guilty of drug driving, you will receive a minimum one-year driving ban. This may be raised to as many as three years if you have another relevant recent offence on your record.
What Are The Other Penalties For Drug Driving?
In addition to a mandatory driving ban and potential prison time if found guilty, drug driving carries several other penalties too:
- An unlimited fine – of up to £5000, the maximum a magistrate's court can bestow.
- A criminal record – that may make it difficult to find another job or move to certain countries.
- A penalty mark on your license – lasting for 11 years.
All in all, drug driving – even a first offence – is a serious crime that carries serious penalties with it. Your best chance of seeing the most successful outcome with this sort of case is expert legal advice. So, why not see if we can provide it for you?
Contact Us
Reach out to one of our specialist drug driving solicitors today – for FREE and with no obligation – by giving us a call on 033 03411690 or by completing a Free Online Enquiry with zero commitment to use us.
Wow, words cannot express how happy I am today when I was told the good news by Abdul that my drink drive court case has been dropped.
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I am extremely grateful for the exceptional services provided by solicitor Abdul in my drink-driving case.
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Received the best outcome there is and kept my license.
Contacted Pamell and Peel on Friday re a driving offence.
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“My family and friends were sceptical about using Solicitors after I was stopped for drink driving. Parnell & Peel Solicitors were willing take a case on that others told was hopeless. I am astounded by Abdul and his teams brilliance in helping me to avoid conviction. If you have been stopped for drink driving do not hesitate to use Parnell & Peel Solicitors.”
Mr Abdul Ali took my case on a few weeks before my case, he understood how vital it was for me to not get a ban on my driving licence due to totting up of points.
He was reassuring all through out the build up to my case, he guided me all through the information I would need for presenting evidence for an exceptional hardship case and on the day went through how the court process would be.
I was very nervous but through his expertise and guidance I was able to present my case and was successful in not being banned from driving.
I could not state highly enough how valuable he was to my case and me personally as soon as I met him I knew he was the right solicitor for me.
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After a gruelling process of putting forward a post consumption defence the CPS failed to counter defend the evidence presented by the team at Parnell and Peel.
I’m a happy man and glad I get to keep my licence!
“Hi Abdul, I would like to thank you and your team for looking after me after been charged with Drink Driving, from the initial contact with Nancy to speaking to you and especially Keiran who represented me in court, who I can’t thank enough. When I thought there was no hope you and Kieran sorted what I thought was a hopeless case. I would strongly recommend you to anyone in the same position. Again thank you to you and your team.”
“Stopped for drink driving, I started a dream job, and I could have lost everything, Kieran was brilliant at putting forward detailed legal arguments, which resulted in the prosecution offering no evidence in my case. Unbelievable, Thank you to Parnell & Peel Solicitors.”
First of all I would like to start with a massive Thankyou to Abdul Ali and his team.
This is to be my first review as I have never ever posted one.
I was charged with Failure To Provide Specimen with the suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The prosecution was looking to throw the book at me give a custodial sentence however due to Abdul’s above and beyond examination of the evidence it was concluded that the prosecution had no case as they had no evidence of me driving the car.
If you are in trouble it is always worth getting legal advice and seeing what can be done.
This guy is an extremely educated person and knows exactly what he is talking about.
He was throughout in contact even answering my phone at stupid times when I used to have some questions so I got to give it to him for his dedication.
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I was stopped for drink drive I was devastated as I stood on the verge of losing everything
I spoke to Abdul and he was reassuring and informed me that we could put a technical defence forward.
The prosecution on the day of the trial offered no evidence.
I am so grateful to the team at Parnel.
My experience was excellent particular thanks go to Abdul
Abdul Ali was extremely helpful and re-assuring throughout the process.
He was always available and on-call even outside your traditional working hours.
I’d highly recommend Abdul as with his experience and confidence regarding the matter, he’s always comfortable in dealing with it as he’s been there and done it many times before!
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I had charge from the court for 12 points for two different incidents.
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Drink driving- Not guilty.
Worth every penny!
I was certain I would lose my license at the time.
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These guys are the real deal. Abdul was absolutely excellent in dealing with my drink driving case. We didn’t have a very strong case but thanks to his preparation, perseverance and calm approach in court, the charge was dropped.
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Highly recommend.
Abdul was brilliant to work with.
Answered all calls and texts with helpful information and on the day of court.
He got me the outcome I wanted
