Do you lose your licence for drink driving offences?

Drink driving penalties are quite strict. If you are convicted of a drink driving offence, it is highly likely that you will lose your licence and face a driving ban. If you are disqualified from driving, you will have to retake your test when the ban is lifted if you want to drive again. If you are facing a drink driving charge, you are advised to speak to a specialist criminal law solicitor as soon as possible. A solicitor can help to minimise the drink driving penalties imposed on you. Drink driving penalties obviously escalate the more serious the incident was. The court considers all the circumstances of the incident when considering what drink driving penalties to impose. If you are convicted of causing death by careless driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you will lose your licence for a minimum of two years. More importantly, you will face a prison sentence of up to 14 years and an unlimited fine. It may be possible under exceptional circumstances to be excused from the driving ban. You will however receive between three and eleven points on your licence. Your criminal law solicitor will explain what special circumstances can excuse you from the driving ban.

Another drink driving offence is the offence of driving or attempting to drive with excess alcohol or while unfit through drink or drugs. If convicted of this offence, you will face a driving ban for a period of between 12 and 36 months. You may also face a six month prison sentence and a fine of up to £5,000. These drink driving penalties also apply if you fail to provide a blood, urine or breath sample for analysis when requested. It may be possible to have your driving ban reduced by 25% if you attend a drink driving rehabilitation course.

If you are convicted of being in charge with excess alcohol, you could face a discretionary driving ban of 12 to 36 months. It will be up to the court to decide if you should lose your licence. In addition, you may face a three month prison sentence and a fine of up to £2,500. If you are convicted of being in charge while unfit through drink or drugs, you will not face a prison sentence but you may be fined up to £5,000. In addition, the court may decide to revoke your licence. Your solicitor will be responsible for arguing against the driving ban and other drink driving penalties on your behalf.

For further legal advice on drink driving penalties, you are advised to contact a criminal law solicitor as soon as possible.