If I am guilty, are there special reasons to avoid a ban for drink driving?
The court have to disqualify you for a minimum of 12 months (3 years if it your second within 10 years) if you are guilty of drink driving unless there are ‘Special reasons’ not to.
These special reasons are not a defence but allow the court to let you keep your licence.
Special reasons relate to the offence and not to the person so for example the fact that you are going to lose your job cannot be a special reason, nor can any effect on you or someone else.
They must relate to the offence and not be a defence, there is no limit to the types of things that the court will consider as a special reason but they tend to be things that offer an explanation why you drove whilst drunk or make it less serious than it would have been.
There are 3 main drink driving special reasons –
I drove in an emergency. This can be a defence in some circumstances but the special reason would relate to something like having to rush someone to hospital… More
I only drove a short distance. There is no definition of what a short distance is. The distance you drove is only one part of the consideration, the court will also want to know what the likelihood of coming into contact with other road users was…. More
My Drinks were spiked. Here you have to show that you drank more than you were aware of…. More.
This cases are not easy, you should be represented by an expert solicitor in these type of matters. If you fail you will be disqualified for a minimum of 12 months. We are experts at finding special reasons not to be disqualified.
If you think that one of these might apply to you and want to keep your licence call us on 01623 397200 for a free initial assessment of your case.
