If you have only driven because of an emergency then you may be able to persuade the court to accept that there are special reasons not to disqualify you.
In order to establish this you will need to show that there was no alternative and that you have explored every alternative before driving. Examples of emergencies amounting to special reasons are returning home to a babysitter who had received threatening phone calls; driving a friend with a defective colostomy bag to her home; driving a friend to hospital where no ambulance or taxi available; driving to business premises after activation of burglar alarm; driving to escape violence. It is not sufficient if you could have anticipated the emergency.
Steve Williams of Forrest Williams
It is easier to establish special reasons on the outward journey, once the emergency has been dealt with it is very hard to justify driving home.
These are not easy to win but we have had a lot of success with these cases, such as a driver driving purely to escape domestic violence and a young man driving because he feared violence from some youths in town. Often the clients we speak to don’t realise that they may have a potential special reasons, we will always take the time to go through the matter to see if any special reasons exist.
Sometimes these ‘special reasons’ will amount to a defence – namely duress. It is important to get advice before you attend court as we may be able to persuade the court to find you not guilty as opposed to pleading guilty and avoiding a ban. The difference is important. Not least because if you are found not guilty you will normally get some of your legal costs refunded, this does not happen if you are successfully argue special reasons.
For a free, honest assessment of your case call us on 01623 397200
