What Is A Driving Offence?
There can be a wide range of driving offences which can often be complex. There are two main categories to note: dangerous driving and careless driving.
Driving offences can include document offences, such as driving without a licence or without insurance, or more serious offences that involve road traffic collisions and serious injury. The potential penalty depends on the type of and range from fines and penalty points to disqualification and even custodial sentences. Waldrons Solicitors can advise you as to the likely outcome of your case and represent you in Court where required.
We have extensive experience in defending clients facing driving offences and we understand the consequences of receiving penalty points or losing your driving licence. Our driving experts have been able to help our client’s keep their driving licences, or where they face a mandatory disqualification, assist in reducing the length of the disqualification to get our client’s back on the road. It is important that you get early legal advice if you find yourself accused of a driving offence by calling Waldrons Solicitors.
How Can Our Driving Offence Solictors Help
At Waldrons we can help you with any of the following issues and offences:
- Speeding
- New driver provisions
- Early return of driving licence
- Driving without a licence
- Failing to provide the identity of a driver
- Driving using a mobile phone
- Failing to stop after an accident
- Failing to report an accident
- Permitting someone to drive without insurance
- Drink driving
- Drug driving
- Failing to provide a specimen
- Careless driving
- Dangerous driving
- Notice of intended prosecutions
- 12 point totting up
- Exceptional hardship
The expert legal advice provided by Waldrons is not limited to the above list and if there are any other issues you require our assistance with please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team.
Driving Offence Solicitors Costs
You can contact a member of the team at Waldrons for free initial telephone advice where we will be able to advise you concerning the next steps and where possible provide you with a quote for our fees. Our fees will be on a fixed fee basis with no hidden costs and outline below are some of our typical fees:
| Initial telephone advice | Free |
| Subsequent attendance and preliminary advice | £100 + VAT (£120 total) |
| Letters of mitigation to the Court | £125 + VAT (£150 total) |
| Preparation of case for self-representation | £295 + VAT (£354 total) |
| Single hearing for a guilty plea | £300 + VAT (£360 total) |
| Half day trial in the Magistrates’ Court including special reasons and exceptional hardship applications, committal for sentence or cases where the driver is driving more than 30mph over the speed limit | £650 + VAT (£780 total) |
| Full day Trial in the Magistrates’ Court | £1000 + VAT (£1200 total) |
| Careless driving or speeding where there are serious and aggravating features and where the court will consider a disqualification from driving | £650 + VAT (£780 total) |
| Careless driving or speeding | £300 + VAT (£360 total) |
Please note that Crown Court trials will be assessed individually on a case by case basis considering their complexity. We will also require our fees to be paid where travel is outside the local area and for any disbursements where appropriate.
Levels of Service from Waldrons
Telephone Advice
We are happy to provide a free initial telephone consultation to discuss your case with you and advise you as to the next steps. It is important that you get legal advice early so that you understand your options and you have nothing to lose by contact us because we offer this service for free.
Letter of Mitigation
In cases where it appears the only option is to admit an offence, such as speeding, this can be done through a letter to the court. We are able to discuss your case with you via a telephone consultation and draft on your behalf a letter of mitigation that is bespoke to your needs and tailored to the situation at hand. A letter of mitigation will assist in attracting a lesser sentence rather than simply ticking the guilty plea box on a standard Court form. Call Waldrons today to find out whether this is something that will assist your case.
Self-representation
If you feel confident in advocating your case before Court we offer a tailor made service where we would prepare your case to secure the best possible outcome. There would be a bespoke document produced, which will set out what needs to be said, when it needs to be said and a careful description as to the proceedings that will occur at Court.
This document will be prepared beforehand and then emailed to you in advance of the Court hearing so that you will be able to attend Court fully armed with what needs to be said and done as per the individual circumstances of your case and Court procedure. Call us today to find out whether this is a service suitable for your case.
Solicitor or Barrister representation
Once we have provided you with free initial telephone advice, we will be able to advise you whether legal representation is essential. For example, legal representation will be necessary where (but not limited to) there are complicated points of law, case statements and documents to be prepared and where a case is moving to trial. A specialist solicitor or barrister will be deployed to the Court dealing with your case to provide you with expert legal advice and legal representation. Call Waldrons today to establish whether you need an expert solicitor to represent your interests at Court and to obtain a quote for our fees.
Common FAQs
What shall I do if I receive a notice of intended prosecution from the police?
The first thing you should do if you receive a notice of intended prosecution is contact us and we will advise you as to the next steps. The police are required to serve this type of notice within 14 days in most cases unless there has been an accident, you were already told verbally by the police of he intended prosecution or you were offered a fixed penalty notice.
The police may also serve you with a section 172 notice asking you to identify the driver of a vehicle, you need to respond to this notice within 14 days, otherwise this is an offence that attracts 6 points. Call us today we will be able to help you with this.
What shall I do if I am invited to an interview with the police about a driving offence?
Waldrons should be your first port of call if you are contacted by the police and invited to an interview under caution in relation to a driving matter. You have a right to free and independent legal advice and you should tell the police that you wish to seek legal advice before you speak to them. We are able to contact the police on your behalf to arrange the interview and one of our expert legal advisors will be on hand to advise you and assist you at the police station and during your interview.
If you find yourself subject to arrest because of an alleged driving offence you should ask the custody officer to contact Waldrons on your behalf and we will be at the police station within forty-five minutes to assist you.
Am I going to lose my driving licence?
Whether or not you will lose your driving licence depends on the offence you find yourself charged with. There are certain offences that carry an obligatory disqualification. This means that the Court has to disqualify you from driving. Some examples include drink driving where there is a minimum disqualification of 12 months unless you can establish special reasons and dangerous driving, which carries a minimum disqualification of 24 months. Call Waldrons today and we would be happy to advise you whether you stand to lose your driving licence and what steps you can take to reduce the disqualification.
