Drink driving is a profoundly serious driving offence and around Christmas time it is on the rise. The Lancashire police have recently announced that they will be introducing more frequent checkpoints across the county to conduct roadside breath and drug tests with a zero-tolerance policy.
CI Pat Worden of the Lancashire Police TacOps team stated that “We will not hesitate to prosecute anybody who is found to be over the legal limit for alcohol or drugs.” If you would like to find out more about the recent news you can read it here. However, it will not only be the Lancashire police that will be introducing these new measures but the stricter drink measures are predicted to be found all over the country during this month.
What are the chances of going to jail for drink driving?
Whether you go to jail or not for your drink driving offences depends on the severity of the crime committed, and whether you have had similar previous convictions. As drink driving is a criminal offence, you will be requested to go to the magistrates’ court for a hearing. You are likely to receive a Charge Sheet, Court Summons or Postal Requisition and this will provide you with the details of the offence and the court you must attend to and on what day.
At this point, we advise that you contact one of our experienced motoring offence solicitors, to attend court with you and increase the chances of getting a prison sentence.
Whether the court will decide to send an individual to prison severely depends on the circumstances of the offence and any aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
Charges for drink driving
Overseeing a vehicle while above the legal limit or unfit through drink:
- 3 months imprisonment – up to £2,500 fine – driving ban.
Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or unfit through to drink:
- 6 months imprisonment – unlimited fine – driving ban for at least a year.
Refusing to provide a specimen of breath, blood, or urine for analysis:
- 6 months imprisonment – unlimited fine – driving ban for at least a year.
Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of alcohol:
- 14 years imprisonment – unlimited fine – a ban from driving for at least 2 years – an extended driving test before your licence is returned.
Therefore, depending on the circumstances of the offence, and previous convictions related to drinking driving highly depends on whether you will go to jail or not. Professional solicitor help is advised, however, as all drunk driving cases are serious. By advising a solicitor, you are giving yourself a bigger chance of a successful outcome.
How we can help
Our solicitors can drastically increase the chances of a better outcome for your drink driving offences. We will ensure that your case runs as smoothly as possible and consider all the mitigating circumstances to represent you in the best possible light in court. Contact one of our experienced solicitors now, to reduce the chance of your conviction now.
Contact us
Contact one of our solicitors now. Our online chat is open 24/7, available to help you at any time of the day. Contact us now. Solicitors On Your Side can offer you free advice and consultations.
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