What Happens If You Are Convicted Of A Repeat Drink Driving Offence?

We all know that the penalties for being convicted of drink driving are severe. The consequences of getting behind the wheel when you have consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol can be catastrophic and, in the worst cases, can lead to fatalities. No amount of campaigns by the government or by drinks companies themselves have managed to stop, altogether, people continuing to drive when they are over the legal limit of alcohol. The statistics tell us that many, many people are still being injured or killed on the UK roads as a result of drunk drivers getting behind the wheel. This article looks at the penalties of being caught driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and what you can expect if you are being charged with this offence having already previously being charged with the offence.

When charged with drink driving for the first time, if found guilty of the offence, you may face a fine, a community order, penalty points on your licence and/or a disqualification from driving for up to 12 months. You may be able to defend the allegation against you if you are able to prove, for example, that you had no intention of driving your car but were simply sitting in it whilst stationary. Your defence, to be successful, would have to be very strong as you are facing a very serious charge.

If you are a repeat offender and are being charged with drink driving having previously been convicted of this offence, if found guilty you will either be faced with a prison sentence or a minimum 3 year ban from driving. The length of time between your offences will be a crucial factor in the Judge’s decision in deciding how long to sentence you for or what length of ban to impose. The maximum prison sentence that can be imposed for a drink driving offence, even if it is a repeat offence, is six months.

When facing a repeat drink driving offence charge it is vital that you contact a specialist drink driving defence lawyer to help you defend your case or to help get your sentence or ban reduced. The severity of the offence is such that any defence you have to offer would have to be put forward expertly and clearly by a specialist motor defence lawyer if you were to have any chance of defending the charges being made against you.

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