Facing a prosecution for a motoring offence can be terrifying and it can be hard to know what to do, who to talk to or where to turn to get help. You’ll almost certainly be feeling a mixture of emotions – guilt if someone was hurt as a result of your driving, sadness, worry and fear for the future, as well as shame if you were caught drink driving or speeding.
You’ll be torn between accepting your punishment, even if it means a lengthy ban, and fighting it. You may not know whether to plead guilty or not, or whether to plead mitigating circumstances, or whether to just pay the fine and move on.
This is why you should hire a lawyer to help you through this maze. Many times, a specialist legal team has helped someone to reduce their ban or their fine and sometimes drivers have retained their licences or avoided prison thanks to strong legal help.
When should you engage a solicitor?
Some offences carry a fine rather than a ban or a custodial sentence and if the fine is under £1,000, you’re best advised to pay it and learn your lesson. You can make an arrangement to pay in instalments, or if you’re on a low income you can ask for it to be reduced. Expert legal help and advice can be expensive – as it should be – and so you may prefer to pay the fine.
Offences like parking on the hard shoulder, sounding your horn while stationary in a residential area and so on – these are minor offences and really not worth the legal expense.
When it’s serious
Some offences – speeding, drink driving and dangerous driving – are far more serious and can carry far more serious and life-changing penalties and punishments.
If you’re likely to get another three points on your licence for a relatively minor offence and this will take you up to 12 points on the totting-up system, you need help here, too, as you face possible disqualification.
Lawyers can help to reduce your punishment
If you’re at serious risk of a custodial sentence, then you really must engage specialist help; duty solicitors are great, but only driving offence solicitors offer you the best chance of getting a fair hearing. Under these circumstances you need strong, informed and experienced representation in court to help you.
A good driving lawyer can work to reduce your sentence or your ban, as well as reduce the amount you have to pay in fines. You could even avoid a ban altogether, which will help you and your family enormously.
