Everyone wants a clean licence, but it’s not always possible.
If you’ve been found guilty of a few too many driving offences and are worried about the consequences of having 12 points on your licence, here’s what you need to do to avoid a serious driving ban.
What gets you points on your licence?
Points are a way of punishing those who have committed a driving offence. They are a way of recording the fact you’ve been convicted and must stay on your licence for 4-11 years.
There are a number of driving offences that can lead to getting points put on your licence, including:
Can you avoid getting licence points?
There are a few ways you can avoid getting points on your license. However, it depends on the offence you commit, your defence strategy, and the court’s final decision.
For example, if you’ve been caught speeding, there is sometimes the option between taking the points or completing a speed awareness course.
An experienced solicitor can help mitigate your penalty, but it’s dependent on how many offences you’ve made and the final decision is down to the court.
If you’re a repeat offender, you could end up being considered a high-risk offender, making any mitigations or special consideration appeals difficult.
What happens if I get 12 points on my licence?
If you do find yourself with 12 points on your licence, you will be given what’s known as a ‘totting-up disqualification’ – which means you will be banned from driving for 6 months.
The only way to avoid a totting-up disqualification is by displaying exceptional hardship.
How exceptional hardship can help your case
Exceptional hardship is the process of explaining to the court the severe consequences of your driving ban and what it could do to your livelihood.
However, this can’t just be a statement like having to find alternative methods of transport to work, it has to be life-threatening cases; this could include losing your job, which would lead to a lack of income, stopping you from being able to support and provide for your family, eventually leading to losing your home.
The importance of a driving solicitor
Enlisting the support and guidance of a driving defence solicitor is often overlooked, but it can be make or break when it comes to the outcome.
If you have 12 points on your licence an experienced driving solicitor, like the ones at MAJ Law helps give evidence and support your case, effectively defending you to get the lowest sentence possible.
Knowing the law like the back of their hand means you have someone there to build your exceptional hardship case.
