Posts Tagged ‘driving’

Driving License Points: The Facts

February 23rd, 2010

Often when a motorist is convicted of an offence they as part of their sentencing they receive penalty points, or endorsements.

In the event of points being given, the lowest amount that can be received is two points for lesser offences and for serious offences the maximum given is eleven, with the majority of offences warranting three points or more penalty points. In certain cases points are given for multiple occurrences of the same crime(for example if more than one tyre is defective) and penalty points are usually obligatory but the actual number of points is discretionary.

All endorsements have a unique offence code and a record of the points is put onto your counterpart and upon conviction you will need to produce your driving license to the police, the fixed penalty office (FPO) or at your court appearance, so the points can be added.

Depending on the offence the endorsements must stay on your license for either four or eleven years. It is four years if you have committed reckless/dangerous driving, offences resulting in disqualification or have been disqualified from driving until a driving test has been passed, and eleven years if the conviction is related to drinking or drugs and driving, causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, or causing death by careless driving, then failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

If after you have received points, you are convicted for another offence you can still be given points and if in any three year period you receive more than 12 then as part of the totting up system you will lose your license. Furthermore in the first two years of driving this number reduces to six points and so after a period of disqualification you must retake your test.

Learn more about driving offences, stop by Oliver & Co’s site where you can find out all about speeding offences and other motoring offences.

Welsh Rugby Star in Golf Buggy Drink Drive Charge

February 20th, 2010

28 year old Andy ‘Brain-dead’ Powell was reportedly arrested by South Wales Police and charged with “driving a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit through drink” under the Road Traffic Act 1988. Powell was found drunk driving a Golf Buggy near junction 3 on the M4.

Powell, a 28 year old back-row forward was arrested after reportedly on a drunken mission to find food as his hotel had not started serving breakfast. The Golf Buggy, with a top speed of 15mph, was taken from outside of the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel in which he was staying.

“Powell has been suspended from the squad for behaviour contrary to the squad’s code of conduct”. A representative for the Welsh Rugby Union has stated.

Athletes are known for evading driving offences but there is a very real grey area in the circumstances of this arrest as laws for ‘mechanically propelled vehicles’ is not clearly defined. Defence lawyers could argue that although Powell was drunk, there are no strict limits for consumption when operating anything other than a motor vehicle.

Driving lawyer to the stars, Nick Freeman a.k.a ‘Mr Loophole’ has commented on the vague boundaries surrounding the incident and how they could work in Powell’s favour.

Freeman stated that “this could lead to an anomaly where someone is driving a mechanically propelled vehicle, which is not a motor vehicle, whilst over the prescribed limit”.

If Powell can avoid prosecution for drink driving he may still face charges for theft as he did not own the golf buggy and there is no confirmation that he took it with any permission of the hotel. If the Hotel did have a part to play the fiasco could turn into a whole other ball game.

Want to find out more about driving offence lawyers, then visit Mr Loophole’s site on for detailed information on Motoring law for your needs.

Traffic Tickets Can Be Very Costly

February 20th, 2010

Traffic tickets are expensive, not just once, but over and over again. The cost of the ticket itself can be hundreds of dollars, and unpaid tickets will continue to accrue interest charges and penalties. This is merely the beginning of the financial difficulties that people may end up facing.

Repeated traffic tickets will raise a person’s insurance rates, resulting in even more charges. This can quickly become literally thousands of dollars. Some have actually faced jail time and extensive legal bills as a result of not paying the fines. This is certainly a situation that everyone wants to avoid.

Obeying the speed limit is one way that will not only keep people from receiving tickets, but also keep them safe on the road. Many people feel that they must speed when they are in a hurry. In all actuality, the ones that get caught and receive speeding tickets are the lucky ones. The unlucky ones may encounter life-threatening accidents or worse.

Some people do not seem to understand the importance of using the directional signal. Many will not learn until they have been rear-ended by another vehicle. These signals are included as basic equipment in every vehicle for a reason. It is important that they are used, even if individuals feel that there are few vehicles on the road.

Of course everyone makes a mistake now and then. People find themselves driving over the speed limit, realizing a turn at the last moment and not using the directional signal, or possibly making a judgment call as to whether to stop for a yellow light or continue through. There are many particular corners, roads, and parking areas, in every town which are notorious spots for police to park, and wait to catch someone making such a mistake. This is a bit unfair, particularly as officers issuing tickets in the case of this sort will generally say, they are just looking out for the person’s well-being. Although this statement may be true, it certainly does not appear to be an effective method of keeping people from making mistakes while driving.

It is important for people to understand that simply paying a ticket when it is received is an admission of guilt. Once this is done, it is final and cannot be undone. There will be an existing record available to any insurance company that a person does business with. This will certainly cost the person a bit of money. It is best for an individual to fight any ticket. The chance always exists that an understanding judge will see the situation as a minor mistake, and dismiss it.

Another thing that people can do, that might increase their chance of getting out of a ticket is to delay the case as long as is possible. Police officers are very busy, and cannot repeatedly scheduled time in order to make court appearances. Delaying the case increases the chance that the police officer will not show up, and the case will be dismissed.

People will be doing themselves a favor to follow the rules of the road. It also makes sense that they will exhaust all efforts in taking the time to fight traffic tickets, and save themselves a bundle of money.

The dedicated Belleville paralegal team is committed to assisting you with any speeding tickets or other driving offences. These experienced professionals offer superior legal support for traffic tickets at affordable rates. Contact your local paralegal today!