What Should You Do When Charged with Drink Driving?
It is the horror story that everyone dreads; you have had a bit to drink, get behind the wheel of your car, and are later pulled over by the police. If you actually experience this situation in the future, you’ll need to follow certain steps when it comes to fighting any punishments, fines and bans given. After all, you may not even have been fully intoxicated when driving. There are also cases when the law cannot issue any charges thanks to the circumstances that occurred the day you were stopped.
Find Legal Help
Once the charges have been issued, it will be your responsibility to find a lawyer who can help you through the case. While it is possible to fight these accusations on your own, you’ll substantially increase your chances of winning by hiring a lawyer to assist you. These experts should have the following qualities:
- A focus solely on fighting driving offence accusations
- Connections with a vast network of relevant specialists
- Access to the latest in modern day drug/alcohol testing equipment
By taking the time to find the right type of legal professional, you’ll then be in a much better situation to fight the charges laid against you. You can then work on creating a case for your defence, using the skills and knowledge of the lawyer you choose.
Fight the Accusations
When working with a particular lawyer, you will have to work out how you are going to get out of any charges that have been made against you. To do this, you’ll need to give as many details as you can of the incident, providing all possible proof of what occurred on that particular day. You may wish to look over the possible defences, some of which can be found at www.drivingoffencesolicitor.co.uk Once you have done your research, you’ll then know exactly what to do (with the guidance of your lawyer, of course!) Here are a few of the different options that you have when building up a drink driving case in the future:
- The Hipflask Defence. Sometimes, you can be accused of driving while intoxicated when you have actually had a drink after getting out of the car. This can actually push you over the limit, which causes the breathalyser reading to be too high,thereby rendering the charges false.
- Driving on Private Land. Legally, a drink driving offense can only be committed on a public road or highway. If you were stopped by the police on any sort of private land (including car parks), you may be disqualified from all of the charges made against you.
- Duress of Circumstances. You may also argue that you were forced behind the wheel due to life threatening circumstances. If the safety and well-being of yourself or a close friend or family member was in danger while you were intoxicated, you might have a case when defending yourself against these kinds of legal allegations.
- Faulty Breathalysers. There are times when a police breathalyser provides an inaccurate reading. Because of this, they require regular calibration to be kept in working order. If you can prove the device used wasn’t accurate, you may have a case to disqualify any of the charges made against you.
- Improper Police Procedure. Lastly, the police who stopped you are obligated to follow certain steps. If they miss out on anything in the required procedure, you may have a defence against the penalties doled out. Talk to your solicitor for more information about which steps the police are legally required to follow.
About the Author:
Stephanie Anderson is a regular blog writer for www.drivingoffencesolicitor.co.uk, a private company based in UK that offers initial advice and solicitor services for many clients across England and Wales.