Have I Still Got A Clean Driving Licence?

Q.I was stupid enough to be driving after a few drinks and got done for being over the limit. I went to court and got a 12 month ban about £450 fine. The thing I dont understand is that I never got any points on my license? Does that mean I still have a clean license?

A.

The law on drink drivers is becoming increasingly severe, as accidental deaths caused by alcohol related offences continue to rise. Each year in the UK around 500 people die as a direct result of drink driving, so it’s understandable that the laws are being tightened up on people who drive under the influence. Dependent on the situation, the punishment dealt out to the driver involved can range from some points on their licence to a fine and ban. In some cases, the maximum punishment can be imprisonment from anywhere between 6 months and 14 years. Fines can be up to 5,000 GBP and these often come with a driving ban of anywhere between 12 months and 36 months.

If you have attended a court hearing for your offence and were given a 12 month driving ban along with a 450 GBP fine, you will not be given any points on your licence. If the defendant receives an instant ban from driving, points won’t be imposed and once the licence is returned there will still be no points on it. In essence, this does mean you have a ‘clean licence’ however, the ban will be recorded on your licence for 10 years so you will never be free of it fully until that point. In some circumstances when the defendant doesn’t receive an instant ban, the points can be enforced and can range from 3-11 points in one go. In this circumstance however you are free of any points on your licence, but should exercise extreme caution and consideration not to get involved in any other traffic offences during, especially during the length of your ban being recorded on your licence.

The most important point to consider is that the legal driving limit in the UK is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; or 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; or 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine. Overall, the lesson learned is not to drive when you’ve consumed any alcohol and be aware that the fines and bans for repeat offenders are far higher than first time offenders. You’ll also find it more difficult to get fair car insurance quotes as well as potentially having a criminal record.

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