Road Traffic Offences Solicitors

How our driving offence solicitors in Eastbourne and Hastings can help you

Facing an accusation of a driving offence can be extremely daunting, and the prospect of a police investigation or criminal prosecution is likely to be extremely stressful.

Our expert criminal defence solicitors understand this, using their combined expertise to provide clear, sensible legal advice on your situation, helping you to avoid charges, secure acquittal or minimise any penalties where conviction cannot be avoided.

Our team of criminal defence solicitors have experience supporting clients on a wide range of driving offences including, but not limited to:

• Drink driving
• Drug driving
• Failure to provide specimen
• Driving whilst disqualified
• Careless driving and causing death by careless driving
• Dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving
• Using a mobile phone while driving

As part of our services, our team can provide 24/7 police station representation. Our experienced duty solicitors and Police Station representatives are able to provide you with free legal advice at a police station, as well as representing you at council offices, courts, prisons and detention centres where necessary.

Stephen Rimmer LLP is also one of the few law firms in East Sussex which is authorised by the Legal Aid Agency to carry out Prison Law work. This means we can provide advice to serving and on remand prisoners in relation to driving offences.

We are accredited by the Law Society for Criminal Litigation providing independent recognition of our expertise across all areas of criminal law work.

Get in touch with our driving offence solicitors in Eastbourne and Hastings

For immediate expert driving offence advice and representation, please use the contact details below to get in touch:

• Daytime phone number: 01323 644222
• Out of hours phone number: 07724 350521
• Email: enquiries@stephenrimmer.com
• Or pay us a visit at 28 – 30 Hyde Gardens Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 4PX

Our driving offences expertise

Drink driving offences

If you are found guilty of drink driving, you could face a fine, a ban or even imprisonment. The severity of the penalty will depend on individual circumstances and whether it is your first drink driving offence.

For example, simply being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit could lead to 3 months’ imprisonment, a £2,500 fine and a driving ban, whereas driving while above the limit could result in a 6-month prison sentence, an unlimited fine and a one-year driving ban.

In certain situations, it may be possible to have a penalty reduced by taking certain actions, such as a drink-driving rehabilitation schemes (DDRS) course. This is something our driving offence solicitors can advise you on.

Drug driving offences

It is illegal to drive while you are either:

• Unfit to do so because you are using legal or illegal drugs
• You have a certain level of illegal drugs in your blood

Even if your driving has not been affected, you can still face a severe penalty if tests indicate that you have taken drugs before getting behind the wheel.

Drug driving penalties could include a minimum 1-year driving ban, an unlimited fine, 6 months in prison and a criminal record.

Failure to provide specimen

It is deemed a criminal offence if you are not able to provide a specimen of breath, blood or urine without a reasonable excuse.

The sentencing guidelines for failing to provide a specimen are wide ranging and open to interpretation, which means that it is vital to seek expert legal advice as soon as possible. It may often be the case that someone does indeed have a reasonable excuse for not providing a specimen which means that a charge for the offence may not lead to a conviction.

Driving whilst disqualified

Driving while you have been disqualified is a criminal offence which can result in various additional penalties. This may range from an extension to the original driving ban to even a prison sentence.

There are limited defences for driving while disqualified, which means that legal representation is absolutely essential if you are to avoid prosecution or receive a reduced penalty.

Careless driving and causing death by careless driving

Careless driving is deemed to occur when the standard of driving falls below what is expected of a competent and careful driver. Being convicted of careless driving is likely to result in penalty points on your license, a driving ban and/or a fine.

However, causing death by careless driving is a much more serious offence which often leads to prison sentences.

Dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving

Dangerous driving is where the standard of driving falls far below what is expected of a competent and careful driver. This may include driving well above the speed limit, making aggressive manoeuvres, ignoring road signs or driving under the influence.

Causing death by dangerous driving is a serious criminal offence which could lead to 14 years’ imprisonment. It should go without saying, but expert criminal defence is necessary in these situations, primarily to prove that the driving was not dangerous, or that it did not contribute to the death.

Using a mobile phone while driving

The use of a mobile phone while driving is illegal and can be punished with penalty points and a fine. However, if the use of a mobile phone has led to another offence, such as careless or dangerous driving, the punishments will be more severe. It is therefore always crucial to seek specialist legal advice.

Our driving offence fees

Legal aid for driving offences

If you are arrested or interviewed in relation to a potential driving offence, you are entitled to free legal representation. This may be through the use of the duty solicitor available in the police station, or you can request that our criminal defence solicitors represent you, with the cost of our representation being covered by legal aid.

Legal aid may cover some or all of your costs if you are prosecuted in a Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court. This will likely depend on your financial situation and whether access to legal advice is considered to be in the interests of justice.

Privately funded criminal defence

We can also act for clients who have opted to privately fund their defence. In these situations, we can provide a high level of expertise at every stage of criminal proceedings, ensuring you have the best possible representation if you are facing a driving offence conviction.

For more information regarding our driving offence fees, a comprehensive breakdown of costs can be found here.

Get in touch for 24/7 driving offence representation

Our criminal defence solicitors can advise you in respect of all aspects of a driving offence, ensuring you are represented at every stage of criminal proceedings.

Based in offices in Eastbourne and Hastings, our criminal defence solicitors support clients all across East Sussex, including in Bexhill-on-Sea, Hailsham, Polegate, Battle, Pevensey and St Leonards-on-Sea.

For immediate expert driving offence advice and representation, please use the contact details below to get in touch:

• Daytime phone number: 01323 644222
• Out of hours phone number: 07724 350521
• Email: enquiries@stephenrimmer.com
• Or pay us a visit at 28 – 30 Hyde Gardens Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 4PX