The Christmas party season is upon us and it is a busy time of year for everyone, including police, courts and defence solicitors. Every year we see a surge of new enquiries from people who have been “caught out” by the festivities and fall afoul of drink driving offences. The annual Christmas work party often features heavily in the facts of the case, one way or another.
Drink driving convictions aren’t aways a case of drinking a huge amount before jumping straight in your car to drive home. Sometimes, drink driving can be a result of still being over the limit the morning or even the afternoon after festivities.
There are some simple, actionable steps you can take to avoid issues like this at Christmas time. As always, prevention is better than the cure and you can avoid falling foul of the criminal law by following a few simple steps.
1. Plan ahead
- Don’t plan to drive to and from the Christmas party if avoidable. Plans change, you decide to have one or two, drinks can be accidentally laced with alcohol or you pick up the wrong glass. You decide to move the car a short distance after having a couple of drinks and the police see you.
- Think about the morning after. If it’s a boozy night, be sure not to drive the following morning and possibly well into the afternoon.
- Don’t take risks. The police are often out in force over the Christmas period and purposely monitor quieter routes and stop drivers who are driving at or below the speed limit to carry out a breath test.
2. Know the consequences
If convicted of a drink drive offence, you’ll face:
- A 12-month disqualification from driving as a minimum, as well as fines.
- A significant impact on your ability to work and increased strain on personal relationships.
- Higher insurance costs. A conviction for drink driving will significantly increase your insurance premiums and put a further strain on your finances at an already very difficult time.
Legal advice
It’s important to note that in drink drive matters you’re highly unlikely to be given access to a solicitor until after you’ve provided a reading both at the roadside and at the police station.
If you’re in this position, you can contact Gorvins Solicitors to support you in your legal matter. Call us on 0161 930 5151, email us at enquiries@gorvins.com or fill in the online form.