Its bad but it does get better

Convicted Driver Insurance

Sarah_2015

Member
Hi,

I was convicted of DD In August 2014, I made a terrible mistake which I now am paying for, I received a 4 month home curfew, £150 fine and a 3 Year ban (reduced by 9 months on completion of the TTC Course) I had a high breath reading as was more relieved that I didn't get a custodial sentence, Its my first offence and I took a letter from work about my character etc.

Its been bad as I bought a brand new car a year before my ban which is my pride and joy, luckily my mum was looking for a new car at the time so I've transferred ownership of mine until my ban is over. Its still hard though as I live at home and see my car everyday, I think of it as a reminder of my stupid mistake and its one I wont ever make again!

How do people on here deal with losing their licence? It was a big part of my life and you don't realise the amount of freedom that is gone when you cant just jump in your car any more.

Its already been 7 months so its passing quicker than I thought, I just thought I would post this on here as people know what I'm going through.
I don't expect any sympathy, I have a history with alcohol abuse and had been sober for 4 years before my mentor died suddenly, I felt I had lost the only person who understood my issues and just wish I had never got in my car that night!

I cant turn the clock back now but its bloody hard!
 
Hi Sarah,

one thing you can be sure of, especially here, is that you are not alone! I was banned for 20 months, reduced to 15 with the dd course. Due to be back behind the wheel next month.


I would say it has felt like life has been put on hold. You can't simply 'pop' anywhere, everyone knows your every move as you usually have to ask for lifts and social events (for me) have felt tense as people watch your every drink.. my business has been put on hold as it is a logistical nightmare and I haven't been able to do the things I used to with my child, which makes me feel guilty on a sunny day and he wants to go to the beach. It's also been a very reflective time, I've said on here before that the ban was the slap around the face I needed for me to get a grip on my life, emotions, coping mechanisms and relationship with alcohol. You have to try a find the positives! I am a much more balanced person now and certainly won't allow myself to get to that mess again.

I have lost lost friends over it, potentially missed out on jobs and generally had times of feeling like a social leper.. The main things to remember are that a) nobody was hurt b) it's not forever and c) everyone makes mistakes!

i have mixed emotions about getting my license back, I thought I would be excited but I feel quite indifferent. After the course, the fine the lack of income etc I've now got to find more money to get my licence back and pay high insurance. I have to work out if it is financially viable to start driving straight away.

This is is a really amazing forum and it has been a huge help for many, I've spent many hours reading posts. Are you going to do the dd course? Aside from the ban reduction it's great to meet people in the same boat x
 
Hi Sarah,

one thing you can be sure of, especially here, is that you are not alone! I was banned for 20 months, reduced to 15 with the dd course. Due to be back behind the wheel next month.


I would say it has felt like life has been put on hold. You can't simply 'pop' anywhere, everyone knows your every move as you usually have to ask for lifts and social events (for me) have felt tense as people watch your every drink.. my business has been put on hold as it is a logistical nightmare and I haven't been able to do the things I used to with my child, which makes me feel guilty on a sunny day and he wants to go to the beach. It's also been a very reflective time, I've said on here before that the ban was the slap around the face I needed for me to get a grip on my life, emotions, coping mechanisms and relationship with alcohol. You have to try a find the positives! I am a much more balanced person now and certainly won't allow myself to get to that mess again.

I have lost lost friends over it, potentially missed out on jobs and generally had times of feeling like a social leper.. The main things to remember are that a) nobody was hurt b) it's not forever and c) everyone makes mistakes!

i have mixed emotions about getting my license back, I thought I would be excited but I feel quite indifferent. After the course, the fine the lack of income etc I've now got to find more money to get my licence back and pay high insurance. I have to work out if it is financially viable to start driving straight away.

This is is a really amazing forum and it has been a huge help for many, I've spent many hours reading posts. Are you going to do the dd course? Aside from the ban reduction it's great to meet people in the same boat x


What you both say is ever so accurate!!!!! I am two months in to an 18 month ban I have been on the course already hence the reduction. Honestly if I ever drive again it would be too soon. I have lost two dress sizes in 8 weeks now my family think I have an eating disorder (it's called a driving ban') Since I have stopped driving my eyes have been opened I have made so many friends and realised driving is such a lonely activity its just a convenience to save time.
Only yesterday a good friend of mine ploughed into a shop front, a lady died in a mobility scooter in the next town, head on with another vehicle, thank god I am out of all this.
I am glad I was caught.
 
I am afraid I am not as positive as other replies. Hence, I wrote my thread some time ago "life after the ban". The truth is I am not coping very well. I have sank into a deeper depression, but I must say it's not only cause by the ban, I have other problems in my life. I hate the buses and I'll do anything in my power not to use them again after the ban. I spend now .. well, about 3 to 4 hours on travels. normally would have taken me just half an hour to work. I have done half of my ban and now 9 months to go. I am not in stage 3, I agree with one of the replies, I have become somewhat indifferent to the thought of getting my license back. It's like I don't care any more. Well I do care, but the emotions are gone, everything has turned into just one long road. I could probably cope with a year, but I find 18 is months just an overkill. I know its my fault, but sometimes i get angry with the system and the terms of the ban. And pleas understand me and don't tell me its my fault. It's just you do tend to get angry when it hurts, and it hurts a lot every day.
I am wishing you strength, if you have support of friends and family, please take it. I don't have anybody here to help, I am on my own. Mb it would have been a different picture if I had.
 
Jim
I too was given a home curfew for six weeks, because the police took it upon themselves to ring my works prior to me being convicted resulting in me losing my job so realistically I could not pay a hefty fine, I assume a community order was an alternative. Six weeks......it soon passed and they came a day early and took it off it felt like Christmas day. I know they have a job to do but I politely said I hope I never lay eyes on you two again. x
 
Thanks for the replies, Its nice to know there are people out there who understand what we are going through.

I'm really feeling like a social leper at the moment, I cant go anywhere without people knowing where I am. I live at the end of a very long road which no buses travel down so I have a 30-40 min walk to get to a main road. I think ive got a bit of depression to be honest which is probably to be expected.

The police didn't ring my work, although I was upfront with them and told them what happened and they were understanding and all was ok. A collegue actually moved just round the corner from me so she agreed to take me to work and back for a small fee, thing is I hate my job and before the conviction I was looking for a new job, now its twice as hard as I cant work too far away! Anyway I made a decision last week and handed my notice in, Ill find something else and cant stay somewhere I hate just because I cant drive.

I keep trying to tell myself its not forever, I can apply for my licence Aug 16, It just feels like a lifetime away at the moment. My TTC is booked for May so I will see how that goes.

I guess its just hard to not let yourself get into a funk and spiral downwards, I wanted to just hide in my house until my ban was over but life has to go on.
The worst part is seeing my car every day and it gets me so upset, I joined a car club for my particular car and went to regular meets so I miss all that too.

I'm not sure why I got tagged, I seemed to get a very low fine, High ban and tag - the aggravating circumstances in my case were leaving the scene of an accident (I had a small bump into another car) and didn't realise at the time, the police pulled me over later that evening.

Anyway, how is everyone else coping?
 
I'm still very scared, cant sleep, nightmares. I go to court next Monday. If anyone can give me any advice for the day, it would be greatly appreciated. I have never been in trouble with the law before. I've told two people now but still not family. I am so ashamed and scared about court. I have nightmares the press will take pictures of me & it'll be plastered across the newspaper, or that I'll go to prison, even though my solicitor assures me I wont. For 9 years I've brought my two sons up alone & tried to be a good role model, I've messed all that up for a glass of wine too many.
 
I'm still very scared, cant sleep, nightmares. I go to court next Monday. If anyone can give me any advice for the day, it would be greatly appreciated. I have never been in trouble with the law before. I've told two people now but still not family. I am so ashamed and scared about court. I have nightmares the press will take pictures of me & it'll be plastered across the newspaper, or that I'll go to prison, even though my solicitor assures me I wont. For 9 years I've brought my two sons up alone & tried to be a good role model, I've messed all that up for a glass of wine too many.
jane.. stop fretting when i went court it was my first.. time they are perfectly nice people.. they dont talk down to you or try to put you down in anyway... you cocked up we all have... all i had to say in court was 3 yes's and agree that the informaition was correct about my details.. and what i pleaded... you will be fine.. chin up mate. i think i have already applied to you.. the main thing i will say is just dress smart...:cool:
 
jane.. stop fretting when i went court it was my first.. time they are perfectly nice people.. they dont talk down to you or try to put you down in anyway... you cocked up we all have... all i had to say in court was 3 yes's and agree that the informaition was correct about my details.. and what i pleaded... you will be fine.. chin up mate. i think i have already applied to you.. the main thing i will say is just dress smart...:cool:

Hi, Im 3 months into my 12 month ban tomorrow ( im counting the days) but i started my DD course last week and it was very positive and i felt less alone. Yes im broke, Yes im scared of when i get my licence back and yes it will effect my work as im enhanced checked but im living and breathing which could off been so much worse for me and anybody else. Court is scary but its over quick, yes i made a huge mistake but i have learnt from this and taken a huge positive step. Time goes by very fast, i have found out who in my life really matters,and who are true friends and will support you . im seeing more of the where i live by walking and busing, im more confident in the fact that i have to talk to more people now. im not saying im glad its happened as its far from not but it has been a massive learning curve and one that will never be repeated.
This forum is a god send and has made me feel less alone.
Yes, what we all did was wrong but we can all learn from this
 
Thank you to all who have tried to give me hope. You are stronger than me & admire you. I dont have a light right now, nothing at the end to see me through. I was almost suicidal when I drank & drove And now my nightmares are worse. Court is monday next week. Please keep everything crossed for me. I will let you all know, if I can, of the outcome. I just want a life back, not my old one but a life, I didn't have that for so long, if fate is the reason I'm here, perhaps its because someone, somewhere saw my situation & knew my life needed a path. So, that path is now up to me.
 
This is a great post.

I have a foot on both sides with this one.

In terms of driving, i'm not missing it at all! It's a little frustrating at times but i'm getting plenty of fresh air, walking more is good for me and in total honesty now i know i'm capable of doing something so stupid i'm not sure i want a car! Also I've discovered Uber which is absolutely fantastic (Google it if you don't know what i'm talking about). I've booked my course and am looking forward to it but i'm only doing it to educate myself and meet other people in similar circumstances, the ban reduction just isn't a driver for me.

As you'll see from my posts though i am searching for a new job and this is proving incredibly difficult. I was fortunate enough to hold a relatively senior position prior to taking redundancy. After the redundancy 'that night' happened and I've since applied for jobs that i really should have walked into only to not even be asked for interview. I'm only disclosing when asked, where i'm asked on an application form and disclose i see far more rejections and i'm now absolutely petrified that i'll be left on the scrap heap and lose everything that's really important in my life.

In the cold light of day i should have been more aware the ongoing impact but it just doesn't seem fair to me now i'm in this situation. If you do wrong and get caught, like me, i should be punished, i understand that but it feels like I've been punished multiple times for the same thing! I went to court and plead guilty, i was fined and banned - that's 2 punishments. Names ended up in the paper - another. Will need a medical to get my license back - another. Insurance's go up - another. Can't find work - another.

TBH even knowing all of this before hand i don't think would have changed that night, i'd lost my mind and wasn't thinking at a very difficult time. I just feel more could be done to help rehabilitate people after this type of offense. At the end of the day the Police consider this a Road Traffic Offence and perhaps having to disclose it for 5 years after the event is a tad harsh. My understanding is that with recent changes to the ROA that if i'd given someone a hiding and went to prison for 6 months i'd only have to disclose that for 2.5 years!

What is everyone else's experience when it comes to finding work after something like this?
 
A good and long standing friend of mine was disqualified for drink driving back in 1998.
He has never found employment since despite having a clean licence since 2009.
Prior to being disqualified he had a well paid job with a good pension that was of the index linked final salary type.
Sadly his drink driving conviction has destroyed his life completely and the eleven year endorsement didn't help.
After the endorsement elapsed he couldn't obtain employment due to being unemployed for eleven years.
Employers aren't interested in employing people who have been long term unemployed.
I know people who have gained employment after going to prison for offences other than drink driving.
My friend applied to become a bus driver after his eleven year endorsement had elapsed.
He was told that any person who had been banned from driving at any time in the past would not
be considered for employment.
Seems that a drink driving conviction lasts for life and excludes people permanently from employment.
To make things even worse, I knew a chap who died recently from illegal drug taking.
Around 20 years ago he went to prison for armed bank robbery.
Upon release after his four years in prison he managed to eventually find employment!
Seems that drink driving is far more serious than armed bank robbery.
Draw your own conclusions!
 
I was 30 when I got banned for 3 years for my second DD in 10 years, I was 9.5 years apart grrr!

I'm now 33 and 6 weeks away from getting my license back. My life changed a lot, I had bought a very expensive car before I was banned and only had it for 1 month! It's still on my Dad's drive now waiting for me! I had to move back home and my job suffered, not good in your 30's!

However, there is now light at the end of the tunnel and I actually had my medical today. I applied for early removal of disqualification after 2 years which you can do if you have a ban over 2 years. I had nearly 6 months of my ban removed.

Hang in there, nothing is ever as bad as you think it is!
 
A good and long standing friend of mine was disqualified for drink driving back in 1998.
He has never found employment since despite having a clean licence since 2009.
Prior to being disqualified he had a well paid job with a good pension that was of the index linked final salary type.
Sadly his drink driving conviction has destroyed his life completely and the eleven year endorsement didn't help.
After the endorsement elapsed he couldn't obtain employment due to being unemployed for eleven years.
Employers aren't interested in employing people who have been long term unemployed.
I know people who have gained employment after going to prison for offences other than drink driving.
My friend applied to become a bus driver after his eleven year endorsement had elapsed.
He was told that any person who had been banned from driving at any time in the past would not
be considered for employment.
Seems that a drink driving conviction lasts for life and excludes people permanently from employment.
To make things even worse, I knew a chap who died recently from illegal drug taking.
Around 20 years ago he went to prison for armed bank robbery.
Upon release after his four years in prison he managed to eventually find employment!
Seems that drink driving is far more serious than armed bank robbery.
Draw your own conclusions!


This is complete and utter BS as far as I am concerned.

If you make yourself appealing to an employer they will look past things like this, fact!

You don't even need to declare a DD endorsement after 5 years as its subject to the rehabilitation of offenders act. Sorry but I draw the conclusion that your friend gave up on himself and decided to blame his current situation on the past DD offence as none of what you say is anywhere close to reality!
 
This is complete and utter BS as far as I am concerned.

If you make yourself appealing to an employer they will look past things like this, fact!

You don't even need to declare a DD endorsement after 5 years as its subject to the rehabilitation of offenders act. Sorry but I draw the conclusion that your friend gave up on himself and decided to blame his current situation on the past DD offence as none of what you say is anywhere close to reality!

Could I just add my own experience I am a teacher and exempt from the rehabilitation act you mention. Periodically we have enhanced DBS checks. I disclosed what had happened to me and I thank god every day I was one of the fortunate ones. Yes I was caught out and there is no excuse but why do pencils have rubbers on the end of them? Because humans make mistakes. Every persons experience is so personal it is hard to blanket the outcome even in a same situation. People come on here for all kinds of reasons looking for answers and if we have the knowledge to help we must try to. I don't think a person would come on here for the fun of it the person is seeking some help, I don't mean to offend it's just how I feel.
 
This is complete and utter BS as far as I am concerned.

If you make yourself appealing to an employer they will look past things like this, fact!

You don't even need to declare a DD endorsement after 5 years as its subject to the rehabilitation of offenders act. Sorry but I draw the conclusion that your friend gave up on himself and decided to blame his current situation on the past DD offence as none of what you say is anywhere close to reality!

Everything I said is true. Bus companies will not take on any driver if the person has ever been banned from driving,
even if the ban was 50 years ago.
My friend applied for jobs in the Civil Service and discovered that any conviction, no matter how old, had to be disclosed.
Obviously other applicants without convictions would be selected before any applicants with a conviction.
The chap I knew who went to prison for armed bank robbery applied for driving jobs after he was released from prison.
Jobs of that nature didn't require an enhanced disclosure so he easily got a job.
Also after being in prison for armed bank robbery, and despite using a car as a getaway vehicle, he still had a clean licence.
I assume that driving away from an armed bank robbery is OK as long as you drive carefully and you haven't been drinking.
The fact that you have threatened bank employees with a fire arm and drove away armed doesn't make you a threat to public
safety regarding your driving standard according to the law.
My story is NOT BS, it's true and shows how mad the law is.
 
Everything I said is true. Bus companies will not take on any driver if the person has ever been banned from driving,
even if the ban was 50 years ago.
My friend applied for jobs in the Civil Service and discovered that any conviction, no matter how old, had to be disclosed.
Obviously other applicants without convictions would be selected before any applicants with a conviction.
The chap I knew who went to prison for armed bank robbery applied for driving jobs after he was released from prison.
Jobs of that nature didn't require an enhanced disclosure so he easily got a job.
Also after being in prison for armed bank robbery, and despite using a car as a getaway vehicle, he still had a clean licence.
I assume that driving away from an armed bank robbery is OK as long as you drive carefully and you haven't been drinking.
The fact that you have threatened bank employees with a fire arm and drove away armed doesn't make you a threat to public
safety regarding your driving standard according to the law.
My story is NOT BS, it's true and shows how mad the law is.

Phil.....Chiefmegawatty......Jimdavis (or whatever username you now go by)

Is it really a surprise that a drink driving offence will affect employment as a Bus Driver?? The bus companies have a duty of care to the public. Rightly or wrongly, personally I would be horrified if I found out that the person driving my child to school had a criminal conviction for drink driving spent or not. Can you imagine the public out cry should someone who has a drink driving conviction end up crashing a bus full of kids. We live in a world of heightened health and safety and the media.

Furthermore, your comparison is irrelevant. I guarantee your 'friend' would not gain employment as a Bank Clerk EVER having been convicted of armed robbery. The nature of the crime will dictate potential problems with future employment. Much in the same way a convicted child molester would never expect to work in a school.

As for your other 'friend' perhaps if he had taken responsibility and got off his backside he would have been employed. Stoopid is very right, if you make yourself appealing to an employer they will look past a conviction such as drink driving. To wallow in self pity is quite honestly his own problem and no fault of the law that is there to protect us all.

If he relied on his licence for his livelihood then he is even more stupid to be drink driving! Harsh maybe but very true. He is solely responsible for the position he found himself in so is equally responsible for getting himself out of it. Re-training or self employment would have been his options.

The subject of this thread is It's bad but does get better and that is very true! There is no need to come here to scare people into thinking that they will never be employed and that their drink driving offence will affect them for the rest of their lives as that is not the case. With approximately 90,000 people convicted of drink driving every year are you really suggesting that 90,000 join the dole queue each and every year??

Yes drink driving will affect everyone in the short term just the same as any criminal offence will. Thats a consequence of breaking the law! The long term is up to you.

What people need on this thread is positivity. To continue to rant and trivialise drink driving serves no purpose at all and much of this has been covered under your previous usernames.

I would suggest that people in this situation listen to users such as Stoopid and Ally who have been in this situation and remain positive and supportive. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

To Ally, unfortunately jimdavis does appear to come on here for fun. Do a search for chiefmegawatty. Sadly, he has his own agenda in regards to drink driving which serves as no help to anyone.
 
Everything I said is true. Bus companies will not take on any driver if the person has ever been banned from driving,
even if the ban was 50 years ago.
My friend applied for jobs in the Civil Service and discovered that any conviction, no matter how old, had to be disclosed.
Obviously other applicants without convictions would be selected before any applicants with a conviction.
The chap I knew who went to prison for armed bank robbery applied for driving jobs after he was released from prison.
Jobs of that nature didn't require an enhanced disclosure so he easily got a job.
Also after being in prison for armed bank robbery, and despite using a car as a getaway vehicle, he still had a clean licence.
I assume that driving away from an armed bank robbery is OK as long as you drive carefully and you haven't been drinking.
The fact that you have threatened bank employees with a fire arm and drove away armed doesn't make you a threat to public
safety regarding your driving standard according to the law.
My story is NOT BS, it's true and shows how mad the law is.

Ukboxer is right, you can change the name that you post under, but the underlying theme is still the same....!
It USED to be the case that a CRB check (which would be done for the civil service) would show up any conviction, ever. That does not mean that it stops someone getting the job. If you look at some of Ally's posts, she talks about being sacked as a teacher, but a few weeks later getting another teaching post while banned, having given an account of her circumstances in a letter sent in with her application form.
For some time now, though, if you only have one conviction which is not on the barred list, then it becomes a spent conviction after 11 years and will not even appear or have to be disclosed on a DBS check.
I therefore wonder how a person can NEVER gain employment as a driver when there is no way that any employer can find out about the conviction after 11 years, even if the job entails a DBS check?
AS to the armed robber, he would not be able to get employment at the civil service either, and as he was sentenced to over 2 /12 years in prison, the conviction will NEVER be spent and will always have to be declared.
perhaps Jim's friend could not get employment at the civil service because he had friends who were bank robbers.......
i have met a few bank robbers in my time, but never took enough interest in them to find out what jobs they applied for after their release.
I have to say that this fanciful account should be taken with a pinch of salt.
 
I have to say that this fanciful account should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Think that pretty much sums it up Price :)

Just to clear things a bit, I have no problem with people being given a second chance and a drink driving offence should never affect someone indefinitely. Even bus drivers.

For me its all about the attitude towards the offence.

My comments regarding a bus driver were solely directed towards this 'friend' who no doubt feels the same about drink driving as jimdavis i.e that it is trivial. This is exactly the sort of person that should never ever be driving buses or any other vehicle as they are the ones who continue to offend. These people are a danger to us all.

I was not having a dig at the vast majority of people who have made a mistake and will learn from it.

Everyone deserves a second chance but the first (and I would argue the most important) step is taking responsibility and not blaming everyone else.
 
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