Not quite the Drink Driving course, but...

Convicted Driver Insurance

new_pedestrian

Established Member
I've just read this from the comedian Richard Herring's blog. It's about his experience with the speeding rehab course rather than the drink driving one, but I thought I'd post a link to it here regardless just as a general bit of entertaining information about how these things work. It has the added bonus of being funny.

http://www.richardherring.com/warmingup/warmingup.php?id=2907

I find it interesting how speeders are still seen as not having really done anything wrong and anyone can freely admit to having been caught speeding without shame.

As most of us here know to our cost, drink driving is a criminal offence rather than a traffic one, and telling people what we did is a wholly different experience to when people talk about getting speeding tickets.

If speeding and drunk driving are both offences that threaten the safety of ourselves and others, it seems weird that they are handled so differently by the courts and seen so differently by the public in general.

IMHO, drink driving being a criminal offence makes no more or less sense than speeding being in the same bracket. Both are irresponsible decisions and could lead to the same results, e.g. death on the roads.

Personally I think that drink driving should be a traffic offence and not lead to a criminal record, rather than speeding being upgraded to a criminal case.

Surely a ban, a fine, paying for and doing the rehab course plus the social stigma of being a drunk driver is enough punishment without having to encounter problems associated with a criminal record afterwards as well?

Anyway, just my thoughts there, I really posted this as a link to Richard Herring's blog post because of the rehab course theme.
 
Surely a ban, a fine, paying for and doing the rehab course plus the social stigma of being a drunk driver is enough punishment without having to encounter problems associated with a criminal record afterwards as well?

Totally agree with you mate. The punishment is indeed very heavy-handed, sadly I didn't realise this until I got caught ! :(

And as you say, paradoxically the punishment for drink driving is actually more severe than the things it tries to prevent i.e. speeding, dangerous driving, driving with undue care and attention etc.

The fact that you can legally drive up to your court date just proves how farcical the whole thing really is!
 
paradoxically the punishment for drink driving is actually more severe than the things it tries to prevent i.e. speeding, dangerous driving, driving with undue care and attention etc.

That's a good point right there. Someone who drives like an idiot as sober as a judge isn't a criminal. Someone who drives over the limit is a criminal regardless of how they drive.

I know there are many variables involved and there are of course tragic cases where innocent people have been injured or killed by drunk drivers, so I accept fully that drink driving is a stupid and dangerous thing to do. But so are speeding, not indicating, tailgating, driving whilst using a phone and so on.

If having too much to drink and going out in a car is a crime, then why is not having anything to drink and driving dangerously not a crime? In many cases a drunk driver might not have driven over the limit deliberately, but nobody accidentally starts texting or inadvertently drives six inches behind another car doing 70mph whilst angrily flashing their lights.

The general feeling on speeding seems to be that everyone does it and that police who stop people for speeding are inhuman b*****s. Speed cameras are seen as evil cash cows raking in cash for the government. The speeding rehab course is seen purely as a means of avoiding points on your licence.

A speeder has to pay a small fine and have points on their licence for four years or whatever it is. I can't enter Canada for the rest of my life and have a criminal record.

As I said, I know that I did something wrong and deserve punishment for it. The only reason I'm feeling sorry for myself is that I've got a criminal record, something I would associate more with someone who deliberately set out to harm other people or their property. Insurance companies agree, since 99% of them will now not give me home contents insurance, and the few that will want enormous premiums, because I'm a criminal.

In the final analysis, whichever breed of dangerous driver you are, the result of an accident will be pretty much the same.
 
That's a good point right there. Someone who drives like an idiot as sober as a judge isn't a criminal. Someone who drives over the limit is a criminal regardless of how they drive.

I know there are many variables involved and there are of course tragic cases where innocent people have been injured or killed by drunk drivers, so I accept fully that drink driving is a stupid and dangerous thing to do. But so are speeding, not indicating, tailgating, driving whilst using a phone and so on.

If having too much to drink and going out in a car is a crime, then why is not having anything to drink and driving dangerously not a crime? In many cases a drunk driver might not have driven over the limit deliberately, but nobody accidentally starts texting or inadvertently drives six inches behind another car doing 70mph whilst angrily flashing their lights.

The general feeling on speeding seems to be that everyone does it and that police who stop people for speeding are inhuman b*****s. Speed cameras are seen as evil cash cows raking in cash for the government. The speeding rehab course is seen purely as a means of avoiding points on your licence.

A speeder has to pay a small fine and have points on their licence for four years or whatever it is. I can't enter Canada for the rest of my life and have a criminal record.

As I said, I know that I did something wrong and deserve punishment for it. The only reason I'm feeling sorry for myself is that I've got a criminal record, something I would associate more with someone who deliberately set out to harm other people or their property. Insurance companies agree, since 99% of them will now not give me home contents insurance, and the few that will want enormous premiums, because I'm a criminal.

In the final analysis, whichever breed of dangerous driver you are, the result of an accident will be pretty much the same.

Don't know what to say but I gather there is a reason for it being the way it is. I don't know the stats but I am sure more people are killed per year because of bad driving/speeding than drink drivers running amok!

I am sure you can get into Canada just as you can get into the States no problem... just don't declare it. ;)

It also does become a spent conviction in the UK after 5 years so it isn't a problem on insurance in 5 years time.

Sounds like you are taking it too seriously mate. Quite a few of us have done it and life goes on. Maybe consider getting a friend or family member to take out home insurance on your behalf ? Just got to find ways to work around the problem I guess. A bit of a pain but worse things do and can happen! Although according to the lecturer at the rehab course, by finding ways around things I am not taking responsibility for what I did! :rolleyes:
 
Sorry about taking my criminal record a bit seriously there, Tex.:rolleyes:

I like what you did there ! :D

It isn't a criminal record per se... when it shows up on your RAP SHEET :D people know what the story is. I am under the impression that the US approach of "moral turpitude" is applied to it. I have researched this to death and it seems that people happily work for the NHS, Banks and even the Council with a drink driving conviction on their record. It isn't quite as "one strike and you are out of here!" as you make it.

Come now, give me a hug my criminal brother ! Don't forget the honour amongst thieves, dammit !! :mad:
 
I've got a criminal record for drink driving in the UK. A magistrate told me in a court, and I believed her.

The moral turpitude thing you refer to applies to getting into the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme but not to getting home contents insurance in the UK, or to the social stigma attached to drink driving.

I didn't mention getting a job the NHS, a bank or the council but thanks for bringing it up anyway. I think you may have misread something that I've said to mean that I wanted to get a new job as a doctor in a council bank, so I apologise for misleading you.
 
I've got a criminal record for drink driving in the UK. A magistrate told me in a court, and I believed her.

Did you mention it was good to see a female magistrate ? (I would say "a chick in a robe" but sadly my magistrate didn't have the full garb. :( )

The moral turpitude thing you refer to applies to getting into the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme but not to getting home contents insurance in the UK, or to the social stigma attached to drink driving.

Yes, I know what it applies to but I am saying the criminal conviction (actually considered a minor criminal conviction... I wonder why ?) is treated similar to the way a crime of moral turpitude is in the States.

Social stigma ? Are you living in the dark ages or something :confused: You will be surprised how many people have been caught!... Everyone I mention it to just thinks I was a bit careless/unlucky, then again I probably hang with a lot of criminal scum. You know the type of person that people associate you with nowadays after they hear about what you have done ! ;)

I didn't mention getting a job the NHS, a bank or the council but thanks for bringing it up anyway. I think you may have misread something that I've said to mean that I wanted to get a new job as a doctor in a council bank, so I apologise for misleading you.

You sound more like a nurse type to me, a whinging nurse at that... you sure you didn't mention you wanted to get a job as a whinging nurse in the NHS ? ;)
 
I'll leave you to it mate.

I was just trying to have a bit of a laugh not even at your expense but you didn't want to play nice.

You know what, at the end of the day there is absolutely f-all you, me or anybody else can do about it. Personally I have wasted a lot of money and even worse a load of time thinking about this rubbish!

I actually shouldn't bother with this forum... it isn't good for me !! :D
 
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